Say Hello To The Porsche 718 Cayman And Its Turbo Four-Cylinder Heart
Here it is, the final part of the puzzle for Porsche’s largely turbocharged sports car range: the 718 Cayman. And yes, like the Boxster, it’s no longer powered by a fizzy naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine. That’s because it’s now mechanically identical to the drop-top - no more slight increases in power to justify a price premium this time around - so mounted in the middle you’ll find the same choice of either 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre flat-fours.
The standard 718 Cayman gets the 2.0-litre, putting out 295bhp and 280lb ft of torque, while the 718 Cayman S receives the 2.5-litre unit, complete with a variable geometry blower like on the 911 Turbo. That one’s good for 345bhp and 310lb ft.
So, that’s a 25bhp and 66lb ft boost for the former making 0-62mph possible in 4.7 seconds and giving a top speed of 170mph, and a 25bhp and 37lb ft boost for the latter allowing it to do the same in 4.2 seconds and top out at 177mph. Assuming you spec the PDK automatic gearbox, of course.
All of those figures are improvements over the old N/A models, and as you’d expect for a downsized motor, efficiency is up too. The most economical - the non-S - gets an average figure of 40.9mpg, a 5mpg increase over the old one. Not enough to make up for the less interesting sound (which admittedly is better than you might expect), but nice to know.
In more Boxster deja vu we have a refreshed chassis including stiffer springs, fettled dampers, fatter anti-roll bars and tyres, plus quicker steering from the 911 Turbo. Oh, and bigger brakes, and the same exterior tweaks including a new spoiler unit and diffuser at the rear.
Where you will find a difference though, is the price. Since the Cayman and Boxster are now closer related than ever before, it makes sense for the Boxster with its complicated folding roof to be the pricier car for the first time. You’re looking at £39,878 for the 718 Cayman, and £48,834 for the Cayman S, which puts each one just under £2000 below the equivalent Boxsters. Our choice? We’ll have the Cayman, please…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Well. Nissan’s RB engines start at 2.0L inline 6, could porsche (or another manufacturer) make a 2.0L or 2.5L boxer 6? I’m curious.
Boxers are way different from Inline engines, but I’m not sure if it’s possible.
It’s possible to make a 2.0/2.5l boxer 6, but it would weigh alot more than a boxer 4 of the same size.
You can basically build any engine layout with any displacement, altough a large displacement per cylinder can lead to nasty vibrations.
Hey, I had a question that I’ve been trying to figure out for a long time on CT. How do you create a post like this with a box link that appears on the main feed with an image AND heading although it looks like a link post that links to itself?? I hope someone can help me answer this.
Blog post perhaps?
This is gonna be amazing
Lovely exterior choices, loving the chrome around the window and the colour is lovely. This looks even better, I like turbo 4’s so I’m not bothered that it isn’t N/A.
I am sad that it only has a 4cyl engine. Sorry but this car gets a 4/10 mark from me.
Looks gorgeous
yes! yes! yes!
I need dis :(
Its strange but I feel like they have actually downgraded the Cayman to a more sort of Lotus Elise competitor than a serious toy. Good thing is the second gen cayman is now going down in price and that is still the one I would buy!
I’d take it in white if I had the means. The grey from the pictures doesn’t look very good.
While the Boxter was kinda meh from side, Cayman is gorgeous