5 reasons the Porsche 718 is a better sports car than the 992 911

Or, perhaps less diplomatically, it’s not too big for our roads. You can happily hustle a 718 Cayman/Boxster down a wiggly UK country road and without having to ‘breathe in’ every time you pass a car travelling in the opposite direction. With a 992, this is not the case, where we’ve discovered genuine driver anxiety when B-road Porscheing. 

Sure, a 992 is only 50mm wider (100mm if a Turbo) than a 718 across its rear, but the difference is felt more keenly at the front axle, the gap of which is much wider. This matters when placing the car on the road: again, in a 718, we found we could thread this down a winding road, making full use of ‘our’ side safely and responsibly, without encroaching on the centre line. In a much wider 992, this is simply not possible in the UK, though we accept this isn’t an issue on more spacious roads in the USA, for example.

Take a seat inside the 718 Cayman/Boxster and you’ll notice its overall feel is refreshingly traditional. 

There’s a small (seven-inch) touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard that’s simple to use, buttons adorning the centre console, and a manual shifter (or PDK gear selector, which can slide left to allow you to push/pull up and down through the gears). 

Peer beyond the steering wheel and you’ll see three circular gauges, two of which contain physical dials and needles, just one being digital. Not detracting at all from the interior’s overall analogue feel – a crucial sports car component – this co-existence of tradition and digitisation is manifested by delightful, considered engineering that was also present in the previous-gen 911 (991).

Again, this is in stark contrast to the 10.9-inch screen found in the middle of the 992.1, which we’ve previously said is too complicated to use, and unnecessarily distracting for the driver. There are yet more screens, one either side of the 992’s tachometer, as further evidence of technological overload, though some information (such as fuel range) is masked from view by the steering wheel.

One of your first touch points with a sports car, sticking a key in the ignition and twisting it is usually where the fun begins. Why are manufacturers taking this simple mechanical pleasure away from enthusiasts? 

The 718, pleasingly, still has a key and conventional ignition, offering an early, mechanical connection between car and driver, while unlocking a sonorous bark from its exhaust tailpipes. The 992 has a dash-mounted dial to bring its flat six to life, which by comparison feels a little more detached, emotionally, which we believe is at odds with a true sports car experience. 

Yes, we are going there! One of our biggest gripes with the 992 concerns its door handles. Clunky, clumsy, and which have taken chunks out of my fingers in the past, in my opinion these electric, pop-out finger chompers are completely over-engineered and therefore at odds with the traditional sports car experience. Weissach seems to agree: the 992 GT3 RS has the old school (normal?) door handles which does away with any automatic folding nonsense, in favour of a design used on the previous-generation 991.2.

Happily, so does the 718. An elegant, lightweight, simple grab handle which one pulls, with minimal effort, to open a sports car door. Ahh. 

A 718 GTS can be had for comfortably less than an entry-level 911 (992) Carrera, new or used. The GTS is a great package, unlocking extra performance from the 718 platform courtesy of a glorious, 4.0-litre NA engine (ironically, the same engine is found in a 992 Carrera, albeit in 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged guise). A GTS also gives you desirable extra spec, including PASM Sport chassis, centrally-mounted Sports exhaust system, and a unique alcantara-clad interior.

Boasting a punchy 400hp, in a 718 GTS 4.0 you’re pretty much strapped to the engine, as we said in our recent test drive video, for while the chassis dynamics are masterly, the real magic lies in that brilliant, big-capacity flat six. The six-speed manual gearbox mated to it is wonderfully fluid (PDK is optional), adding extra zest to that overriding feeling of driver engagement.

The 718 GTS 4.0 sounds great, too – no doubt helped by the fact its engine is stationed right behind your ears, without any rear seats in the way.

Similar levels of Porsche performance and driver engagement can’t be had for the same price, unless you’re looking at older models in the marketplace which fall outside of any main dealer warranty. 

I’m aware this article could read like one thousand words of 911-bashing. It’s honestly not intended to be. Rather, take it as evidence of our (late) awakening as to just how good Porsche’s mid-engined platform is as a proper modern-day sports car. If you’ve so far been similarly negligent as to the Boxster/Cayman’s prowess versus a 911, we really do encourage you to give one a go. There’s plenty of example for sale right now via the 9WERKS Marketplace. 

Further, We’ve long said at 9WERKS there’s a Porsche out there for everyone – you just need to choose the right one for you and your lifestyle. We really are very lucky that Porsche manufactures so many different models and variants to suit these diverse needs.