2025 Porsche Boxster/Cayman EV

[FT-1]

First spy shots of the Cayman EV have emerged - On first glance, it has very attractive proportions

Porsche 718 Cayman Electric Spied For First Time | Carscoops

The Cayman EV has a smooth liftback tail with a vertical brake light and central charging flap

www.carscoops.com

 

[05XR8]

It’s like a baby 911 when it doesn’t have to be. The Boxster looked different enough from the 911. Plus, just to go on another tangent, the 924-944 looked different to a 928 until the 968.

Why blend the styling when both Cayman and 911 had their own style?

 

[CarreraGT]

I can't think of a more pointless vehicle than an electric Boxster / Cayman. To be fair, I lost interest when they dropped the flat 6.

 

[Keef]

Is it just me or is the rear window and the area between the C-pillars really wide? It's so fat, like they really are trying to make it look like a 911 @05XR8. It makes the car look heavier and less athletic which is a problem the 911's styling has struggled with.

My favorite thing about the 987's design is how svelt the rear half was compared to the 911. It looks lean and not as rear-heavy. It's not as traditionally coupe-like as the later 981 generation which is when the Cayman started to look more like a 911. The hips dove down deeper, the rear window area seemed skinnier, the whole thing seemed a little leaner.

I don't like it. This new thing does not have mid-engined identity.

 

[05XR8]

The early models are well sculpted indeed. I mean, did rear collision testing force the new design? If not, the Boxster-Cayman had true identity. The car in the new pics is very butch.

I miss the frog at rest stance of the 911 and shapely hips of the Boxster.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

For me the Cayman has always had kind of compromised looks. This one is slightly better than the 981/718, but not much.

 

[TheCracker]

For me the Cayman has always had kind of compromised looks. This one is slightly better than the 981/718, but not much.

I feel Porsche purposefully hampered its looks so as to not tread on the 911's toes too much. The 1st gen more than the 2nd.

These latest spy shots have the rear side window appearing to look like the 911's, but you can see it's just tape masking it's true form. The production versions rear side window i imagine will be more Cayman-like .

 

[Keef]

I feel Porsche purposefully hampered its looks so as to not tread on the 911's toes too much. The 1st gen more than the 2nd.

With respect to the 997 at the time I can see this but as the 911 has evolved past 997 it's gotten worse in my opinion. The two cars are merging too much. The 997 looked very much like a rear-engine car while the 987 looked very much mid-engined. These later 911s have slid those cylinders so much closer to the axle line and in fact the RSR was literally mid-engined. Meanwhile the 981 and onwards have attempted to look more 911-like. Overall I think the 987 is still the most svelt and pretty Cayman, even though I dislike its front graphics in particular.

Of those four, the 987 is much more of its own unique shape.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

With respect to the 997 at the time I can see this but as the 911 has evolved past 997 it's gotten worse in my opinion. The two cars are merging too much. The 997 looked very much like a rear-engine car while the 987 looked very much mid-engined. These later 911s have slid those cylinders so much closer to the axle line and in fact the RSR was literally mid-engined. Meanwhile the 981 and onwards have attempted to look more 911-like. Overall I think the 987 is still the most svelt and pretty Cayman, even though I dislike its front graphics in particular.

Of those four, the 987 is much more of its own unique shape.

My problem with the 991+ is the too-short front end. Compared to the "classic" 911 shape it feels very stubby. I think they did this to shorten the wheelbase, but I've never gotten used to how it looks from the side. I genuinely think that the 996.1 with the factory aero kit is the best looking of the water-cooled Porsches. As a general rule, for me, in terms of design: 911 > Boxster > Cayman > 911 Convertible. I'm gonna take a stab at ranking them, excluding the 911 convertibles:

1. 996.1 911 (highly dependent on spec but I just find them so pretty and perfectly proportioned)
2. 987.2 Boxster (best looking Boxster of the lot, particularly in Spyder form, fixes the un-athletic proportions of the 986 without getting into fussy or flabby like the 981)
3. 997.1 911 (arguably the cleanest design of the water cooled 911s, but I find them a little plain compared to the 996.1)
4. 987.1 Boxster
5. 991.2 911 (remarkably better looking than the 991.1, an outlier in this list)
6. 997.2 911 (IMO unnecessarily fussy compared to the .1, ridiculously overpriced compared to the .1 cars...)
7. 992 911 (These things look tough, especially in black. I'm not sure how that jaw line on the front will age though. The 992.2 is so similar that I'm covering both of them here)
8. 982 Boxster (way tidier than the 981, comprehensive upgrade design-wise. Genuinely might be my next car...earlier 2.0/6M cars can be had for as little as $30k)
9. 986 Boxster (I still think tragically underappreciated - I still find them better looking than any of the Caymans. As with the 996, very dependent on spec. They had 16" wheels on some of these cars...)
10. 987.1 Cayman (Best looking Cayman, but they still have some really weird angles. Probably the most athletic looking car in this whole list though, some real FD RX-7 tautness)
11. 987.2 Cayman
12. 982 Cayman
13. 996.2 911 (I just don't like the changes to the front end)
14. 981 Boxster (worst Boxster - I hate the rear end design of these cars particularly those dorky tail lights...which sucks because they are probably the best value P-car out there at the moment)
15. 981 Cayman (worst Cayman, these cars just look flabby to me and the rear end is not any better than the Boxster version)
16. 991.1 911 (the most meh 911 in history, if it's not a GT3 or Turbo they just blur into the background for me. Some really tragic wheel designs on these 911s too).

I think Porsche design was at a low point around when the 991/981 were being developed, which they have definitely recovered from. Obviously the list above is just based on looks, the Caymans are still great and offer the best dynamics of all.

I've got my eyes on a 982 Boxster 2.0 as my next car. By my calculations (based on this scheme I developed) and assuming a mild 91 octane tune @300tq [stock is 290], even the 2L will deliver a 1.27∑tq/weight figure, which blows away a 3.2 987 Boxster S which is only 1.08∑tq/weight, which means at peak torque, the 982 2.0 should feel around about fast as a C5 Z06 Corvette, but still have all the wonderful driving dynamics of a MR Porsche.

 

[Keef]

I've got my eyes on a 982 Boxster 2.0 as my next car. By my calculations (based on this scheme I developed) and assuming a mild 91 octane tune @300tq [stock is 290], even the 2L will deliver a 1.27∑tq/weight figure, which blows away a 3.2 987 Boxster S which is only 1.08∑tq/weight, which means at peak torque, the 982 2.0 should feel around about fast as a C5 Z06 Corvette, but still have all the wonderful driving dynamics of a MR Porsche.

I guess I have to respect your math and I know the 982 is a much nicer car, but the experience and sound of the 987 is where it's at for me. The Cayman and Boxster flat sixes have a different exhaust sound than the 911s, its much higher pitched, and although they're pretty torquey the power still builds alongside the sound and it's pretty glorious. I actually made conscious decision to get a 987.1 over the .2 because the DGI engine sounds completely different, less raw. I wanted that old school machine sound and feel. Honestly I don't think I'll ever touch one of the newer turbo Caymans. If I find myself ready for an upgrade I'll do what I have to do to get a GTS 4.0. But that would be years away so we'll see.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I guess I have to respect your math and I know the 982 is a much nicer car, but the experience and sound of the 987 is where it's at for me. The Cayman and Boxster flat sixes have a different exhaust sound than the 911s, its much higher pitched, and although they're pretty torquey the power still builds alongside the sound and it's pretty glorious. I actually made conscious decision to get a 987.1 over the .2 because the DGI engine sounds completely different, less raw. I wanted that old school machine sound and feel. Honestly I don't think I'll ever touch one of the newer turbo Caymans. If I find myself ready for an upgrade I'll do what I have to do to get a GTS 4.0. But that would be years away so we'll see.

Having owned an M96 car for 10 years now, I totally understand what you are saying. The flat six feels like an instrument, rather than just a prime mover. Sometimes bro wants a little more torque though. Truth be told, even a 986S is probably fast enough but I still really want to sample a 982 2.0L. I definitely feel like corporate spec turbo engines (like all of the compact premium 2.0L turbo fleet cars out there) feel utterly soulless because of massive NVH reduction and you're left with a generic feeling engine that also has lag, but every now and then you sample a turbo engine that feels a bit more like an old school turbo engine, and they are genuinely a blast. The Fiat 500 Abarth is one such where the engine coming on boost actually feels like an event - it increases engagement rather than reduces it*. 987.2 2.9L is not direct injection, for what it's worth.

edit*: I think a few things need to happen for this to occur. First, the turbo needs to be audible...no hiding the spooling sound behind fake engine noise designed to try and trick you into believing its an n/a engine (looking at YOU Focus ST). Second, it really needs to be combined with a manual transmission or in the very least a very good automatic. I had a rental Camaro 2.0L and the auto gearbox drove me nuts. It would basically never let you get into the mid range boost, which is kind of the sweet spot for these engines. When you got into the throttle it would just downshift the car into the upper RPMs where it felt thrashy and out of puff...absolutely horrible drivetrain tuning on GMs part there. So for me to like a turbo car, it has to sound and feel turbocharged and you have to have control over the powerband. I hope the 982 is more Abarth than Camaro.