More character for Cayman
The new 718-series puts more distance between Cayman and 911. That makes the smaller car even more desirable, argues David Linklater.
What a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to pretend that platform sharing isn’t a thing. So said the Great Bard about Porsche’s Boxster/Cayman duo back in 2005.
When Porsche cooked up the Cayman a decade ago, it argued long and hard that it was not simply a Boxster with a roof. Even though it was a Boxster with a roof.
I think the idea was to protect the credibility of the new baby coupe, in the same way that Porsche tried to protect the credibility of the 911 by pretending that it hadn’t donated more than half of its components to make the entrylevel Boxster back in 1996 (it had).
Poor old Boxster: brilliant sports car, but somehow always regarded as the embarrassing younger brother of everything else.
Anyway, Porsche seems to have steeled itself this year because it’s united the new-generation Cayman and Boxster with a single badge: 718.
There’s also more acceptance of Boxster’s status in the pricing structure, because the Cayman coupe is now cheaper than its drop-top sibling for the first time. Just like the 911 range.
Why the change in attitude? Perhaps because there’s a new threat to Cayman/Boxster credibility and there’s safety in numbers. Both models have ditched their naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines in favour of more efficient four-pot motors with turbocharging.
Hence the 718 badge. It recalls another 718 from the 1950s and 1960s, which also had a midmounted four-cylinder engine and raced its way to many victories.
There’s already been disquiet among the Porsche faithful about the new 718, which has lost some of the sonorous soundtrack and linear power delivery to the demands of today’s fuel-economy and emissions regulations.
But here’s the thing: the first Porsche road car was a flat-four, so there’s no need for the 718 Cayman to apologise for that. And while the slowly building crescendo of the old car’s six has given way to something else – this is really something else.
The new 2.5-litre engine in the 718 S makes 18kW/50Nm more than the previous six, can hit 100kmh in 4.2 seconds with the obligatory $4790 Sport Chrono Package (no Porsche sports car is complete without a stopwatch on the dashboard) and rocket onwards to 285kmh.
More to the point, the rear tyres of the 718 S light up at middling throttle pressure (peak torque is delivered at just 1900rpm) in a way that the old sixes never could. It really means business.
Especially the S, which boasts variable turbine geometry similar to that in the 911, including preconditioning of the blower under part-load to improve responsiveness. It also has a Dynamic Boost function that keeps the throttle wide open when the driver lifts off momentarily during hard acceleration, ensuring razorsharp response when the pedal’s pressed again.
And of course you get the Sport Response Button as per the 911 Carrera, which puts everything into max-attack mode for 20 seconds. More than max-attack actually, because the PDK shift calibration becomes even more aggressive than it is in Sport Plus. Bit cheesy. Bit exciting too.
And the soundtrack? Lots of people likened our test car to a Subaru WRX. That’s fine. I think of it more as hyperactive Beetle (proper Beetle, not new Beetle). Whatever, it’s a boxer-warble that gives the car a lot of character. In Sport mode I’ll admit it’s too intrusive because it’s too flat. But I was still smiling all the way to the redline.
The Cayman is still a thing of wonder on the road. The electrically assisted steering is better than the last 911 Carrera I drove, although it’s possible that Porsche is learning as it goes and the next 911 I drive will be better again. The 718 S borrows from the 911 Turbo’s steering gear, which is 10 per cent more direct than the previous car. It gets 911 brakes as well.
It’s very similar in specification to the 718 Boxster S of course, but the more rigid coupe body shape gives the Cayman an extra dynamic edge. Not to mention a cool retrochic look and some extra cargo space under the rear hatchback.
Forget about understeer and expect enormous mechanical grip to go with the exquisite balance. But you don’t sacrifice comfort, even when your 718 S is wearing 20-inch wheels ($3190). Our test car’s optional PASM suspension setup ($3280) may have helped in that regard.
It’s also classic Porsche in the way that it offers an incredible blend of performance and practicality on the road, yet can still demolish a track-day. We did take to Waikato’s Hampton Downs circuit in our 718 Cayman S just to double-check that. Yep, all good. Very, very good.
One last thought, although it’s more about me than the car. For the past decade I’ve argued furiously with colleagues about whether the mid-engined Cayman was a better Porsche than the rearengined 911. I could never deny the Cayman’s superior balance and maturity, but I also couldn’t see past the 911’s dynamic personality and heritage. If you want to dance around corners in a Porsche sports car, surely you want the real thing?
Circa-2017, the 911 has continued its move upmarket, upwards in size and away from the new 718 models. The Cayman has acquired a whole lot more character and it now seems to have more of a connection to Porsche’s roots. You know, if that means something to you; nostalgia is not compulsory, of course.
So the 718 Cayman has a growly flat-four like the original 356 and it’s very similar in size to the 964 (last of the properly compact 911 models, 1989-84), yet still boasts a wealth of new-generation technology. Almost perfect.