From £42,8979
Is the faster Cayman GTS the car to convince purists of a four-cylinder Porsche?

What is it?

You’ll be familiar with the premise of Porsche’s GTS models by now: take any car in the range, add the options most buyers opt for anyway, tickle the power output and charge less for it than it would cost to add the options individually. Oh yes, and don’t forget some natty new wheels and black detailing.

Familiar it may be but the GTS models are consistently successful too, adding additional dynamism and performance to already potent vehicles. For this turbocharged Cayman power is up 15bhp to 361bhp, with torque now at 317lb ft thanks to a new turbo and intake system. Standard on the GTS that would be optional on the S are Porsche’s Sport Chrono Package, a mechanical limited-slip differential and PASM – Porsche’s adaptive damping system.

Note as well the 20-inch wheels and black accents outside, plus swathes of Alcantara inside. The Cayman doesn’t deviate from the GTS copy book then, but on previous experience there’s little reason to encourage that.

Porsche 718 cayman gts rear cornering

What's it like?

Over four laps of the Ascari Resort track, fairly damn good. Is it transformed from a standard 718 Cayman? No. Does it render a GT4 replacement redundant? No. Is it the greatest mid-engined sports car to ever grace this planet thanks to a standard sports exhaust? No.

Perhaps those points are obvious, although on occasion it seems a few get a little carried away with the talents of these tinkered Porsches. In all honesty it would take a back-to-back comparison with a regular 718 S to truly identify the differences; that wasn’t possible this time, so let’s run through what’s good and not so good about the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS.

It’s fast, certainly. Although the gains for this car are modest, all of the turbocharged 718s feel very punchy because of the torque increase; everything around you is familiar as a Cayman, except the way it’s pulling so hard from 2000rpm. That and the noise, of course, but we’ll deal with that. The point is that the GTS will satisfy all but the most ardent of speed freaks, is responsive to all inputs and is eager all the way to 7000rpm and beyond.

The best bit of this car however, and arguably of all Caymans, is the way it handles. It’s vice-free, mid-engined sports car nirvana. There are all the best bits of putting the engine directly behind the driver with seemingly none of the drawbacks. It’s a guilt-free bacon sandwich, a pub crawl without the hangover, paintballing that doesn’t leave you in agony.

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So it’s agile and precise and direct, but not spiky if you misjudge anything. Lift mid-corner or brake at an inopportune moment – easily done on Ascari’s labyrinthine 26-corner layout – and the GTS doesn’t punish or rebuke; it’s far too assured for that. You may feel the mass move around, but it’s never intimidating.

And that’s when you get it wrong; get it right and the Cayman is superb, to a point that rivals such as the BMW M2, Audi TT RS and Jaguar F-Type could never hope to match. It’s impeccably damped, finely balanced and immensely rewarding, even when the instructor tells you off for trying a little too hard...

So what’s the problem? In all honesty it’s hard to detect much difference from the standard Cayman S, but the more pressing issue is the noise. Yes, still. Whatever has changed for the GTS sports exhaust has made the boxer drone more prominent, more audible and more annoying. In previous six-cylinder versions the sports exhaust button was permanently illuminated; here it’s never selected, and that seems rather a shame for a 180mph sports car.

Porsche 718 cayman gts interior

Should I buy one?

You should consider investing in a GTS, because it’s still perhaps the best handling sports car this side of £100,000. The GTS probably doesn’t feel that different to an S because every version of the latter we’ve driven has had those desirable dynamic options fitted. Given the cost of those extras is covered in the price leap from S to GTS though, before you’ve even considered the power and styling upgrades, the GTS looks like very good value. In fact, it’s difficult to think of a single thing you’d want to add to the GTS package – bar some Porsche earplugs, perhaps.

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Matt Bird

Porsche 718 Cayman GTS

Where Malaga, Spain On sale Now Price £59,866 Engine 4cyls, 2497cc, turbocharged petrol Power 361bhp at 6500rpm Torque 317lb ft at 1900-5500rpm Gearbox 6-spd manual Kerbweight 1375kg Top speed 180mph 0-62mph 4.6sec Fuel economy 31.4mpg CO2/BIK 205g/km, 36% Rivals BMW M2, Jaguar F-Type 2.0-litre

Porsche 718 cayman gts star car

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hotwheels 4 December 2017

Paul Dalgarno's comment

Paul Dalgarno's comment interests me enormously, because a 981 Cayman GTS is the only car I've ever owned that has taken me off the road. Luckily no one was injured, with the only damage being to the car, though it could so easily have turned out very differently. I like to think I'm no numpty either, with a huge amount of driving miles under my belt in the UK and Europe (I'm in my early 50s) and prior to the Cayman I'd owned a number of performance cars. I know other owners who have spun Boxters too, luckily without injuring anyone or causing damage. Porsche's own driving instructor at Silverstone told me "If you lose it you'll never get it back". Don't get me wrong, the limits in the right circumstances are very high and in many ways the Cayman is a great car, just in the wrong circumstances it can definitely catch you out. By the way, this applies to all mid-engined cars, not just the Cayman. Google 'low polar moments of inertia' in relation to cars and you'll see what I mean. To summarise quickly, weight near the centre of a car makes it easier to turn and so improves handling. The downside? It's also easier to spin. Think how an ice skater pulls their arms in when spinning to increase speed and you get the idea. Personally I like a car I feel I can trust totally (even if ultimately the handling isn't as 'good'), not one where if something catches it out it could lead to a very bad day indeed. I sold mine instantly and at a not insignificant loss, as I put the safety of my family and fellow road users above all else.

farrago17 3 December 2017

I don't understand - why can

I don't understand - why can't Porsche make something really light and with an engine with something like the character of the mk II Golf GTi? Is it because they can't conceive of selling something so cheap that their clientele doesn't drop monies by the several tens of thousands over and above what they have already as proof of self-worth?

Gojohnygo 1 December 2017

Reasons to be cheerfull

I am sure the Cayman is a great car, but I know my own BMW 140i Hi-Fi is rarely turned on, I just love to listen to its fabulous engine. Buying a car is about the whole package everything has to work together, so if a vital item is missing ?.