987 2.9 vs 981 2.7 - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hi all I occasionally drive a family member’s 987.2 Boxster 2.9 manual, the performance of which I find to be totally fine for my requirements. I am thinking about acquiring a 981. Is anybody able to compare this in 2.7 manual flavour to the above-mentioned 2.9 litre car? I’ve read that the gearing is too long and people seem to complain about them not being very fast, but if performance is comparable to the 987.2 then I suspect I’d be happy with it. Many thanks

I had a 987 2.7 and loved the performance level for uk roads. I have a 981 3.4 S now and it’s much faster but not really more fun. ETA. So I think a 2.9 would be spot on. Edited by paulguitar on Sunday 29th December 09:10

I had this decision a year ago, although both PDK’s The 987 has noticeably better steering as its hydraulic vs electric. The 981 is still good but not in the 987’s league I ended up choosing the 981 due to the following; - exterior looks, 981 wins for me, just nicer - interior - quite a step up for the 981 - no manual latch for the roof on the 981, the 987 requires a latch to be undone first And the one that sealed it for me, I noticed a small amount of scuttle shake on the 987, nothing on the 981 Both great cars

MOBB said: I had this decision a year ago, although both PDK’s The 987 has noticeably better steering as its hydraulic vs electric. The 981 is still good but not in the 987’s league I ended up choosing the 981 due to the following; - exterior looks, 981 wins for me, just nicer - interior - quite a step up for the 981 - no manual latch for the roof on the 981, the 987 requires a latch to be undone first And the one that sealed it for me, I noticed a small amount of scuttle shake on the 987, nothing on the 981 Both great cars Yep, I agree with all of this. I’d take that 981 over the 987, but it’s a no lose situation. They are both great cars.

Here you go…

I tried both and settled on a 981 2.7. The overall build quality and interior fit and finish was much better and as they were so close on the price the newer car was the no brainer. Had 2 happy years in my manual 2.7 and it’s been a fantastic car. Still thinking of moving it on as I like different experiences but what a car they are!

The gearing in both cars is long. As for the ratios, the first 4 gears are exactly the same in both cars, and then 5-7 gears have some very minor differences with the Final Drive of 2.9 set at 3.88 while the 2.7 is 3.89 Basically there is unlikely to be a perceived differences. As others have mentioned, the handling and the aesthetics will be the things you'll notice more of a difference in. Running costs are virtually the same between generations for servicing.

Here’s mine

MOBB said: Here’s mine Very nice. Here's my S:

paulguitar said: Very nice. Here's my S: Great colour.

CanAm said: paulguitar said: Very nice. Here's my S: Great colour. Thanks, Aqua blue.

paulguitar said: Thanks, Aqua blue. My Cayman is Midnight Blue Metallic and on a dull day it can look almost black. Meanwhile, on the gearing, it's a 6 speed manual 2.9 987.2 and I don't find the gearing too long. A rough calculation based on indicated speed minus 3mph at 3,000 rpm seems to show its almost perfectly geared for maximum speed in top. I'd love to see an Autocar road test of the model to see the precise figures. Edited by CanAm on Tuesday 31st December 07:12

To push back slightly on the usual narrative on the 2.7 being more fun in the real world, I tend to find the opposite. The 2.7 is pretty thin in the mid-range. It's fun when you rev it out all the way and quick enough on a good B road in that regard, on that note I don't disagree. But it's high geared like all modern Pork, so revving it out even in 3rd is ban territory on a B road. The advantage of the 3.4 is that extra slug of mid-range shove that makes the car more engaging when you're not revving it out and just briefly tipping into the throttle. You additionally have the same opportunities to rev the 3.4 out when you're happy to do so and you'll be doing essentially the same speed in a given gear when you do. It's subjective, but I see no downsides with the 3.4. It's not a 600hp McLaren. It's just got a bit more shove to make the car less likely to feel gutless and flat, especially in the mid range and it's just as rewarding to rev out as the 2.7. If you could rev the 2.7 out everywhere, whenever you wanted, it would be a different story. I'd still prefer the 3.4, but it would be closer run. But you can't, so it's not.

3.4 better than gutless 2.7/2.9 pretty obvious. They are underpowered and the 981 steering is dull as s t. Now what the real free thinking winner will be buying is the 2.0T which outpaces all of the above for much less. That said the owners can only whine about the sound blah blah blah… BS, of course but helpful in keeping these an utter bargain.

lol, booooooooooooooooost scooby doo.

Johnson897210 said: 3.4 better than gutless 2.7/2.9 pretty obvious. They are underpowered and the 981 steering is dull as s t. Now what the real free thinking winner will be buying is the 2.0T which outpaces all of the above for much less. That said the owners can only whine about the sound blah blah blah… BS, of course but helpful in keeping these an utter bargain. I drove a friends 718 2.5 GTS PDK Boxster today. I've had my 987.1 3.4S Cayman Manual for nearly a year, and prior to that I had an early 'lightweight' 996.1 C2 Manual Coupe. I was interested to do it as like you, I couldn't understand just how great value these 4 pot turbocharged cars were. The GTS with a remap is the best part of 450BHP, and thats obviously an interesting proposition. That would make it astonishingly quick. So. There is absolutely no doubt the 718 is quicker than my car. Zero. It's absolutely quicker. It's probably easier to soak up miles in too. The PDK was a great box and is phenomenally fast and smooth. However. The cars couldn't be any more different to drive. Steering feel, noise (yes, it is a thing. this didn't really sound much different to my mk5 golf GTI daily, and this was with a PSE - thus, can I be corny and say 'emotion?')... the 987 felt far more involving - and the 987 generation was in my mind a huge leap in refinement above my 996. I think you can't go wrong with a 987. They are such great cars for the money. There is a reason why many people say a 987 Boxster is a benchmark sports car. 250 bhp is loads if you know how to drive. Whilst I wouldn't say no to a 4.1 rebuild on my car, 3.4 is plenty of shove.

I'm picking up a new to me 981 Cayman 2.7 (manual) on Saturday all being well, a car that will replace my 986.2 2.7 Boxster. I'm quite excited and loved the test drive of it. 986.2 2.7 5 speed (225bhp) vs 981 6 speed (275bhp), definitely felt the power difference on the test drive and it just felt so planted and very solidly built. Fit and finish just felt so much higher. It'll be used as my daily alongside my 992 GTS.

Johnson897210 said: 3.4 better than gutless 2.7/2.9 pretty obvious. They are underpowered and the 981 steering is dull as s t. Now what the real free thinking winner will be buying is the 2.0T which outpaces all of the above for much less. That said the owners can only whine about the sound blah blah blah… BS, of course but helpful in keeping these an utter bargain. It's a soulless engine. Porsche didn't even want to make it but had to in order to meet emissions targets.