Did Porsche Make a Mistake With the 4-Cylinder 718?
When is it ever a bad idea to make a car more powerful and faster? When you sell its soul to do so.
Ever since the Porsche Boxster and Cayman burst onto the automotive scene, they were universally praised. The Boxster/Cayman siblings are two of the most brilliant sports cars produced in the last 25 years. They were nearly without fault. The only legitimate criticism is that Porsche didn’t give them all the power they could, or they would outshine the 911. The GT4 and Spyder took significant steps in addressing this concern. By the time 981 variants rolled along, the Boxster and Cayman were doing just fine thank you very much.
However, in 2017 Porsche made the most radical update ever to its mid-engine wonders. Out went the glorious flat-6 and it was replaced with a couple of turbocharged 4-cylinder units. The name was even changed to include a 718 moniker to harken back to 4-cylinder racing cars of old. The cars were quicker, faster, and had more low-down torque. Special models were rolled out, such as the more powerful GTS and more focused T variants. As good as the new cars were, they lacked something, and that something was a stirring soundtrack.
The 718 is not a bad car at all. In fact, objectively it is superior in just about every way when compared to the previous generations. Subjectively, however, the 718 was made a little worse. Porsche told us it was the future, and the change had to happen for emissions reasons. The 4-cylinder was rich in Porsche racing heritage, remember the glorious 718 RSK? These were the modern-day, road-going equivalents we were told. Enthusiasts did not buy it. Literally. In 2016, the last full year of the flat-6 a total of 6,260 Boxsters/Caymans were sold in the United States. By 2019, that number fell about 40% to only 3,880 cars.
Suddenly, there was news coming out from Porsche that a flat-6 would be returning to the lineup again. At least it would in the top-spec Spyder and GT4 models. There was much rejoicing. Then, it was announced that the new GTS models would also once again have a flat-6. Will the lower tier models follow suit? That remains to be seen, but it seems that Porsche realized they may have miscalculated the importance that the soul of a sports car has on buyers.
Although slotted below the 911, the mid-engined cars easily approach and exceed $100,000. That is a big price to pay for a car that while fast and beautiful just doesn’t quite make you feel like you are in something special like the old 6-cylinder did. The smooth power delivery, and the wonderful howl as the engine shrieked towards redline. That made you feel like you were in a special car. Yes, it has to be kept in the upper rev range to have much pull and yes the 718 will be a bit further up the road. But the emotional connection between man and automobile is on a deeper level with the stirring flat-6.
A Porsche is an emotional purchase. It is not the cheapest car you can buy and, in many cases, not the most powerful. It is the way the car makes you feel that makes them worth the price of admission. For some, being faster is all that matters and the 718 will suit them fine, and it is a fantastic car. Others maybe want to stop and smell the roses a bit and have a more sensory experience. There is no right or wrong here, as both camps have their merits. However, with the value of the older 6-cylinder cars holding strong, and Porsche deciding to put a new 6-cylinder in its higher-spec cars, it appears that they too know the six is where it’s at.
Photos: Porsche
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