2019 Porsche 718 Cayman S First Drive
A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but what if that rose had a four-cylinder engine? That鈥檚 the dilemma raised by the new Porsche 718 Cayman S, the replacement for a car that was pretty much perfect and one that has traded its predecessor鈥檚 charismatic flat-six for a new turbocharged flat-four. We know that engines everywhere are downsizing these days, but this one feels like a personal affront. You鈥檒l notice that the steering wheel of the car in our photos is on the wrong side. Much of what we鈥檝e said about the turbocharged engine in the 718 Boxster holds true here, but the Cayman鈥檚 fixed roof means its driver has no means to escape from its new, carefully engineered soundtrack. More than compensating for the aural deficiency, the 718 feels decidedly quicker than the old Cayman S, and to a greater extent than the raw numbers suggest. Much of this is due to the engine鈥檚 boosted output. While the old 3.4 had to be whipped like a racehorse to deliver its best, the turbo engine鈥檚 torque curve is as flat as an Iowa cornfield.
The new engine is only part of the transformation. Porsche excels at balancing performance with grip, and the 718鈥檚 extra urge has required a comprehensive chassis reworking to keep it in check. Changes include firmer springs and dampers and a quicker steering ratio with revised geometry. Our test car had the Porsche Active Chassis Management option that brings both adaptive dampers and a 0.8-inch reduction in ride height. The collective results on a demanding road are nothing short of startling, with the Cayman S extracting huge adhesion from its Pirelli P Zero tires. Our test car had a full boatload of dynamic options, including the Sport Chrono pack and brake-based torque vectoring, which could be felt helping out in slower turns. The manual gearbox is still a peach, and the S now gets the 911 Carrera鈥檚 four-piston brake calipers, which seemed tireless under hard use. This sharpening makes the 718 feel more mid-engined.
Previous Caymans often felt as if they鈥檇 been set up to deliver a 911-lite driving experience, in keeping with their position in Porsche鈥檚 brand hierarchy. But the S now feels markedly more responsive and agile than a base Carrera, better able to exploit its optimized weight distribution when it comes to making progress along a twisty, bumpy road. The extra torque can be used to help give directional advice鈥攅ven small throttle changes exert a noticeable influence on the cornering line under high lateral loads鈥攂ut never to the extent of dominating the proceedings. On first impression, this still feels like the best-balanced junior sports car in the game. The engineers behind the new Cayman S should be proud. It鈥檚 demonstrably better than its predecessor in pretty much every measurable metric. It鈥檚 only when we come to the less quantifiable matter of soul that we have to report continued concern. Sports cars aren鈥檛 bought for the same rational criteria as minivans, and we鈥檒l fully understand if you鈥檙e planning to cryogenically preserve a late-period 3.4-liter Cayman S as your personal apogee of the modern sports car. But the 718 is a compelling reason to be cheerful about the future.
The Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster have been praised for the balance they offer with the new turbo-four, but purists and enthusiasts complain that the four-bangers just don鈥檛 sound good. For those sound-obsessed buyers, Porsche will have the Cayman GT4, a hardcore track-oriented model packing six-cylinder power derived from the 911 GT3. That car has been spied testing once again, and this time our shooter caught it with its drop-top sibling, the Boxster Spyder. You won鈥檛 need to get a microscope to see the changes made to distinguish the 718 Cayman GT4 from the rest of the lineup. The most prominent giveaways are the side air vents, a slightly taller lip spoiler, and the split dual exhausts. This particular GT4 is also sporting a different rear wing that looks slightly taller and with wider trailing edges than on previous prototypes we鈥檝e spotted, hinting that there may be different aero kits available for the next 718 Cayman GT4.
Peeking from behind the alloy wheels appear to be optional carbon ceramic brakes. The 718 Boxster Spyder following the Cayman GT4 wears many of the same design elements in back, including the split dual exhaust tips and the taller lip spoiler. Unlike the Cayman GT4, the Boxster Spyder doesn鈥檛 have a stanchioned rear wing. The biggest give-away that this isn鈥檛 your ordinary Boxster is the manual soft top and engine tonneau with molded fairings that stretch all the way to the back of the seats. Power for the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder is expected to come from a version of the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six found in the 911 GT3. A six-speed manual should remain as the only available transmission. Porsche hasn鈥檛 said much about the Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder, but expect it to gain more power and torque to distance itself from the GTS models. Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Caught Testing With Boxster Spyder appeared first on Motor Trend.