It brings all the goods with a smaller engine
Fresh from spending a week with the 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman S, I’m happy to report that the future of sports cars is far from doom and gloom.
Quite the contrary, actually. In fact, this Cayman S is proof that things are going to be just fine. While electrons are being added to everything from minivans to McLarens, there’s no cumbersome hybrid powertrain to clutter up the car with extra weight. Instead, this thing’s all motor — albeit a much smaller one than before. But that counts for something in an era hell-bent on hybridization.
Glossing right over the base version and its 2.0-litre turbo engine, this Cayman S still brings the goods. Almost a litre of displacement has been taken out of the engine this time around, not to mention two cylinders, leaving the Cayman S with a mere 2.5-litre flat four to do the job. In the tug-of-war between driving enjoyment and environmental responsibility, tiny turbo engines are the compromise enthusiasts must live with. Intelligent downsizing Porsche easily could have leveraged the size of its Volkswagen Group overlord to source a four-cylinder engine elsewhere — Audi, for instance, has a few examples that would’ve done the trick — but the brand chose to build its own. In the case of the Cayman S, its 2.5-litre was developed alongside the twin-turbo six-cylinders that are being shoved into practically the entire 911 range.
The move to smaller engines, not to mention ones that step on the turbocharged toes of the namesake 911 Turbo, has many Porsche purists fearful of the future, though perhaps unfairly. While the Cayman S, along with its 718 Series siblings, received its forced induction four-cylinder in the name of reduced emissions and improved fuel economy, it’s still plenty capable of cranking out Porsche levels of performance.
Output is rated at 350 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque, the former of which makes it one of the most powerful production four-cylinders on the market. Those numbers also make the 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman S more powerful than its six-cylinder predecessor, as well as the last naturally aspirated 911Carrera. No lag detected With the variable-geometry turbo forcing more air into the engine, turbo lag is all but imperceptible from the moment the Cayman S gets rolling.
The full helping of torque comes online at 1,900 r.p.m., which doesn’t seem particularly early on paper, but the engine climbs to that speed so quickly that there’s barely time to notice the disconnect.
The 2.5-litre might not sound quite as good as a naturally aspirated flat six when the throttle’s opened wide, but it still sounds pretty awesome. It has a raspy snarl that, while perhaps laying it on a little thick, offers an extra dose of sensory delight while retaining that machine-gun brap that boxer engines are known for.
While the Cayman S can still send its output to the rear wheels with a six-speed manual gearbox, our tester was fitted with the optional sevenspeed PDK, which might be the most deft automatic on the planet.
Fitted with such a gearbox, the Cayman S will happily sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds, a time that can be cut down to 4.2 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package. All kinds of handles While not blasting off the line as quickly as a new 911Carrera, the Cayman S certainly knows how to tackle twisting roads. With the engine mounted behind the driver but in front of the rear wheels, the car’s balance is unquestioned and not overly difficult to maintain. With its wheels tucked noticeably closer to the corners than a 911 — a byproduct of that car’s rear-engine layout — the Cayman’s turn-in response is uncanny, allowing it to dart around the road like a water bug.
Helping the car change directions so quickly on the road is its rigid chassis and suspension, something that was only enhanced by the optional adaptive dampers fitted to our tester.
With the pricey Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system along for the ride, the Cayman S was able to feel like two different cars.
The difference the active suspension makes is like the difference between how my ab muscles look and how I wish they looked.
The steering setup isn’t as raw as the manual one in the Alfa Romeo 4C, but the electromechanical system is typical Porsche and features nice weighting that is hard to find elsewhere. Interior and pricing issues If there was a nit to pick about the Cayman S it would be the car’s cabin. It’s unlikely many Porsche buyers are in the market for a no-frills sports car, making the interior a bit of a letdown.
While the inclusion of real aluminum trim is appreciated, this cabin is about as plain as a rice cracker and could use something — anything — to get excited about.
Like any Porsche, the price can also climb quite quickly.
The Cayman S starts at $76,800, but our tester’s sticker ballooned to $96,445 with but a few crucial options added. The Miami Blue paint alone, while beautiful, added $2,950 to the price, while even the heated steering wheel tacked another $540 to the price. The verdict Make no mistake, electrification has its place in this world, but we also need havens from alternative fuels.
And the 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman S is one such sanctuary. And if nothing else, it proves that Porsche is more than capable of pre-emptively delivering a conventionally powered sports car that offers all the exhilaration of old while conforming to the new set of rules that are just around the corner.