Porsche 718 Cayman T And Boxster T Versions Revealed
Porsche 718 Cayman T and 718 Boxster T last night, the German automaker answered the questions raised by some VIN documents spotted earlier this year. With "joy of dynamic driving as its ultimate goal," the T model makes do with the same 295 horsepower and 285 pound-feet of torque in the base car's flat-four, then adds equipment to make more dynamic use of that output. Included equipment includes the GT sport steering wheel, Sport Chrono Package, Porsche Active Suspension Management that lowers the body by 20 millimeters over 20-inch wheels, Porsche Torque Vectoring, which brings the locking rear diff, and a short-throw shifter. Interior twists include the least fancy two-way electric seats, black door pulls, gloss black center console trim, and red gear lettering for the gears in the manual. No one will misidentify the coupe or convertible, with extra badging stuck and sewn everywhere: door exteriors, gauge cluster, door sills, rear fascia, and headrests. The agate gray mirror shells and black chrome tailpipes make less obvious statements.
Four standard colors, three metallic hues, and the special-edition Lava Orange and Miami Blue fill out the palette. Porsche didn't divulge pricing, but says the MSRP will be from 5 to 15 percent less than checking all those option boxes yourself. That represents a larger difference in price than you'll find in weight. The T models get a six-speed manual out of the box, the PDK optional. Taking "out of the box" literally, Porsche omits the Porsche Communication Management infotainment system, replacing it with a "large storage compartment," otherwise known as a box. Outside the U.S., the fabric door pulls and infotainment omission counter the weight of the gas particulate filters, around 15 pounds. In the U.S., however, models won't be fitted with the GPF, and the infotainment unit must remain in place because of the required backup camera display. Buyers in any market can opt to restore the head unit. We're not sure which spec Porsche weighed, but the automaker lists the Cayman T unladen weight as 1,350 kilograms, or 2,976 pounds. The Porsche Germany site pegs the standard Cayman at 1,335 kg, or 2,943 pounds. The GPF will contribute about seven kg, or 15 pounds, to the difference.
The story is somewhat different inside, with the RS3 possessing almost an identical interior to the S3 - albeit with RS badging and a nicer steering wheel. The updated A45 (above) now looks much nicer than before, with its updated drive-mode selector and new finishes throughout the cabin. It still continues with the almost entirely redundant stack of buttons underneath the infotainment screen, which itself has a rather aftermarket feel that鈥檚 already starting to look dated (though the hardware is super fast). The Audi (below) has better looking and feeling seats, both front and rear, with gorgeous perforated leather with diamond shaped stitching, and far better bum and back support. Our rear seat test passengers also noted that, around town, comfort levels in the RS3 were better than the A45, though both offer reasonable amounts of head and legroom to comfortably seat four average-sized adults. You can try your luck at five, but expect complaints from the second row in either car. Neither cars鈥?infotainment system is as good as it could or should be. Mercedes-Benz鈥檚 鈥楥OMAND鈥?is unnecessarily convoluted, with too many sub-menus for performing simple tasks.
Audi鈥檚 multimedia system is in need of an update, as it鈥檚 starting to look a little tired with an overly simple graphic display. And with the A3 range missing out on a SIM connection, some of the best bits of Audi Connect are not present. In either case, any BMW ConnectedDrive unit with the latest version of iDrive, would鈥檝e bested them both. This makes life more convenient in the AMG, when you want to switch from 鈥楽port sharp鈥?to 鈥楥omfort鈥?while at idle next to a police car. Both the exhaust and suspension can be independently toggled using separate buttons as well. The AMG鈥檚 steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are also much longer than the Audi鈥檚 near miniature-sized ones, making it easier to change gears when you鈥檙e in the thick of things. The standard panoramic sunroof in the AMG is covered with a rather thin and see-through piece of fabric that lets a reasonable amount of heat in. Worth noting if you deal with the remorseless Queensland sun, for example.
The Audi鈥檚 Bang and Olufsen sound system (part of the RS package) is just that little bit better than the stereo in the AMG, but then again you鈥檙e paying more for it, so it鈥檚 expected. A similar system is optional for the A45, however. You really don鈥檛 need it though, as it鈥檚 more than good enough how it is. Arguably the fit and finish of the Audi鈥檚 interior is better than the Mercedes, as is its general cabin ambience. But where the Audi oozes understated class, the Mercedes is inherently a performance car with little touches, such as red seatbelts, adding that extra sense of urgency to the cabin. It鈥檚 what your friends will notice when they jump in, and that鈥檚 important. With its smoother dual-clutch transmission and ride, it鈥檚 in traffic that we expected the Audi to justify its purchase as a daily drive over the AMG. And we weren鈥檛 disappointed. The RS3 is a genuinely practical car you can drive every day of the week.