BEHIND THE WHEEL: Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0
MONDAY JANUARY 16, 2023
Having gotten out of a Carrera S and into this, how could it possibly beat the car that everyone wants? If you are willing not to be clouded by bias, you can see that the 718s have a supercar recipe where the engine is in the middle. Everyone’s downsizing but this has a big 4-litre block and no turbo. In this day and age, this must be the greatest U-turn of all time. The 718 started life with a flat-4 and now returned to form with a 6, is this the greatest miracle in car history?
As beautiful the A$ 4,400 Python Green paint job is, it is something I would think twice on splurging. The rear looks menacing accompanied by a beautifully sculptured side profile. I still find the front headlamp design of a 987 to be the best in the Boxster/Cayman bloodline as it is curvaceous which is more Porsche-like. On the inside, it reminds me a lot of the Cayman I once had although fit and finish in this car feels substantially better.
PRO
Supreme driving dynamics
Screaming flat-6
Brilliant damping
CON
Dated interior
SPECIFICATION
4-litre flat-6
400hp 430Nm
7-speed PDK
0-100 km/h: 4s
Top speed: 288 km/h
From A$ 218,500
Interior may be snug for two but is advantageous when it comes to mountain road drives. Even on suburban roads, the 718’s size is just right so not much attention is required when it comes to avoiding parked cars or narrow spaces. Visibility is excellent whereby one does not have to heighten their seats or keep eyes peeled just to watch out for traffic.
The engine in this one sings tunes most cars today can only dream of as its creamy flat 6 engine revs all the way to 8000 rpm. Being only a few feet away from you, the experience of being in a Cayman is even more intense. It is like seeing a live performance at home versus in person. This is what a true sports car is really like; naturally aspirated, rear wheel drive and engine in the middle.
On these windy jungle roads, you would appreciate the size of the 718 GTS because any more will risk scraping rocks that poke out or running into someone in the next corner. The 911 has a good steering but the one in this is even better because there’s no weight slung out back. That combined with standard GTS go-fast options, results in a sublime driving experience. Neither Sport or Sport Plus made much of a difference on a sunny day but at no point things were boring.
Another old school application whereby the brakes aren’t overly assisted to give a more organic feel. What’s not of yesteryear is in its raciest setting, the springs at all four corners aren’t close to being uncomfortable. That means I can do this every Sunday and go to work with no back pain on Monday.
As much as one can drive a Porsche well, there are still ways to improve when it comes to the art of driving. You can always better time a turn-in, throttle application and braking which is much needed when driving on skinny B-roads. On roads like such, the 718 Cayman GTS had whatever I’ve driven in the past decade beaten to the ground.
The only downside is with the exhaust whereby not much of pops or bangs can be heard, if at all. Installation of gas particulate filter is a must on cars in Europe since late 2018 which hurts the sounds department of the GTS. At least, that big block still sounds fruity on the inside. Since that isn’t something Porsche can do about, I’d say an updated interior is required here as it looks very much like my car from 2010 which was originally released in 2006.
Being more than a hundred thousand cheaper than a bare bones Carrera, this genuinely is a bargain. That gap widens as soon as some option is put into that 911. Think about it, how much longer will something with such engine capacity be around for? Had I not owned a Cayman in the past, you’d see one of these on my driveway.