[JCviggen]

Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

From Road and Track:To keep the engine (and turbo) from overheating, turbo engines inject excess gas under boost. It seems counterintuitive, but this "rich mixture" cools down combustion and reduces exhaust temperatures.

A bit late perhaps, but this isn't particularly accurate. It's not so much about overheating engine or turbo (the latter prefers to be as hot as possible) but the increased pressure and temperature of the mixture due to forced induction is more susceptible to knock/detonation. That's where the extra fuel comes in. Modern turbocharged engines (going back a decade or more) keep running 14.7:1 as long as they possibly can even under full boost for a limited amount of time. They do get richer when you rev them out all the way but they don't start enriching as soon as you see boost, far from it.

They do suffer in terms of efficiency from pumping losses and (less of an issue these days but still) lower static compression than comparable NA engines. Whether they are more efficient depends on how you drive them at the end of the day. On a race track they will more often than not be worse than a NA car in terms of fuel consumption but there are situations where smaller displacement does help. Either way 99.9% of the time an average person drives a turbocharged car the "running richer" thing isn't in play.

 

[JCviggen]

So, no need to own the car to have an opinion. Do you discard all automotive journalists opinions too? They very seldom own the cars they write about.

Good post.

The one thing this topic (718 reviews that are less than flattering) illustrates is that the 718 is not universally loved and praised where the 981 was. Obviously this is partially because, aside from the engine, it is a small incremental update of the 981 which would never really set the world on fire.

At the end of the day though, it is exactly what Porsche wanted it to be. They are on record admitting/implying that the NA flat-6 element of the 981 was - in their opinion - interfering with the 911 too much. And this topic shows that they were right. Some part of the Boxster/Cayman market is just as happy with their car and will buy it because it's newer/faster but another part wants nothing to do with it. A portion of the latter will inevitably go 911 unless they are really averse to turbocharging. Can't fault Porsche's logic, the 718 was made "worse" for a particular segment of buyers on purpose and the mixed reviews are a logical and likely foreseen side effect.

 

[JCviggen]

Oh and that flat six mid-engine induction howl just cannot be overstated.

True and often overlooked. The same engine sounds a lot better/more exciting in a 981 than a 991.

I got my first 718S experience the other day, courtesy of the local Porsche aftersales manager who gave me the keys to his very orange BS. Impressively quick car in its own right. Doesn't sound bad when you're hammering it either, I guess the extra shove helps the perception of that. It's only when you want to cruise around and go slower that the experience falls apart a bit, whereas I can listen to my flat 6 all the time regardless of how fast or slow I'm going. But I don't "hate" the new engine, it has its merits. I was glad to observe that it doesn't seem faster than my modded GTS at the top end though, as it shouldn't be if the stated power is accurate.

 

[JCviggen]

Unfortunately for EVO, they then have to compete with American journos who collect data covering everything from sound thru handling to straight line speed

Sounds like wishful thinking to me, the American outlets really don't have any kind of foothold or reputation in Europe that is statistically relevant.

Drivetribe, on the other hand, could be stepping up.

Still, a lot of people certainly in the UK and Western Europe subscribe to EVO (in print) - they don't have the same following for online content. Anyway, in this case I think the journalistic exaggeration is obvious enough for it not to be taken entirely seriously.

 

[JCviggen]

I was thinking more along the lines of Drivetribe's video content actually, which is well superior of EVO's at the moment.

But it seems to me that there's two different philosophies here, a data driven or emotional one. Whilst you can't totally separate the two, I think it's fair to blast Porsche when their new car takes a step forward for the first but a big step backwards for the latter. Especially when the mid-engine platform was never about numbers (that's the 911's game) but the driving experience.

At a time in history when these cars are already very very fast, a few tenths here and there shouldn't be a huge deal. For people who think otherwise, there is the 911. I think the pushback against the 718 from certain outlets is less against the car itself but rather the cynicism with which Porsche (by their own admission) wanted to increase the gap to the 911. And it's a welcome rare opportunity to bash a Porsche for something, they've been too flawless for too long.

 

[JCviggen]

its time to be VERY VERY thankful these cars exist, regardless of sound. Because they are the end of the road, as I said, turbos were an intermediate step to wean away from IC.

I may be weird but I don't follow this logic, precisely.

Electric being "next" seems somewhat irrelevant to people who don't like the 718 because of its engine characteristics. It would make sense if there was no other choice and it was either 718 or electric, sure. But the step between 981 and 982, outside of the engine, is tiny. Both in terms of looks and general technology. So while we can still buy perfectly serviceable and relatively up-to-date models with the flat 6 I don't see why anyone needs to thank their lucky stars for the 718. From the perspective of people who don't like the 718, of course. If you do like it then by definition you're lucky it exists.

A 918-style naturally aspirated "Porsche sounding" engine with hybrid electric components would probably seem fine to many Porsche enthusiasts. Anyway, Porsche is not about to swap all their sportscars to electric-only for forever starting next week.