Porsche's 718 GT4 Is Back With 309kW Of Flat-six Potency
Stuttgart - The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder are back and they鈥檙e more potent than ever, while also catering - strictly, and unapologetically - for purists. No turbochargers here, nor a PDK gearbox option, just pure unfiltered Porsche. But normally aspirated does not mean archaic as this engine employs a direct fuel injection system with Piezo injectors - a first for a high-revving engine. Power goes to the back wheels, the good old fashioned way, through a six-speed manual gearbox. Against the clock, both cars are good for a 4.4-second 0-100km/h sprint, according to Porsche, while top speeds are listed at 304km/h for the Cayman GT4 and 301km/h for the Spyder. The 30mm-lower suspension system, with Porsche Active Suspension Management damping, was specifically designed for track use, and Porsche Torque Vectoring with a mechanical rear diff lock is also part of the package. Further to that, the GT4 can be ordered with a Clubsport package, which includes a rear roll bar, hand-held fire extinguisher and six-point driver seatbelt.
More importantly, the better driving dynamics don鈥檛 come at the expense of comfort. The suspension hits a delicate balance of inspiring confidence in corners without being too jarring over broken pavement no matter what mode you鈥檙e driving in. Inside, the 718s don鈥檛 look that different from the previous-gen models. There are still the dummy buttons that remind you of all the features you don鈥檛 have, but there鈥檚 still comfortable and supportive sport seats, a lovely steering wheel, and impeccable build quality. The touchscreen is fast and responsive, very user-friendly, and it allows you to use your finger to draw in letters and numbers to input addresses so you don鈥檛 have to take your eyes off the road. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available are also available. Is there a big enough difference between the S and the base Cayman to warrant the price premium? Definitely. If you can afford the S, that鈥檚 the Cayman you want. It gives you a better Porsche experience and the increased performance is worth the money. The base Cayman is still fantastic, but the S just makes it more so. The 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman and Cayman S remain two of the most capable, engaging, and well-rounded sports cars in their price brackets and beyond. 100,000, I鈥檇 get a fully loaded manual 718 Cayman S in Miami Blue, built to exactly how I wanted it so no one else would have one just like it. For that money, you can buy much more car, but the 718s are so good that you don鈥檛 need to get a 911 to have 911-level thrills.
Porsche recently released it鈥檚 newest iteration of the Cayman/Boxster line, dubbed the 718. A major change from the previous 981 chassis cars is the introduction of turbocharged power plants. In the dyno graph above, the Red line represents the car in Normal mode. The Green line represents Sport Plus, and the Blue line represents the car being in Sport Plus with Sport Response activated. The main difference between the three modes is apparent in low-end torque. Boost does appear to ramp in quicker with Sport Plus selected, and again-so with Sport Response active. 2700RPM boost remains constant and relatively flat throughout a pull. While these torque numbers do indicate that Porsche may be a bit conservative with advertised power numbers, the most important data will be represented in gains from these baseline pulls. We are obviously very excited to dive into tuning on Stuttgart鈥檚 newest machinery and have high hopes for it鈥檚 potential. Stay tuned to the COBB Blog for updates!
To many sports-car enthusiasts, the Porsche Cayman has been viewed as a mid-market, version of the Boxster. For those of you who are looking for a cheaper alternative to the Carrera, the Cayman is a smart place to begin. Offering you upgraded engine performance over the Boxster, the Cayman's all-round driveability simply cannot be beaten. It has even been claimed that the Porsche Cayman "S" version actually outweighs the base model Carrera 3.6 in all areas! To some, the Cayman is simply a Porsche Boxster with a slightly more convenient hard-top. This is simply not the case. The body of the Cayman is very similar to the Boxster, with an obvious difference being the hard-top roof. The Cayman also borrowed body parts such as the doors, fenders and trunk lid from the Boxster. The dash is also identical. But as the saying goes, "never judge a book by its cover", this could not be more applicable when talking about the Porsche Cayman. Let's take a look at the set-up. With the Cayman now having a hard-top roof, this gave the engineers the option to stiffen the suspension system for better road handling.