After having dealt the blow to the Porsche faithful that the 911 would be not only turbocharged but also hybridized by the end of the decade, the new details emerging about turbos for the Boxster and Cayman probably don't sound so bad. You'd be forgiven for thinking that tubocharging was one of those things that we hear about for ages but never seem to move forward, but it appears the new engines will be in cars after the midcycle refresh, meaning next year or 2017.

The new turbo mills will obviously be smaller, not only in terms of displacement, but they will also be flat-fours rather than flat-sixes. This will effect the entire range of both models with the exception of the Cayman GT4, which will keep its naturally aspirated flat-six in much the same way as the 911 GT3. Power ratings for the two cars run from 265 to 330 horsepower, and we imagine that a turbo four-banger won't have too much trouble matching those figures. It's even possible that it will ultimately be difficult to tell the difference.