Say Hello To The Porsche 718 Cayman And Its Turbo Four-Cylinder Heart
Here it is, the final part of the puzzle for Porsche’s largely turbocharged sports car range: the 718 Cayman. And yes, like the Boxster, it’s no longer powered by a fizzy naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine. That’s because it’s now mechanically identical to the drop-top - no more slight increases in power to justify a price premium this time around - so mounted in the middle you’ll find the same choice of either 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre flat-fours.
The standard 718 Cayman gets the 2.0-litre, putting out 295bhp and 280lb ft of torque, while the 718 Cayman S receives the 2.5-litre unit, complete with a variable geometry blower like on the 911 Turbo. That one’s good for 345bhp and 310lb ft.
So, that’s a 25bhp and 66lb ft boost for the former making 0-62mph possible in 4.7 seconds and giving a top speed of 170mph, and a 25bhp and 37lb ft boost for the latter allowing it to do the same in 4.2 seconds and top out at 177mph. Assuming you spec the PDK automatic gearbox, of course.
All of those figures are improvements over the old N/A models, and as you’d expect for a downsized motor, efficiency is up too. The most economical - the non-S - gets an average figure of 40.9mpg, a 5mpg increase over the old one. Not enough to make up for the less interesting sound (which admittedly is better than you might expect), but nice to know.
In more Boxster deja vu we have a refreshed chassis including stiffer springs, fettled dampers, fatter anti-roll bars and tyres, plus quicker steering from the 911 Turbo. Oh, and bigger brakes, and the same exterior tweaks including a new spoiler unit and diffuser at the rear.
Where you will find a difference though, is the price. Since the Cayman and Boxster are now closer related than ever before, it makes sense for the Boxster with its complicated folding roof to be the pricier car for the first time. You’re looking at £39,878 for the 718 Cayman, and £48,834 for the Cayman S, which puts each one just under £2000 below the equivalent Boxsters. Our choice? We’ll have the Cayman, please…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Miata is impressed!
I really don’t see any reason to complain about the engine going turbocharged, it makes power gains A LOT easier after all
The torque curves are probably straighter than before too
I know the 911R is at least 10 times the price but I think I would rather save or dream for more money to get the 911R XD and just to say I am really excited about this car!! :D
Noooooo ! …. That’s it … They ruined the Cayman too … :(
I don’t know about anyone else but it seems to me that Porsche seems to have lost it’s edge. It’s still a bit pricey and it may be a better overall track car but there seems to be much cheaper options than a Porsche (for me anyway) also I guess the fact that it makes around 300 h.p. doesn’t appeal to me. (I know it’s about power to weight ratio, blah blah blah other technical stuff) But for some reason Porsche just seems a little bit dragging now and it may be just that im kind of sick of Porsches. Don’t know. Is anyone with me or at least in a similar thought? Things are different across the world so gotta take that into acount.
All I’m actually seeing - as per design cues: is this. Exactly the same.
I get the engine downsizing (kinda, not really), but why name it 718? It’s just so confusing. It’s not special in any way…
Could do an engine swap with the new 3.0 from the 911 carrera. The new cayman like the previous ones should be able to handle quite a bit more power than porsche gives them
oooooooh that is sexy