Porsche 718 Cayman S: 2nd Place
It's a fantastic chassis and can use every single horsepower back there. Just the right amount of power. Steering is excellent. Among the best here. Talkative and light, quick enough but not too much. It's a great sports car, very much in the same vein as the Corvette. It doesn't set my hair on fire, but then, most people aren't as jaded to quick cars as I am. I could see this being a real dark horse. There is something really spirited and sweet about this car. It is so well balanced and smooth. It's so seamless in its power delivery and responsive to the slightest steering input. It handles speed with ease. It is light and nimble, generating a fast, enjoyable, comfortable, and balanced ride. There are those who miss the sound of the old throaty engine, but the tradeoff for a nice wide powerband is worth it. The car was not hurting for power, even going uphill.
You just feel good in this car. The 718 Cayman S feels like one of those cars that needs no introduction. Probably because the chassis is so beautifully balanced, probably because the handling is so predictable, probably because each movement is connected directly to the brain's synapses. Nothing requires a second thought. The Cayman does everything right, and it never feels like it's trying too hard. I'm blown away with how good this car is to drive. It manages to be approachable and yet so good on the edge. I know the Cayman is helping me out in ways that I can't even begin to understand, but I don't care. It's so good that it lets me focus on driving. It'll let me know when I screw up or do something wrong, but it doesn't hold it against me. Even when the car intervenes, like traction control pulling power, it's so subtle that it makes me think that I did it. It's an exceptionally balanced car. Driving this car feels like using a broken-in baseball mitt鈥攊t just fits.
Feels right. Under-braked, though. Real mushy pedal at the end of the downhill run. The car is one of those rare kinds of cars where from the first time I turn the wheel I get a smile on my face. The steering response is relatively quick, and it's easy, with the polar moment of a mid-engine design, it makes the chassis not work very hard to change direction. That's part of the advantage of it. The brakes are really good. They're not oh-my-God downforce R-compound carbon-ceramic good, but they're very good. And they didn't change. There's a little more pedal travel than I would want in a perfect world. But the braking force was good. The car has a little bit of push. Enter the corner with a little bit of patience. Don't go to power early. If you go to power early, you can create understeer with the Cayman S because it's a mid-engine. The front end is light. Keep weight on the nose or even trail-brake it a little to get it to come into the corner. The advantage of that little bit extra understeer is the stability that comes with it. And I found that this is a car that I could drive harder and harder. Marry this car. This is the kind of car you marry because it's so fun to be around and it's good-looking and shows you a good time and never tries to stab you in the back.
Porsche is the only manufacturer to utilize VTG technology in gasoline-fueled production models ? 911 Turbo, the 718 Cayman S and the 718 Boxster S. These new engines develop 35 more horsepower over those of the previous engines. The new exhaust systems were developed to ensure the delivery of passionate, Porsche-typical sound. Exhaust gases from the four cylinders are merged just before the turbocharger, which is mounted to the engine directly behind the driver? The single exhaust tract runs past the engine, then branching into two pipes ahead of the transmission, which then run past the transmission to the two rear mufflers. In the Porsche 718 Cayman, the exhaust gases flow through a system with a central single oval tailpipe made of brushed stainless steel, while the 718 Cayman S comes with round twin tailpipes made of brushed stainless steel. Two central round sport tailpipes available in chrome or black highlight the optional Sport Exhaust System with an exhaust flap, which is available for all models.