I made a post months ago asking for people's opinions regarding switching from the 981 GTS to 718 models with the 2.5l flat 4 turbos, and received a lot of feedback. Well, recently I made the jump that most would consider an overall "downgrade"!
Here's some completely subjective thoughts:
- extra torque availability is great, it really makes a difference. The chassis feels way more alive as a result
- steering & handling are indeed a bit better, noticeably during turn-in, though overall it is not a generational difference in feel to the 981. This becomes clearer during spirited driving, where both the 718 and 981 are excellent.
- looks better and more modern, particularly from the rear (though arguably the 981 GTS front end looks better). Not that I care but it has got quite a few compliments!
- updated screen is nice, went from modern classic (981) to actually usable/daily-able (718)
- The elephant in the room - how does it sound? I actually quite like the old school sound of the flat 4 (sorry). The offbeat thrum at idle and low revs is awesome, and as you rev it out it sounds far better than I expected. It is more of an industrial/mechanical sound than the emotional flat 6 wail that raises the hair on your skin. To me, it gives the car a very purposeful and serious nature compared to the 981, if this makes sense. 718 = serious, unfriendly, brutal whereas the 981 = emotional, evocative, beautiful. Neither are bad by any means, they are just different!