For the first time since the days of the 912, Porsche will be selling cars with a boxer-four engine. This new engine will power everything from the forthcoming “Baby Boxster” to the next generation of Boxster and Cayman, likely differentiated by different states of turbocharged tune. Here, a mule of the next-gen Cayman (released in Europe next year), which is growing to accommodate the new entry-level model, shows off the sweet sound of its new turbocharged 2.5 liter four-banger, which is rumored to put out 365 HP in “S” trim. And by “sweet sounds” I mean, it sounds a lot nicer than the 2.5 liter boxer in my girlfriend’s Impreza… although some of our more discriminating readers might feel that it’s still not up to Porsche standards. What say you?
Tagged as cayman, Design, Engines, Enthusiasm, Future Vehicles, Germany, Noise, Porsche, prototype, Turbocharging
14 Comments on “Listen To The Sound Of Porsche’s Four-Cylinder Future...”
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Doesn’t seem to quite have that nice purring rumble of it’s bigger brother, but it actually doesn’t sound a great ton different than my 2.7 Cayman engine. At least in the case of mine though, the real magic only starts around 4000rpm….that’s when it really comes alive with awesome.
It better sound great though, the sound of the flat-six is what seals the deal for most people….there’s a reason Porsches always come with crappy stereos. The sound is what I still remember the most of driving a 993 for 5 minutes years ago, and what made me go with the Cayman over the 1-series.
Q: What prevents Porsche from using a 1.6L twin turbo flat 6 in their cars?
A: The fact that a 356 could fit inside the fender well of the current 911.
You mean “since the days of the 914″, right? Just checking ;)
All-in-all, bring it on Porsche! I’m excited about them bringing back a boxer-4 in a sub-Boxster-sized car.
I’m also excited to think that a version of this engine will make it’s way into future rear-engine VWs (not necessarily sports cars) too.
Well, no, apparently he could mean the 912. The “912E”, to be precise: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_912 .
The “Baby Boxster” has got to come in between $30,000 or $35,000 MSRP for this to work. I also wonder if this is a way for Porsche to improve its CAFE numbers so the can sell more V8 Panameras.
Considering the cheapest Porsche (base Boxster) is 48k right now, I seriously doubt it will drop down that much. This is still Porsche after all…they aren’t really known for giving their customers a hot deal.
I think we’d be lucky if it drops to 40k. I’m sure both the Boxster and Cayman will go up in price too.
TTAC did a take on the vehicle footprint adjustment to required efficiency improvements in the US. Bigger footprint, lowered improvement. Another reason the new 991s will be longer, lower, wider. A classic 911 is, IIRC, 8 inches shorter, 8 inches narrower and a little taller than the new 991 ’911′. A 356 won’t fit in the fender well, but I have to wonder if you could drop the outer body panels as a unit over a 356 without scratching the paint.
No problem here with a flat 4 engine – if its good enough for a 356, its good enough for the new lineup too.
This is not a flat 4. I’m surprised nobody has pointed that out so far.
Not a flat 4? Sacrilege.
Oh it’s flat alright, but the sound is definitely from a six.
It doesn’t sound like a flat four (or any four cylinder engine) to me either. Porsche might be doing something weird, new, or exciting with it though.
Fist off a Subaru sounds a lot better than that video, and second the sound’s completely determined by the exhaust manifold. There are a few after market headers out there that will make a Subaru sound like any other inline 4.
I’ve always loved Porsches and had a Cayman S for a few years. But, I never understood why people loved the engine sound so much. To my ears it sounds like an angry Beetle. Ferrari 8s and 12s, that’s some sweet music there.
You’ve heard a lot of engine noise and not much exhaust noise. It’s a completely different and awesome sound with the top down on my Boxster S. With it up, I heard mostly the mechanical noise and no exhaust.