New Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 get flat-six Boxer engine

The new Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 arrive with a 395bhp version of Porsche’s 4.0 litre boxer engine.

It’s more than two years since the Porsche 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster GTS arrived, complete with 2.5 litre four-pot turbo delivering 361bhp. Which was a bit of a shame.

What the Cayman and Boxster (it really is time they were just the 718) really needed was a six-pot Boxer engine, but in a world of downsizing for engines and emissions madness, Porsche thought they were doing the right thing. Fortunately, they’ve now realised they were wrong, so say hello to the new Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0.

The new Boxer engine for the GTS models is a slightly de-tuned version of the flat-six in the Cayman GT4, here delivering 395bhp sent through a six-speed manual ‘box and good for a 0-62mph of 4.5 seconds and on to 182mph. Which is better, even if emissions and fuel use go up by about 20 per cent.

Aside from the new engine things are much the same, with PASM adaptive damping running the GTS 20mm closer to the ground, limited slip diff, 20″ alloys and red Porsche brake calipers (with a ceramic option).

Cosmetic tweaks include black exterior highlights and smoked glass lights and Alcantara on the inside with the option of splashes of yellow or red.

Prices have gone up a bit from the four-pot GTS models, with the 718 Cayman GTS starting at £64,088 and the 718 Boxter GTS at £65,949, a bit under £3k up.