You know how, since Porsche decided to turn the 718 Cayman and Boxster models into a pair of four-cylinder turbocharged machines, there has almost been an incessant flow of mithering and carping about the decision from the petrolhead fraternity? Well, maybe that will come to an end. You see, Stuttgart has decided to update its erstwhile 365hp/420Nm four-pot 718 GTS models for the 2020s. And what has the German sports car manufacturer gone and done? Why, only plopped in the astonishing 4.0-litre flat-six naturally aspirated engine from the 718 Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder. These two new pieces of magnificence will be called the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and 718 Boxster GTS 4.0, and they're available to order right now, with cars first appearing in Porsche Centres across the UK in March - pay from £64,088 for the Cayman GTS 4.0 and from £65,949 for the Boxster GTS 4.0. The arrival of this pair does not signal the end of the four-pot 718, as the regular base versions and their T derivatives will continue with the 300hp/380Nm 2.0-litre boxer four, while the 350hp/420Nm, 2.5-litre Boxster S and Cayman S will continue onwards into the new decade as well. Nor does it mean you can't order either a GT4 or Spyder, because they're still on sale as the 718 flagships: instead, the GTS is the bonkers six-cylinder version that's just a teensy-tiny bit less bonkers and supposedly daily-driver-oriented. Power is reduced slightly from the 425hp peak of the 718s GT4/Spyder, but with a rampant 400hp on tap either version of the GTS 4.0 will go from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds and run on to 182mph, where legal and appropriate. A full gamut of chassis and driver-enjoyment-tech will control/apportion this grunt - such as Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) sports suspension with a 20mm-lower ride height, Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with a mechanical limited-slip differential, the Sport Chrono Package with Porsche Active Drivetrain Mounts (PADM), the upgraded Porsche Track Precision App, a Sports Exhaust system (the GTS 4.0 revs to a 7,800rpm point of peak power, 200rpm higher than either the GT4 or Spyder) and meaty cross-drilled brakes with red callipers (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes with yellow callipers are an option) - while the exciting newcomers sit on 20-inch wheels, have lots of black and dark exterior detailing, and feature an interior drenched in Alcantara. They even promise some parsimony, too, as the 4.0-litre mid-mounted unit can shut off half of its cylinders if needs be, resulting in 25.9mpg and 246g/km of CO₂ emissions. OK, OK, we were never the biggest detractors of the four-cylinder engines, but even we'll admit this is very much a step in the right direction by Porsche...

Matt Robinson - 16 Jan 2020