Porsche Boxster Spyder 982
The roadster the purists kept asking for.
9A2 Evo 4.0, the topless 718 GT4.
13 reviewers · 17 videos · 4 hours watched
Reviewers strongly agree on its performance and handling, but split on daily drivability.
across 13 reviewers
"you can drive this thing so easy day in and day out"
TheTopher · ▶ 3:13"I wouldn't say it's a great daily driver it's like balls to the wall isn't it with this it's always on"
Motormouth · ▶ 10:11Performance
4.5/513 of 13 reviewersstrong consensus“this 4 L naturally aspirated powertrain... the GTS and the spider deliver that in droves”
positive · TheTopher · ▶ 5:05“That glorious 4 L naturally aspirated flat 6 with 414 horsepower definitely doesn't disappoint when you rev that thing out.”
positive · Gary the Car Nut · ▶ 6:55“This four-liter, six-cylinder boxer engine is a true masterpiece... The throttle response is simply amazing.”
positive · AUTO BILD · ▶ 0:48Handling
5.0/513 of 13 reviewersstrong consensus“everything about the spider feels proper from a driving standpoint”
positive · TheTopher · ▶ 6:41“The mid-enine balance of the 718 Spider, it's fantastic.”
positive · Gary the Car Nut · ▶ 10:00“It's truly one of the best steering systems I've ever driven. Super precise.”
positive · AUTO BILD · ▶ 13:48Fun to drive
5.0/513 of 13 reviewersstrong consensus“it's amazing how you can just jump into this car and become part of it like immediately”
positive · Tedward · ▶ 8:15“the simple truth is that this one is pure perfection and I say that as an s2000 owner this is a better gearbox it just is”
positive · JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 10:25“what an absolute brilliant brilliant driver's car”
positive · TheTopher · ▶ 17:30Daily drivability
3.5/513 of 13 reviewerssplit“you can drive this thing so easy day in and day out”
positive · TheTopher · ▶ 3:13“I wouldn't say it's a great daily driver it's like balls to the wall isn't it with this it's always on”
critical · Motormouth · ▶ 10:11“even in stiff mode the suspension isn't that brutal you can hit some bumps and that's what I mean when I say it's a livable car”
positive · Tedward · ▶ 20:11Value
4.0/513 of 13 reviewersstrong consensus“find me a more well-balanced Well Suited driver's Car anywhere for right around $100,000”
positive · TheTopher · ▶ 18:34“I think these are fantastic buys right now in the market.”
positive · Driven Productions · ▶ 4:34“they command a hefty premium, so are they worth it?”
Throttle House · ▶ 0:00Mechanically, the 718 Spyder marks the return of the flat-six to the junior Porsche: the 9A2 Evo 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated six, the same engine as the 718 Cayman GT4, here making 414 hp and spinning past 8,000 rpm. After three years of turbo four-cylinder 718s, that mattered — the Spyder and GT4 brought back the cylinder count and the linear top-end the badge was built on. The chassis is GT4 hardware under a roadster body: front suspension derived from the 911 GT3, PASM lowered 20mm, mechanical LSD. On transmission, it launched manual-only, then gained a seven-speed PDK for 2021 alongside the GT4 — and the manual-versus-PDK question became the defining owner conversation. Where it places in the lineage, it is the open GT4: less hardcore than the RS that followed, but the analogue, manual, naturally-aspirated 718 reviewers treat as the range's sweet spot. It keeps the manual cloth top and the twin-fairing deck, and stands as the last manual Spyder before the RS went PDK-only.
Hear it in the reviewer’s words
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Same 9A2 Evo 4.0 as the 718 Cayman GT4. Launched manual-only; a 7-speed PDK was added for 2021 alongside the GT4. The last manual Spyder — the Spyder RS that crowns the 982 generation is PDK-only.