Moving From BMW
I don't own a 718, but I've driven a couple 718 base cars, own a M240i xDrive, and also own a 987 Boxster. The M240i xDrive is a great car. Advantages over the 718:- It goes through winter snow like a champ, and AWD handles well in the dry too. It doesn't like to wag its tail the way RWD cars do, but that's sort of the point for AWD. By comparison, Boxster/Cayman cars don't feel as secure in ice and snow, even with winter tires, due to RWD and wide tires. It has rear seats, and good rear seats at that. As long as you don't keep the front seats way back, it can fit four 6 foot tall grown men in reasonable comfort (though rear headroom is a bit tight). Even though it's much smaller in exterior dimensions than say a Mustang or Camaro, it has much more interior room than American muscle cars. In fact, I found I had more rear legroom in my M240i than a giant Mercedes C140 CL600 coupe I tried a while back. Spacious trunk relative to the car's size, and the rear seats fold to make the trunk even bigger.
The 6 cylinder motor is more responsive and better sounding than the 2.0L base 718 motor. I haven't driven a 718 S or GTS, but I didn't really like the 718 base motor. The M240i feels lethargic in Comfort mode, but it comes alive and has minimal turbo lag in Sport Plus mode. The 718 base has annoyingly high turbo lag even in Sport mode, and the exhaust can drone a bit at certain RPM/throttle combinations. The BMW M240i steering has very little feedback from the road. Putting it in Sport mode makes the steering heavy, but doesn't actually increase the road force/texture feedback through the wheel. The 718 has better steering feel, and better steering precision too. Despite the giant rotors on the M240i, the 718 (and even my old 987) seem to stop from high speeds much better. The brake feel on Porsche is better, and the tires fitted to Porsches also do much better in braking compared to the 225 width square all season setup that M240i xDrive cars usually come with.
If you put wider, stickier tires on the M240i, and more performance oriented brake pads, you might improve the M240i and get closer to the Porsche. The 718 chassis is very nimble, and just loves to "dance". The M240i handles well, but it's not in the same league as a Porsche. Resale values are horrible for new BMWs. I made the mistake of buying my M240i new (at my mother's insistence, and partly encouraged by the 2018 LCI changes). From the purchase price (before tax) to its current trade in value, I've lost almost 30% in one year! If you buy an M240i, I highly recommend buying a used 2018 instead of a new 2019 to avoid the year 1 depreciation. I will say that I still find my 987 exciting to drive, even after 3 years of ownership. This is partly because it's a special occasion for me to drive, but also because it just feels more special as a car. The BMW is a nice, very competent, practical, and quick car, but doesn't feel "special" in the same way. After one year of ownership, I have no real complaints about the BMW, but for some reason the silly enthusiast in me wants to buy a more crazy, less practical car (like a used Mercedes C216 CL63 AMG). If you're like me, you'll still have an itch for something wild and crazy after buying an M240i. 987 Boxster would be a good combo, like I have.
Follmer would chase Donohue for the race win and the title until spinning his Porsche. 54,000 in prize money. The championship standings were based on prize money earned in the four races. 16,000 good for fifth-place just ahead of soon-to-be four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Working closely with longtime racing partner, Penske Racing, and leaning on the vision of Roger Penske himself, Porsche built fifteen custom 911 Carrera RSR in Weissach, Germany specifically and solely for the first IROC season. That number of cars, each painted a unique color ranging from basic black to pastel blue, offered one machine each for competition for the 12 invited drivers with three spares in case of incident. While using the 1973 Carrera RS, Porsche blended elements of the upcoming 1974 car and other performance features to provide the world鈥檚 best drivers with an equally premier race platform. The first season was the only one in which the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR was used. Cost, complexity and a move to a mix of ovals and road courses 鈥?and eventually ovals only 鈥?would necessitate series鈥?organizers switch away from the German marque.