Car and Driver: Porsche’s Newly Four-Cylinder 718 Boxster Sounds Better Than You Think

When we introduced you to Porsche’s updated Boxster, which now goes by the name 718 Boxster, we noted how issues of horsepower matter less than issues of sound. With the old Boxster’s sonorous flat-six engine out, and a turbo four in, albeit with more power, would our automotive ears be left heartbroken? As we put it, “We just hope it doesn’t sound like a 914 with a Subaru conversion.” Porsche has finally released a video of the new 718 Boxster charging through some canyons, and the clip offers the first hint that the turbocharged four-cylinder will sound nothing like a warbly WRX.
-

• -
• 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera / Carrera S First Drive: Turbo Time in Stuttgart-
• 718 and Life: Porsche Boxster and Cayman Get New Names-
• Porsche 718 Boxster Research: Everything You Need to Know About the Newest Mid-Engine Porsche-

To put your worries to rest, the flat-four-powered 718 has a familiar raspiness to its exhaust note, albeit with a deeper bass track underpinning the proceedings. It goes without saying that the new Boxster looks as sexy as its pre-refresh self, and the video even highlights the still-available six-speed manual transmission. Now the only open question requiring an answer: How will we warm to the four-cylinder Boxster’s power delivery? The old flat six required high-rpm winding to extract both the engine’s glorious sound as well as peak output; the turbo will offer more torque down low. Such assessment will have to wait for our first drive of the new 718 Boxster, but in the meantime, soak in that burly exhaust note:
-

Read Full Article