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You also have to realise that the US market is unique in their perception of engine size and number of cylinders as a mark of luxury prestige.
The 718 has done very well so far in Europe, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
Why? Well people there are more concerned about the entire package, instead of just the number of cylinders.
Now shall people get off their high horses and enjoy whichever Porsche they own and stop being opinionated phalluses?

Based on the most recent monthly sales, the 718 models seem to be doing fine in the US compared to the 981. Latest Panorama magazine showed a sizable increase year over year (and Dec 2015 was just a few months prior to the changeover to the 718 models), although all Porsche sports car sales pale compared to the Macan these days.

 

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$7000 cheaper than what the 981 S *was* costing when new. You can find CPO 981 S models under $60k, and some under $50k now. Roughly comparable to a brand new base 718 ($53k for Cayman, $56k for Boxster) with no or few options. The quandary is really on the Boxster side, given the substantial price increase for the base model while the Cayman only went up a little and is now the cheaper of the two.

 

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There was a bigger difference between the 981 and its predecessor 987, so, I'm not saying it wasn't worth it. The only reason a lot of people are cross-shopping a CPO 981 and 718 is purely because of the loss of the NA flat 6. Much of the package is the same even if there have been noticeable refinements and performance improvements as I'm sure you can attest to. That and the newness / full warranty coverage factor was why I opted for a 718 S, which is basically into the 911 Carrera performance range (and close if not equal to the Carrera S level of previous generations).

 

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I was surprised by the negativity of the EVO article as well. I've always embraced EVO's reviews and thought they were fair and well represented. But as an owner of a '15 CGTS (as well as 991 Turbo S and R8 V10+), I had a completely different reaction to the time I spent in a 718 BS. I liked it tremendously and ordered one. I too have read Porsche reviews for decades (I've continually owned Porsches for 45 years), so I must agree about the word "startling" with regard to this EVO article.

I think it's fair to assume that Porsche is not happy about any negative press that the 718 has received (though most of the reviews I have read are overwhelmingly positive). I am sure that they are hard at work to improve the cars NVH issues. Therefore, I'd suggest that the sales of 718 may follow a different trajectory, and may ramp up as the car is further improved and the din created by the loss of the 6 cylinder engine subsides. Time will tell.

I believe 90% of the negative reviews come from British press or British reviewers. Say what will you will about them. Jeremy Clarkson hates Porsche with a passion and even more so because every one he drives (i.e., the GT3 RS) is better than the other cars he loves more. So they are notoriously fickle. To convince me to consider a 718 instead of a CPO 991 Carrera or 981 Boxster S, it took Car and Driver, who has managed to test just about every engine, transmission and body style permutation of the 718, and seems to love all of them (some more than others). In fact, their latest review of the base 718 Boxster with PDK listed as one of the negatives about the car, "Listening to purists’ incessant whining about the boxer-four engine’s exhaust note".

 

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That's actually how I view it: 2 notches up the quality and performance scale from a Miata, 370z and BRZ/FRS, and one notch up from the S2000. To me, it's the natural evolution of the 987/981, and the Turbo4 gives it a personality all its own.

Porsche management has already laid down the law. There will be no sports cars slotted below Boxster/Cayman, and the "entry-level" Porsche is a CPO Porsche. If you want a new Porsche for under $50k, the Macan is it.

That said, a 2008 Cayman and 2017 Cayman (718) base model equipped roughly the same way (disregarding the expensive performance options or stuff not available in 2008) will run roughly within $1000-2000 of each other. Not a big change considering the improvements to performance, plus xenon headlamps and Sound Package Plus are now standard (and 08s didn't even have BT or satellite radio available). The big difference is in the Boxster, by suddenly pricing it over $2000 more than a Cayman instead of $3000 less......I am still scratching my head about that.

 

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You forgot this quote from the C&D 718 Cayman review>>>

"Also well documented are some drivers’ vociferous objections to the new engine sound. But not all of us at C/D are in agreement; some of us, including this author, find the new engine note is sharp, unapologetic, and aggressive—perfectly in character with this example, a particularly racy runt of the 718 litter."

Just saying!

Let's just say the authors all have their own views. The R & T test of the 718S was glowing. Plus I liked the thing enough when I took the local back road test drive (and I also drove the 718 base for comparison) that I was hooked, to the point where the real change for me was not the change from a 6 to a T4 but from the 5-speed in my 987 to PDK.

I think the PCA's "Panorama" also has had a split personality when it comes to the 718. Pete Stout (who recently left as their editor in chief) seemed saddened by the sound, though in the end he preferred the S model, while the post-Stout review (base PDK and manual S) likened the engine sound to an early 911 and seemed to love everything about the cars.

 

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This gets to the heart of the matter with respect to reviewers, Some journalists are able to see the 718 as a raucus, snarling, edgy ADDITION to the the Porsche lineup - a undeniably impressive technical and performance achievement when evaluated on its own merits - while others can't get past the replacement of an engine that was pretty long in the tooth, and see the 718 as something lost rather than something gained. In my experience, most people really aren't very good at embracing change: there is comfort in holding on to what is known and familiar. Anything (or anyone) directly challenging the status quo will face resistance. I'm in the camp that agrees with the author of the quote above. The 718 is more interesting to me than a 981 (except a Spyder...do love the Spyder) precisely because it's snarly, sharp-edged and has a tinge of NVH dialed back into the experience to remind me that I'm driving a raw sporting machine. The 718 seems to me builds on the character of the 987 and goes its own way, while the 981 spent its life cycle living in the 911's shadow.

I think there are also many who felt that the 981 (especially the Cayman) was more like a 911 than the 911 (991) was, which was easier to see with the 3.4 liter S and GTS models and especially with the GT4. Undoubtedly Porsche worried about protecting their crown jewel. The 718 is different enough now (despite the well-turned-out interior and performance, at least on on paper) that few will now make the direct comparison.

 

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NEWS FLASH:

1443 posts and we now can agree that some people don't like the 718 sound.

If this is new news to you, you're welcome.

Question: Should we start another thread entitled "Best 718 Reviews" or simply move this "worst" thread to where it belongs, to the 98x Board so that those with the older cars can continue their haranguing.

I am beginning to wonder whether this thread is deliberately trying to troll 718 owners away from the Planet-9 site.

 

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The Macan is not a Cayman with 4-seats, sorry. Is it a great small SUV? Sure, it's the Porsche of small SUV's. Now, a mid-engine Macan? Food for thought.

 

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The strange thing is in May of last year, the 981 was ramping down. The 718's were just entering production and the Cayman was not released until November.

 

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As a member of this forum almost from its inception, I agree about the Porsche bias on this forum, but disagree about the lack of openness to other marques. Sure there are exceptions, but for the majority of times other marques are treated with a great deal of respect. The most recent example that comes to mind was when the Jaguar F series was released. There were lots of favorable comments about the F series on this forum, and just a few negatives. Granted that BMW has taken its share of hits on this forum, but I believe most car enthusiasts have been disappointed with the direction that BMW has taken over the past ten years.
So yes you are likely to get the "rose colored glasses" view regarding Porsches on this forum, but you are also likely to get favorable posts about other marques.

Most people who own Porsches tend to own other vehicles (or have owned other vehicles), so I believe we are as open as anybody to other marques. That said, Porsche is building SUVs, CUVs, sedans and wagons (term used loosely here, I actually like the Panamera Sport Touring more than the sedan version). So unless we must have a Prius-class vehicle or a pickup truck, we can certainly be closed-minded if we choose.

 

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Feb to June - clear upward trend

With Boxster sales increasing in spring and other people waiting 4-5 months for cars to be delivered, it could well be more sales will be registered as time goes on, though there is an awful lot of catch-up before 981 levels are achieved and the Box/Cay pair today will likely never sell as well as the 987.1's, perhaps ever.

I think there were probably too many pricey 718 S's on the lots 5-6 months ago (though I decided on a 718 BS with more options but the same color specs as what I was going to order, but I had a trade and they discounted the car pretty nicely). The quandary, however, is whether even a basically-equipped 718 is too expensive at $60k. From a historical perspective, probably not. After all, my first Porsche, a 2008 base Cayman with a manual, PCM, Bose and about 3-4 other options was $58k as ordered, though I did get 7% off that. Relative to the market today, $60k for ANY 2-seater sports car may not fly, with sales of F150's on a perpetual upswing while normal car sales are dropping, millennials seemingly being less interested in cars, and "Generation Z" people chasing WRX STi's and Japanese/Korean tuner specials. For $60k, your product has to be absolutely flawless, and if you tend to only pay attention to social media and blogs (especially the British YouTube media and of course Guido the German ex-Getawayer), just one factor (the 718 sound) seems to be loudly drowning out the myriad of other pluses about the car.

 

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Let's review: He bought a 718, but doesn't like electric steering, turbo engine, the sound, the Japanese car overall feel and the something-or-the-other that rattles. His conclusion - it doesn't feel like a Porsche. And then he buys a Panny and is in love.

My conclusion: All his colleagues at the Ministry of Silly Walks made fun of him for not driving a limousine.

If you've seen this guys' videos, he seems to buy a new car every 6 months. I think somewhere in the span of the last year he had a Carrera 4S or something. I guess he needs room for his stuffed animals and/or his cat, and the back seat of the Panny just does it for him. I am convinced he models himself on Reggie Mantle, but is just a Jughead.

 

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July PCNA sales 987 vs 981 vs 718 in first full launch years as far as I can tell.

What surprises me is how well the 981 sold long after they had stopped making them and were switching the factory over to the 718. I do remember last year, well into June there were a dozen 981 Caymans in stock at my local dealer and no Boxsters. Those Caymans all were eventually sold (not even really discounted) and a few months later the 718 Caymans showed up, alongside the Boxsters that had begun coming in before. The big mistake Porsche made with their in-stock models was pushing the $85k-plus loaded vehicles when they should have had more basic models (<$70k) to choose from, though I saw more of those at the time I bought in January.

 

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Dunno where you are but Tysons corner has 4. Arlington has 8. Silver Spring has 10. Rockville has 5. That's 27 718 within 20 sq miles or so. Thats a lot of interest piling up sitting there in lots.

That's probably the fewest I've seen / heard are at Tyson's. They were running a steady flow of about 6-8 models in stock not long ago, though it seems there are fewer Boxsters now, consistent with their supposedly increased demand. Ten at Silver Spring is a lot, possibly a "demographic" issue compared to other areas (via-a-vis Tysons and Rockville)? Rockville had a lot of 718's with $90k-plus sticker prices about 6 months ago which is pretty extreme, even with the expensive Miami Blue and Orange paint.....