Boxster · Cayman · Type 981

981

Naturally aspirated, electrically steered, and the last mid-engine car with a flat-six in the ordinary trims.

Years: 2013–2016
Trims: 8
Power: 265–385 hp
Known issues: 7
Lightest: 2,888 lb
Quickest 0–60: 4.2 s

Overview

The 981 is the generation where the Boxster and Cayman stopped being priced and engineered to stay out of the 911’s way. The wheelbase grew more than two inches, the body went substantially aluminium, the track widened, and the result outhandles most of what Porsche was selling above it. Electric steering arrived here too, and while it is not the hydraulic rack of the 987, it is far better sorted than the first electric 911 systems.

It is also, in hindsight, the end of an era. Every 981 in the ordinary range has a naturally aspirated flat-six that revs to 7,800 rpm. From the 982 the base and S cars get a turbocharged flat-four, and the six survives only in the GTS 4.0 and the GT cars. That fact now shapes the used market more than any individual specification does.

Mechanically this is the calmest generation on the site. The 9A1 engine has no intermediate shaft, bore scoring is rare rather than epidemic, and the failure list below is short and mostly cheap. Buy on service history and condition rather than on fear.

The range

8 Sorted by output

Trim	Years	Engine	Power	Torque	0–60	Weight	Drive
Boxster Roadster	2013–2016	2.7 L	265	206	5.5	2,888	RWD
Cayman Coupe	2014–2016	2.7 L	275	213	5.4	2,888	RWD
Boxster S Roadster	2013–2016	3.4 L	315	266	4.7	2,976	RWD
Cayman S Coupe	2014–2016	3.4 L	325	273	4.6	2,976	RWD
Boxster GTS Roadster	2015–2016	3.4 L	330	273	4.5	2,987	RWD
Cayman GTS Coupe	2015–2016	3.4 L	340	280	4.4	2,987	RWD
Boxster Spyder HaloManual only Roadster	2016	3.8 L	375	309	4.3	2,899	RWD
Cayman GT4 HaloManual only Coupe	2016	3.8 L	385	309	4.2	2,955	RWD

Power in hp, torque in lb-ft, 0–60 in seconds, weight in pounds. Hover a badge for what it means.

Year by year

2013
US launch of the 981 Boxster: longer wheelbase, wider track, aluminium-intensive body and electric steering.
2014
Cayman follows with 275 hp base and 325 hp S, both revving to 7,800 rpm.
2015
Boxster GTS and Cayman GTS added with the Powerkit, lowered PASM and Sport Chrono as standard.
2016
Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder arrive with the 991 Carrera S 3.8 and manual gearboxes only. Final 981 model year, and the last naturally aspirated flat-six in the ordinary range.

Known issues

Coolant pump failure Major

All 981, more commonly at higher mileage.
PDK mechatronic faults Major

PDK-equipped cars.
Cylinder scoring (rare on this engine) Major

Isolated reports only. Nothing resembling the M96 and M97 frequency — but not zero, so a borescope on a high-mileage car settles the question cheaply.
PCM infotainment aging Minor

All 981. The system predates CarPlay entirely.
Convertible top faults Minor

Boxster. Markedly more reliable than the 986 and 987 mechanisms.
Radiator debris and corrosion Minor

All 981.
Air–oil separator failure Minor

All 981, far less frequently than on the older engines.