For years I’ve been telling people that if they find something minorly annoying on a test drive at the dealership, they’re likely to find it grating and insufferable after a year of ownership. When I drove a brand new 718 Cayman S last year, I was instantly annoyed by the sound of the exhaust note. In my review of the car‘s exhaust note, I deemed it a “blasted booming blat” and a “thundering baritone flatulence”. That remains a difficulty to overcome in truly loving the Cayman/Boxster twins of today, the sound.
Every time the 718 is brought up in polite conversation, I have to stifle the urge to spit. The new car is better in every metric than it’s predecessor but at the cost of what was perhaps the best sounding exhaust note in history. The new engine also features torque on a level that it really doesn’t have a right to. A sports car has always been made to zing its engine to high-heaven, but the 718 simply puts along in a higher gear at a lower RPM for the same power. You don’t have to drive it, you don’t have to wring its neck, you don’t have to make it live like you had to with the 981.
If you don’t believe me, perhaps check out the new episode of Top Gear in which Chris Harris says basically everything I’m saying now. Or, don’t take the word of either of us at face value, and make the decision for yourself. This video features nearly 7 minutes of high-quality audio from inside and outside of the 718 at speed. What do you think? Does this actually sound any good, or are you as turned off as I am right now? I think I need to go take my 2.5 liter Boxster for a drive just to cleanse the palette with a truly sonorous Porsche exhaust note.