Review: Porsche 718 Cayman S

The New Cayman: faster, more comfortable, and a better drive
John Calne|Autocar3 August 2016


Faster than ever, and even more precise to steer. So is the new Cayman above criticism?

We have here the Cayman S, whose turbocharged four-cylinder engine has 345 brake horsepower.

 If you never drove an older Cayman you’re unlikely to find it anything less than wholly thrilling.

That’s more than the straight-six in the old model, and guess what? It’s faster than ever. Not just in a way you can express by saying ‘4.6 seconds,’ either. Revving the old engine was no chore, but instead of doing that with this one you simply drive it and whoosh, you’re away.

The chassis has been renewed to match the engine, with even sharper, more accurate steering than before and suspension that strikes a seemingly impossible balance between grip, balance, handling and ride comfort.

If you’re being super-picky, you could argue that the previous model was more like a craftsman piece while this one is a little too copy-made perfect, but if you never drove an older Cayman you’re unlikely to find it anything less than wholly thrilling.

The turbocharged four-cylinder engine has 345 brake horsepower.

You’ll also find it wholly excellent to buy and own. Assuming you’ve got the wherewithal to stump up £48,834 in the first place, as sports cars go the Cayman S gives you more for that money than almost anything else.

Of course, there’s an options catalogue lying in wait, and there are things on it that you really shouldn’t have to pay extra for. But ’twas ever thus, and even if you add ten grand to the bill you’ll still have a world-class sportscar at a price that makes eminent sense. Then all you need to do is turn up the stereo, and away you go.

Key Stats: Porsche 718 Cayman S

Price £48,834
Engine 4 cyls, 2497cc, turbocharged, petrol
Power 345bhp at 6500rpm
Gearbox 6-spd manual
Kerb weight 1430kg
0-62mph 4.6sec
Top speed 177mph
Economy 34.9mpg (combined)
CO2/tax band 184g/km, 33%

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT