The 718 Boxster And Cayman GTS Are Porsche's Slightly Faster, Much More Expensive Junior Sports Cars

The Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman have been upgraded, with new GTS models acting as a bridge between the S-badged cars and the upcoming Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4.

After the success of other GTS models across the 911, Cayenne and Panamera ranges, Porsche has created the new models by tuning the 2.5-litre flat-four S engine to deliver 361bhp; a 15bhp boost. That’s slightly less than was originally predicted.

It makes both new flat-four 718 GTS cars good for a 4.1-second sprint to 62mph; between 0.5 and 0.1 seconds faster than an S-badged equivalent, depending on spec. Top speed is 3mph faster at 180mph.

The PDK-only car follows a familiar GTS formula. Buyers will get the Sport Chrono Package, normally an option, as standard. That brings the central lap timer on the dashboard and upgrades to the drivetrain, helping the cars launch as quickly as possible.

Naturally, styling isn’t forgotten. Black detailing is the name of the game, with the front light clusters, logos, false diffuser and exhaust tips all finished in black. Alcantara upholstery and contact points, including the steering wheel trim, is a bit on the racy side, but on the other hand navigation is only an option.

The wheels are fetching 20-inch black satin items, while you’ll find black GTS logos at the base of the doors as well as in the centre of the rear end, if you don’t ask for that to be removed, which you wouldn’t, because you’d want people to know it was a GTS. Up front, night drives should be lit up nicely by bi-xenon headlights.

If you order the nav and install Porsche’s Track Precision App, known as PTPA, it’s possible to record precision lap times and driving data to review on your smartphone. Handy for nipping to Aldi.

The pair are priced, as you’d expect, higher than their S siblings. Some £8000 higher. We’ll leave you to debate the value in that.