What's all this about?
It was to be expected, but it doesn't make the news any the less good - Porsche has decided the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman twins need to be treated to range-topping GTS treatment. Sitting above the already-rapid S models, these GTS cars have more power, more equipment and more handling goodness.
But I bet they cost more money, right?
Umm, yes. The Cayman GTS starts from £59,866, while the Boxster GTS kicks off at £61,727. They're available to order now.
What do I get for my money?
Porsche takes the 2.5-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine from the 718 S cars and gives it a new air intake plus an optimised turbocharger. That sees power and torque hikes of 15hp and 10Nm respectively, leaving the 718 GTS pair at 365hp at 6,500rpm and 430Nm from 1,900- to 5,000rpm. All this grunt obviously goes to the rear wheels, via a six-speed manual as standard or with a PDK twin-clutch gearbox as an option. Standard equipment includes the Sport Chrono Package with Launch Control, and if you opt for the PDK then 0-62mph takes as little as 4.1 seconds, while the top speed is 180mph. That's rapid.
Does Porsche change anything else?
Well, it adds more equipment to the mix, such as Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with a mechanical limited-slip differential, plus Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which lowers the car by 10mm.
And what marks a 718 GTS out from its regular stablemates?
On the outside, lots of black: it coats the 20-inch alloys, the front Sport Design and rear lower bumpers, it's in the light clusters fore and aft, while the standard sports exhaust finishers are also black. On the base of the doors, there are black GTS logos and all the badging on the car is also black. On the inside, it's all about Alcantara. This material can be found on the centres of the two-way, electrically-adjustable Sports Seats Plus, as well as on the steering wheel, centre console and the armrests. The Sport Chrono Package means an integrated stopwatch on the dash-top and both GTS models get the Porsche Track Precision App, which enables the driver to automatically record, display and analyse driving data on a connected smartphone.
Matt Robinson - 19 Oct 2017