Rumors of the 4-Cylinder began in 2011 for a 2014 release date
And what do we say about a day like today? It’s April 1, April Fools’ Day, and we want to believe that this is a practical joke. We want to think Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller is just indulging in some classic humor, using his office as chief of the one of the world’s most respected automotive brands to have a little fun and introduce some levity in today’s beleaguered world. We’d rather not think that he used the unthinkable four-letter word that starts with “f.”
And yet the news is that the Boxster and Cayman will see four-cylinder boxer engines in the next generation of the vehicles. Four-cylinders, y’all: four. Boxer engines mean that the cylinders are horizontally-opposed and pound together like a boxer’s gloves before a fight. It also characteristically means a smooth rev range and better handling for the car. Four, of course, means four.
What does a world with four-cylinder Porsches look like? Well, we have seen it before. The 356, 912, and 914 all had four-cylinder engines, as recently as the 1990s. Porsche is doing what it can to alleviate concerns by stating that as much as 395 horsepower will be produced from these engines. It’s a gutsy move to set expectations high, but it’s a gamble the company has to take. We had heard that a four-cylinder was in the works for the Macan to meet Chinese regulations, and it’s likely that this will be the reason for the new Boxster and Cayman Lite. Today, however, was the first time we heard that the changes might not be contained to the Chinese market.
And certainly the automaker has proven itself to be immune to reactionary forces who think that change equals bad. Plenty of people thought an SUV—the Cayenne—was anathema to Porsche. Then came the Panamera, and the chorus sounded once again. And most recently the Macan itself is being held up to the strictest of scrutinies. And yet the reviews for all of these vehicles have been stellar, many of which argue that they are the best vehicles in their class, hands-down.
Porsche’s Mueller said that, “we will not separate ourselves from efforts to reduce CO2,” an acknowledgement that there are bigger concerns in this world than ensuring that every man, woman and child has at least six cylinders to bang on. For the sake of our planet and shared ecosystem, it behooves a company to think of the greater good. And yet we wonder: what will it sound like? What will it feel like? Just as the fundamental experience of music changed from vinyl records to digital ones and zeroes, how will the experience of driving a Porsche change in 20 years?
Volvo is the chief example of a company betting its future on a base of four-cylinder engines. The company is in the process of scrapping its five- and six-cylinder engines for a modular four-chamber base that can be adapted for many different vehicles types. Volvo was also recently acquired by Geely, a Chinese automotive group. To what extent will four-cylinder engines surface in Porsche? We’re unsure, but Porsche also recently announced that the next generation of the Panamera will receive a new platform and pair of engines: a V6 and a V8.
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