Porsche hasn’t sold a four-cylinder car in America since the 968 called it quits way back in 1995. But in this age of efficiency and turbos, we can’t all be gigantic engines, can we? That’s why the Boxster and Cayman are getting turbo flat-fours when they’re replaced next year.
Don’t think those smaller four-cylinder Boxsters and Caymans are just for developing markets. Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller said the U.S. will be getting them as well in 2016. Per Automotive News:
“First of all, we will have it in the Boxster and Cayman successor,” Mueller told Automotive News. “And then we will see how it works and how successful it is and how the customers will react on that, and then we will take the next decisions.”
Executives confirmed last year that a new flat-four boxer engine was planned for the freshened Boxster and Cayman, but they didn’t say which markets would get it.
If you’re here to be all “WHARRGARBL FUEL ECONOMY HIPPIE CARS” about these engines, look on the bright side. They’re said to put out close to 400 horsepower, and at least they’re flat-fours in keeping with Porsche’s heritage and not repurposed Volkswagen or Audi motors. They’ll also make Porsche’s sub-911 sports cars lighter, always a good thing.
The fours could go in other Porsches, but I think it’s fairly unlikely they’ll end up in the 911. Porsche makes a four-cylinder Macan crossover but does not sell it in our market.
No word yet on the displacement, but they could come in 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter versions, AN says.
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