It’s long been gospel among Porsche aficionados that Zuffenhausen will never turbocharge its mid-engined offerings, for fear they might wipe the road with the brand’s rear-engined flagship, the 911. But apparently the stricture against forced-induction Boxsters and Caymans only extends to the current generation. When the next round of mid-engined Porsches arrive in 2012, a turbocharged engine will definitely be offered… but only as the base model.
Yes, Porsche’s brand-new flat-four, which will power the brand’s new entry-level “baby boxster,” will be offered in turbocharged form as the base engine for the next-gen Boxster/Cayman making up to 365 horsepower. A downsized six-cylinder could be optional, and Auto Motor und Sport even caught a next-gen Boxster stopping at BMW’s “Development and Innovation Center,” fueling speculation that a BMW-derived hybrid system (possibly derived from the i8/i3 models) could be in the works as well (per Porsche’s promise).
Now, the 911 currently makes 345 in its base form, so it will need more power to keep a 365 HP Cayman Turbo from breathing down its neck. On the other hand, if the “baby boxster” is getting the same flat four, the next-gen Cayman/Boxster will need to have near-911 turbo power to differentiate itself from its little sibling, which itself will need to differentiate itself from the Audi R4 and and VW BlueSport versions of the same mid-engine platform. Maybe, just maybe, Porsche will allow a little more internal competition for the sake of a wider corporate differentiation strategy.
It seems to me that Porsche could do a lot worse than buying flat-4 engines from Subaru.
Of course, if Porsche is putting the WRX motor in their Cayman, it then begs the question why Subaru needs to make a Cayman of their own…
That’s a great way to destroy the Porsche brand’s image.
Except, Porsche & Subaru already jointly develop engine technology.
For something smaller, like a 914 with a 4-pot boxer, Porsche would be hard-pressed to out-do any Subaru WRX engine. Subaru has a lot of experience & refinement in those 4-bangers, whereas VAG’s Porsche hasn’t built one in decades.
I always thought Subaru should design a mid or rear engine AWD sports car as a halo vehicle. They need something to replace the long gone SVX and XT and who knows when the FT-86 based coupe will come out. They need more in their line up than wagons and 4drs. Just look at BMW as an example there are coupes, sedans SUV’s and a roadster.
Most of this is unsubstantiated rumor, but this is what is being reported at Porsche websites. There will be a new entry level Porsche slotted under the Cayman/Boxster. The baby Porsche will have the new turbo 4 inside it, not the Cayman/Boxster which is being moved up market. The new platform will be shared across brands, at least Audi as well as Porche and possibly VW as well.
No one knows for sure how far up market the cars are being moved. One person claiming inside knowledge said the base Cayman could be a much as $65,000. My guess is that even Porsche understands that moving the Boxster/Cayman up market and putting a turbo 4 in these cars is a non-starter.
As for engines, Audi is already getting 265 out of its turbo 4 for the TTS and that strikes me as a reasonable projection for Porsche turbo 4 (lacking any other info). When the new Cayman comes out (probably in MY2013), rumor has it that both the base and “S” will have DFI engines (only the “S” has it now). DFI in the 2.7 base engine should easily raise the hp from the current 265 to around 285. I would expect a similar bump for the “S” from 320 to 340 or so. This would preserve the hp hierarchy that Porsche has constructed (baby Porsche less powerful than the Boxster/Cayman which is less powerful than the 911). The new Boxter/Cayman are supposed to be slightly larger with more spacious cabins, but have slightly lower weight than the current models. Next gen mules for the 911 and Boxster have been spotted, not aware of any Cayman mules being spotted so far.
Not that I follow developments on future Porsches, of course
BTW, this video has been circulating on the web for awhile
I don’t see how a “baby” Boxster makes sense in the Porsche lineup. Typically, a new smaller and more entry level model is introduced when a previous model moves up a class. Then in order to keep the same branding, they have to add a new name to filling the gap where the old once lived. 3 series to 1 series, Corolla to Yaris. Those make sense. But how do you make a smaller 2 seat roadster? Having 2 different roadsters only differentiated by price sounds good to a consumer, but doesn’t make sense at all for the business. Unless there’s something significantly different for the entry model, I don’t think a baby Boxster makes sense. But hey, I’m just speculating as much as the next guy.
I’m just the messenger! lol! Porsche has had great luck with new introductions. Like it or not, Cayenne/Panamerica are the majority of Porsche sales, followed by the 911 and with the Cayman/Boxster sales bringing up the rear. The Cayman/Boxster sells quite poorly in the USA
Compared to the idea of more SUVs and 4-door sedans, this is great news.
Porsche has the same problem that F1 and the mighty group B had, namely that making too much power is easy. Until their recent attempts to become essentially a full-line automaker they were a niche sportscar company like Ferrari. Only their offerings topped out in the low six-figures, whereas Ferrari’s started there. Not a lot of room to work with price-wise, and no room to differentiate performance with seriously crippling the lower priced cars.
The mandated superiority of the 911 gets really frustrating some times.
Didn’t the hotter versions of the 944 Turbo encroach on The One True Porsche at the time?
Now the mid engine platform(s) are purposely restrained from their potential.
I suppose this approach helps maintain the 911 mystique, but come on, folks. If they have to fight so many times over the years to protect the 911’s performance position, maybe somebody’s trying to tell them that they could do even better if they gave up on that idea.
Ah, the famous gas station in Arjeplog, in the north of Sweden. What a familiar sight. Without the testers, he would be long gone.
The turbo H-4 is probably all the engine and HP anyone will really need in the real world. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to obsessively checking the Dinan website for a rollout of a Stage II ECU reflash kit for the N55 in my 135i…..
Aren’t all fours flat?
Not in engine terminology, a flat four is a boxer 4, whereas the normal dull engine is an in-line 4. Plus there have been a few V4s, the most common of which went into the Ford of Europe Capri and Transit, in the 70s, from memory.
@Greg: Very close, but not exactly. A boxer engine has the opposite-facing connecting rods on a common journal or plane (one going to BDC as the other goes to TDC) – or sometimes 180* off (both go to BDC and TDC together). The flat engine has a slightly offset firing order (like most engines) where the pistons are not coupled (seperate journals) or exactly 180* off.