Gorgeous car and you did a great review , filming and editing both very professional I’d love either and your sapphire blue is to die for Well done

The sound of yours is what makes a driver smile.

This is my favorite review of this car. Thank you!

Love the black leather/yellow interior spec. Looks great.

I am so happy I decided to keep my 981 Boxster Spyder instead of upgrading to the new 718 Spyder...I would never forgive myself!

Thanks Mark, great video as always. Both Porkers are epic!! I'm very jealous :)

Thank you for your enthusiastic impression of this car. It is soooooo beautiful!!! Keep enjoying yours and safe driving :)

The combination of colours in your car is stunning! Congrats for that!

Beautiful!

Lovely camera work. Really interesting to see the old and Spyder and new one together. I’d definitely go with the sport exhaust to enjoy the the naturally aspirated engine noise to the max with the roof down.

I traded my 2016 and ordered this new version. I hope it lives up to the ‘16 model. I do love the look of it. When Porsche says “there is no substitute” it definitely is true. They are great cars.

Looks immaculate. Great review as per usual

I do really like your videos, explanation and feelings on board!!! Keep up!! Contratulations

I think the front of this model is the best ever. People sure go on about the sound of the engine. These cars are fantastic!

Beautiful looking car and great video - I’d be happy with any Spyder but your blue version looks and sounds very nice :)

I bought this car it s fantastic great vid 👍🏁

Lovely.

Great review. My biggest motoring regret was selling my 981 Boxster Spyder. Shame they’ve killed the sound on this new one because mine was simply sensational. No better place to be with the roof down, sport exhaust on and the sun shining.

I love your spec on yours!! 😍😍😍

Hi, I got the first one in Sweden. And I think the motor is better than the 981. I suggest you test the car again when it is ready after the break in period. The engine is very strong and racy.

The bucket seats are a must have :o

I like the new ones but I'm very happy with my 2016 GT4. I can hear my engine all the time.

Nice AP!

Mark. Great review. You should look at and compare the clearance on the front of the car. Mine scrapes on gradients and can even scratch the paint on the front for some parking barriers. Looks like they cleaned that up on the new one- more black plastic, less chance of paint scrapes.

awesome review buddy - totally agree re the looks/design.

Beautiful Car. Nice Watch.

Looks incredible but it's depressing how muted it is. I'd definitelly get the first GT4 over the second one, a sportcar/supercar without a good sound is, imo, not worth it.

I still want one. Thanks Mark

Great video! Wish I had the money to buy this spyder! I'd absolutely go for the aftermarket exhaust and this generation of spyder just for all the other improvements. (exhausts are easy to swap anyway and are usually a must).

Great review 10/10 cheers Mark :-) I think the most important aspect for me would be the ride quality. My only minor gripe with the 981 is the ride is TOO firm, that makes it a 95% perfect car. With the new version if the suspension is harder, the car is heavier, it's less playful and you can't hear the engine than those are all negatives that make it less of the near perfect proposition than the 981 is. Looks wise I like the front end but not enough to call it either way. I prefer the side by side centre exit exhausts on the 981 by quite some margin. The 718 interior has been sharpened up and the biggest aesthetic change is the stitching that now rises from the centre console and then parts horizontally on the dash. This looks much nicer than the 981 where the stitching continues vertically. It just looks better, not that the 981 looks bad just the 718 looks better. I can't believe you missed that ;-) I also hear the rev matching can be turned off and on in all modes as can the sports exhaust. On the 981 rev matching is only available in sport plus and i wish it was in other modes. I also wish the pops and crackles could be turned off / on in all modes in the 981. A friend of mine actually took delivery of his crayon 718 Spyder almost 4 weeks ago now, so they have already been a few around. The price of the one you tested with a few options and PPF takes them to over £100k. As you can get a low miles 981 for £75k (ish) i think the 981 is the better buy at the moment? Cheers and thanks again. :-)

Great review. It will be faster on track that comes with the new front set up. Both cars are epic but there is only one winner.

Hello, this is the review I was waiting for! …and you did it very well. As a 981 Spyder owner these are my comments: - Driving dynamics: the 981 is spectacular and very engaging: I would not trade engagement for additional compliance - Interior: good to have CarPlay, but I consider it a very minor advantage on a car like the Spyder - Exterior - Rear End: I prefer the 981 (more sleak and balanced). I also love the central twin exhaust - Exterior - Front End: 718 wins (more aggressive and sharp) - Sound: the old Spyder sounds EPIC (!) …and the 718 voiceless engine takes away a big slice of the 981 sense of occasion Conclusion: the 981 is a keeper :-) PS: I love you blue Spyder, but seeing it side by side with the 718, I started thinking that black rims are actually ruining the 981 look...

Great vid - I plan on removing the filters and fitting a new exhaust as soon as a good one appears on the market

Great video, I think these cars are the best Porsches right now, true to the original Porsche driving experience. It's an unbelievable mistake that Porsche made with the exhaust!

Boxster are such underrated cars. Love my 986s 👌🏼

Of course it is amazing. It is a Porsche.

Nice review. I'd like to see you do one on the GT4. I think the exhaust note comes alive above 5000 RPM BTW.

I prefer the exterior styling on your car, it's less fussy and prefer the wheels also. Interior wise the 718 is my preference.

Nice Review! I can totally understand your criticism about the sound. However, it’s not 100% fair because the car is not run in yet, so no 8000 revs. (This Engine needs the high revs to sound good, I’ve heard it from several owners already). Also in general, a car gets louder when run in after a couple 1000 miles

it's beautiful.

As always I enjoyed your video. Keep up the Awesome work Mark! One thing though.. I saw your Awesome watch. I need to know the Brand and Model! Thanks Mark!

The extra weight is actually 35kg not 100kg... that's because of changes in regulations to declare the standard weight... so comparing your car, and taking into consideration -17kg of savings due to the ceramic brakes, your car should be slimmer only by around 18kg

If you could only take it up to 6k RPM it is not really a fair compare in power. An aftermarket exhaust would fix the sound issue. Easy bolt on... I'm sure there will be plenty of amazing options. I agree the styling is improved too... I'd buy one sight unseen. And yes the previous generation one is lovely too!

Definitely a keeper you can't go wrong! I have a RS60 Spyder and the howls from it are awesome. Sound is very important and the car manufacturers should figure out a way to keep the sound while meeting the emission laws........

Great review - I have a 987 Spyder that is just under 1300kg, hydraulic steering and that lovely feral sounding 3.4 flat 6. I think the first generation Spyders were limited numbers. I'm wondering if the extra horsepower of the 718 makes up for all the extra weight. Love the rear view of the 718, and those brakes make mine look like toys (but they do work fine for me).

Nice video. Thanks. What is your opinion of the PCCB option over the steel brakes beyond appearance? I'll look forward to your response.

Indeed the engine sound becomes more alive above 5000 rpm. But I exactly share your thoughts. I think you might not even need an aftermarket exhaust. An OPF delete would do it. Tuners already working on it as its not only a 718 GT4/Spyder issue but also for 991.3 GT3 RS, Audi TTRS, BMW M2C and others.

Much as I would like one at £70,000 more than my old 987.2 it will remain just a dream!

Great vid, nice car. But yours is just as nice

Fantastic job. It's rare that I agree with every opinion of a youtuber, but I gotta say you're 100% right. It's a shame that emissions regs are ruining modern cars.

This is the best roadster ever made

Great video! Absolutely loved your thought process and commenting on this beautiful car! Too bad Porsche had to tame their car because of new eco laws :/

Great review. I’ve been told by my OPC that there will not be a PDK version of the new Spyder. However the new GTS Boxster & Cayman will have a slightly detuned version of this 4.0 litre engine and will be available in both manual and PDK. I really wanted to replace my 981 Spyder with a 718 PDK version but it looks like it’s just not going to happen.

Power to weight and torque to weight has improved vs the 981 Spyder. Remember that the changed the way curb weight is reported, so it looks like the 718 gained more weight than it did.

I have a 981 Spyder in GT silver and love it, I do agree about the rear and front styling being better on the 718. My plan is to look into the possibility of fitting 718 bumpers, rear wings, tail, lights etc etc to mine still might be cheaper than changing cars.

Nice review Mark, curious to hear the engine note above 6k rpm!

Awesome review, thanks! Such value in hearing your opinion as an owner of the previous model! 👌😃

I hope you do a review of the new Corvette convertible when it comes to your side of the pond

It's a compact car body, but it feels like the high performance is condensed

Thanks for sharing mate! Shame about the noise but I imagine most will end up putting an exhaust on it...

Best review I’ve seen so far. I have a 2016 981 and love it for all the reasons you describe. Apparently there are only 940 or so in North America and I really like there are so few of them. I specked GT Silver and I personally think that is ideal and somewhat iconic. I do agree the styling of the 718 Spyder is perfect. Even in my 981 I hardly ever go a day without someone giving me a thumbs up or people making comments or wanting to asked me questions. It’s so unique. Again, your reviews are perfection. Thank you.

Nice watch.

Fantastic rolling shots. Every reviewer can learn from this

Great vid, could I ask where your friend got his front plate from? Should be taking delivery of my GT4 soon! 🤪

I bet it'll sound amazing with a real exhaust on it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mate, what about the sports exhaust button? Does that mean Sports Plus mode automatically engages sports exhaust AND it still sounds anemic?

Just put my name on the list for the new GT4 in Canada. I mentioned my concern about the gasoline particulate filters which deaden and thus destroy the sound and he says that they are not installed for North American cars woohoo. I guess you could just get an aftermarket exhaust to solve the problem. Soul performance and Fabspeed come to mind.

👍

Just me or does the previous model that Mark has look 10x better?! Noises could change with the filters removed, but I prefer the blue model 😍

I think Porsche wanted to mute the exhaust to make it more appealing for the city driver, as the last version sounds fantastic, even a bit Carrera GT like, but it is pretty loud. Enjoyed the review and perhaps a follow up video could be done, after the engine has been broken in, along with the mention of how astonishingly intutive the Spyder is to drive. I just ordered mine last month. Cheers from Vancouver Canada.

Very beautiful car. So, the 4-cyl engines are put in the cheap versions of the the 718 and this here is the only one which has 6-cyl? And the 4-cyl has better sound than the 4liter 6-cyl?

Not that I mind manual (every car I've ever owned has been one) but I wonder why they didn't do a PDK since everyone seems to love them so much.

Saw a Miami Blue one the other day, wasn't really a fan. This one looks ace though!

You're car is cooler and sounds better too

Makes a good case for a base 718 2.0T.

Wow friend! A Porsche 718 six cylinder?

I'm quite stocked about these new caymans, in germany there's been a potential gt4rs wich definetly makes me wan't to work 14h a day

Good to get this out there early, Mark remove that GPF asap..... I don't care about the law.

The modded X73 suspension in the 981 Spyder is one of Porsche’s most heralded suspensions and much like hydraulic vs electric steering it provides much better feedback of what’s happening on the road then any active suspension. The GT PASM on the new cars while highly competent is very damped, lacks feel and is only “better” if shaving a few seconds on a racetrack puts dollars in your pocket. Hopefully the GT PASM doesn’t cause any strut tower failures like it did in GT4.

contrast between silver wheels and tires are fantastic; gives it a great stance... theres zero contrast with the black wheels and zero stance 8:13

GT4 or Spyder? If anyone has driven both what’s the feedback.

not the first one mate, theres a older Miami Blue one reviewed week or two ago delvered in September, fair review tho mate

Great review, would be interested in your opinion if you would pay the extra and have the 718. I have a 981 and love it but hopefully looking for a 718 allocation next year but not so sure now, don’t want to lose some of that fun.

Surely the Boxster is the most beautiful car on the road today, and this particular example, in silver with yellow trim is just superb. I'd spec it with the PDK box.

sold at "4 litre" engine!

718 is the code of digital Porsche, how the managed to create a mute NA engine means that the old Spyder is a keeper.

888. Great video and good to see a side by side. With the pluses and minuses which would you choose the 981 or 718?

It's funny how social apps are tracking us. I saw your Instagram post yesterday without knowing who you were. I was just exploring the #porsche. Then this video shows up in my KZfaq feed. Can't be coincidence.

Nice he let you review it the day after! Noone gets close to mine even after 2 years of ownership!! 😜 All exhaust notes from Porsche have become muted, most noticeable on the 718 when that came out. Putting after market exhausts on removes your warranty so tricky one. I would still opt for a late model 2nd hand 718s over this. It saves you well over a 100k and with my exhaust and tune upgrade its faster then the spyder and l think sounds alot better aswell. The 4cyl variant is an incredible motor and tuned puts out more power in hp and nm then this. The 718s has all the upgraded suspension components so theres very little difference between them but a big difference in the previous gen as noted by you. See for yourself. Start up and track audio here. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rbt8iZaXuZbYgZc.html

Hi Mark, Great video - best honest review yet! Really valuable coming from someone owning a 981... I have a 718 on order for next year. Sold my 981 spy last year - and miss it every day!! For me I loved the sound - absolutely loved it!! I worry that the new one just isn’t going to cut it.. I know how much you rate your Spyder. If given a choice... Would you have a new one, (standard, with no exhaust upgrade) or keep your 981? Ps... thinking about a GT4 in the meantime... just your personal choice.. GT4 or Spyder? (981’s)

BEST! .....Die Deutsche Industrie sollte entscheiden dürfen, wer Aktionär sein darf!

Dat AP though.

You used the paddles at the end but you were driving an a manual transmission!!!

This is the car you buy and put a twin turbo system on!!! Believe that one friends.

Super sexy I wonder wat power with a free flowing catlass and a remap Nice nice nice!! So like the “new” spider roof vs the older 1:30-2 minute sad things Bravo I wIll just go and detail my 987.2!!

Dude, the 80's called, they want their shirt back.

Hey Mark - I have to lock down my 718 Spyder allocation by the end of this month. I've struggled back and forth on brakes. I get the advantages, but so many are saying there are too many concerns around 1) noise, 2) wet weather performance and 3) unnecessary cost to be worth it. Curious to know why you say you 'love Carbon Ceramics". This is not a daily driver for me and mostly city driving with some extended road trips and spirited driving at times. Please share with me why these would be a must have for you given everyone else's concerns. Thanks Mark!

A 718 2.0 feels better than any 981 including the spyder The roof alone on your 981 would make me buy the 718 😅

Dude, your Spyder sounds a hell of a lot better!!! And the new car is what? 105kg heavier!??! wtf? i dont understand, where the old car should look a bit "girlish". Even if this would be true, it does sound badass. I bet there will be a way to get the rear diffusor as an aftermarket part for the 981, if one would like to retrofit. I agree, the bigger brake disks are looking cool but how much lighter is such a ceramic disk (410?mm) really over a 340mm steel disk of your car anyway? The only real advantage in my eyes is the sportPASM suspension and in a region where it doesn't matter what you do to your exhaust (loudnesswise) i probably wouldn't mind to get the new one to make it as great sounding as the old one. For example in the USA ( to be more specific, Florida, i think) this would work, on the other hand, in Germany not so much.

I have a 718 Spyder on order but the rear of the 981 Spyder looks so much nicer, more classic Porsche. On the new car, that piece that says Porsche under the rear deck lid spoiler is hideous, and upsets the continuity of the lines. Also, part of the dynamic improvement you’re noticing is the 50 lb reduction in unsprung weight with the PCCBs . Btw, Lamborghini’s are very aggressive looking, I still think most Ferrari’s have a better aesthetic, that doesn’t make them girly.