We’ve seen teasers and confirmed that the 718 name will be resurrected by the Porsche 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman when the cars are released early next year. Thanks to Autocar having an exclusive drive of a 817 Boxster prototype, we can now say with certainty just what is powering the facelifted models.
Despite reports that three different flat-four engines will be available for the cars, the British publication says that just two units will be produced. The first displaces 2.0-litres and utilities a single turbocharger with Porsche’s Variable Turbine Geometry setup. In base guise, that engine will deliver around 295 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque while the bore and stroke will sit at 91 mm and 76.4 mm.
The new flat-four is very similar to the turbocharged flat-six powering the facelifted 991-generation 911 range albeit with two fewer cylinders.
As for the range-topping engine found in the 718 Boxster S and 718 Cayman S, it will displace between 2.4 and 2.5-litres while also utilizing one of the turbochargers of the 911 Turbo. It should deliver in the region of 355 hp and 295 lb-ft.
While all models will enjoy power increases over the outgoing cars, they will be heavier. As a matter of fact, the entry-level 718 Boxster now weighs 3086 pounds (1400 kg) rather than the 2899 pounds (1315 kg) over the current car. Nevertheless, the base facelifted Cayman and Boxster models will hit 62 mph in 5.5 seconds while the ‘S’ badged variants will complete the same sprint in 5 seconds.
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