Porsche 718 SPYDER and CAYMAN GT4 receive PDK gearbox

The necessity for more driver-friendly variations of the 718 Cayman/Boxter GTS, GT4 and Spyder will gain the automatic PDK gearbox much to the dismay of purists, but likely a judo move my Porsche in pursuit of sub-7-second Green-hell times and greater performance comparatively.

The Cayman GT4 and Spyder equipped with the PDK will feature a 3.7 second 0-100 time, down from the 4.2seconds in the manual. The lesser GTS 4.0 Boxter and Cayman will achieve the sprint time in 3.8 seconds again, down from the 4.3seconds of the manual. The PDK versions get more torque and gain a shorter seventh gear ratio

All new PDK models here get more torque when equipped with PDK, specifically 8 pound-feet more than the standard 309 pound-feet (419 Newton-meters) of the stick-shift, naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six mill. They all get shorter seventh gear ratio, as well (0.71 compared to 0.62), when compared to other PDK-equipped 718s. With the addition of the new Sport Response function, allowing for on the fly “power on demand” systems, which allow for the maximum performance for 20 seconds regardless of driving mode.

Finally, the Standard Sport Chrono Package, adds four driver modes, Normal Sport, Sport Plus and Individual. Sport Mode allows for more aggressive upshifts, with higher RPM downshifts with auto blipping. Launch Control is available in Sport Plus with the Individual allowing for custom engine, chassis and gearbox settings.

Porsche 718 PDK in South Africa

With the global launch set for 2021, its unknown as to when the local launch will happen but the PDK is is welcomed addition to the Porsche 718 range.