Four Cylinder Porsche Cayman and Boxster Confirmed; May Come to US

You may see a four cylinder Porsche on the road sometime in the next few years here in the United States. While that has not been confirmed, here’s what is official: a four cylinder Porsche will be on the road somewhere in the not-so-distant future!

Late last week, Porsche confirmed through a German media report that it will be making four cylinder versions of its two small sports cars, the Cayman and Boxster. This seems to adhere to what’s going on across many brands – reduced engine size. The unanswered questions are when they’ll be for sale; and will they be available in the United States?

The Four Cylinder Porsche Engine

The four cylinder Porsches will be equipped with a “flat-four boxer engine.” It will be a sibling of their current six-cylinder engine, meaning they’ll share a lot of parts and be manufactured along similar lines. The term “flat-four” means the pistons are horizontally opposed, which is different from the V or inline engine seen in other cars.

This isn’t the first time Porsche has offered four cylinder engines. From 1938 to the mid-1970s, they featured a flat-four – and they also had an available inline four well into the 1990s.

Why a Four Cylinder Engine?

A four cylinder Porsche will offer better fuel economy, and its lightweight design means it will have increased handling and faster braking capabilities. It will also be better for the environment, as there is a reduction of CO2.

Porsche CEO Matthias Muller told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport magazine that the four cylinder Porsche engine could still produce as much as 395 horsepower, which is actually about 50 more than the current six cylinder Cayman and Boxster. We’ll have to wait and see whether this is true.

Will the four cylinder Porsche engine make it to the United States? It will be interesting to find out, but experts believe there would be a market for a slightly less expensive Porsche offering.

The least expensive Porsche available today in the United States is the Macan S crossover, which checks in with a list price of just under $51,000. (A four cylinder and diesel Macan are being made ready for release soon, but neither will be available in the United States.)

It could be a good while before a decision is made whether or not to bring the four cylinder Cayman or Boxster to North America. That’s because neither of the two models are scheduled for a redesign anytime soon.