Launching Tomorrow: Porsche 718 Boxster And 718 Cayman

Porsche India will officially launch its baby sports cars – the Boxster and the Cayman – tomorrow. Keeping in tune with the times, the twins have embraced forced induction, and get a 718 badge to go with their names, just like the elder 911. 

In slightly heartbreaking news, the baby Porsches have traded their raspy flat-six motor for a turbocharged four-pot. The 2.0-litre engine develops 300PS of power and 380Nm of twist. It doesn't sound like an awful lot on paper, but the claimed figures say otherwise. Porsche says the 718s will take a mere 4.7 seconds to hit the ton (provided you've ticked the Sport Chrono Package), and max out at 275kmph. The manual variants do the 100kmph dash in 5.1 seconds, but those won't be retailed in India. 

In the odd chance that you want something faster, you might have to hang on to that thought. There's no 'S' variant on the cards just as yet. We're sure Porsche will consider offering them in due time, provided it sees enough demand. For the record, the 2.5-litre flat-four pumps out 350PS and 420Nm, and is half a second quicker to 100kmph. 

The new engines form the bulk of the updates for the new 718s. Porsche has tweaked the aesthetics a bit, giving it a reprofiled front bumper with larger air intakes, and optional LED headlamps with the Stuttgart-signature four-point daytime running lamps. Subtler updates include redesigned door handles, and updated detailing for the tail lamps.