By: Stuart Johnston
Malmo, Sweden - Sportscar or Supercar? Both sobriquets have been bestowed on cars emanating from Porsche’s Zuffenhausen “works” in Stuttgart, but in the case of the latest 718 Cayman, one is conscious that this is very much a sportscar in pure essence.
The car’s international launch was held in and around Malmo, Sweden, and the narrow undulating roads re-emphasised the pure joy of driving a car that responds to every camber change, every directional nuance, as if the 718 had a set of out-stretched toes on each wheel, searching for grip. And, always, imparting those messages to the driver through a steering system that is always in touch, and razor-sharp if you need it to be.
The 718 Cayman’s steering rack, with its new electro-mechanical assistance system, is in fact a direct transplant from the Porsche 911 Turbo. Super quick in reaction, the steering would come into its own when we headed for the Sturup Raceway situated within shouting distance of Malmo Airport.
There is little doubt that the 911 Turbo is a Supercar, albeit one of the few that you can actually use as a daily driver. As for the new 718 Cayman, well, it is now very clearly defined from its 911 siblings by dint of using the new four-cylinder boxer engine, as opposed to employing more modestly-tuned versions of the famous six-cylinder motor that has been at the heart of the 911 since its birth some 62 years ago.
So how does it sound?
This is now, in four-cylinder form, more clearly the entry-level Porsche, simply because it sounds so different. Until you hear it for yourself, you are going to wonder whether it is going to sound like a Subaru WRX, an Alfasud, or even have undertones of the old Porsche 356, which as we all know had its roots in the humble VW Beetle.
The answer to all this is that, at different throttle openings, it has just a hint of off-beat four-cylinder warble, and indeed on the overrun, when you’ve been blasting along and then have to back off the throttle. It also very much depends on whether you opt for the 718 Cayman, which has a two-litre motor, or the 718 Cayman S, which has a 2.5-litre motor. Both sound different, and perform differently too. And both are turbocharged, of course.
The “straight” Cayman produces 220kW, while the larger engine, with variable turbine geometry, is good for 257kW. These figures are both significantly up on the previous-generation Cayman and Boxster six-cylinder cars, it should be noted. So too is performance. The 718 Cayman does the 0-100 thing in 4.7 seconds, while the S runs a 4.2 second time. Both these times are listed for the car as fitted with the seven-speed PDK gearbox, which is the transmission that most people will be ordering in South Africa.
For those die-hards (like the writer) who want a six-speed manual, well, that is still available to order. Claimed consumption figures are 6.9 litres/100 km for the two-litre car and 7.3 litres/100km for the S, these figures again being listed for the PDK automatic model. In the real world, sub-10 litres/100km should be easily possible, much less on the freeway.
Hanging the tail out
The Caymans we tried on the Sturup Raceway had the optional Porsche Active Suspension Management System as well as the PSM Sport mode, which comes as part of the optional Sport Chrono package. This lets you hang the tail out quite nicely.
On some of the decreasing-radius turns of the Sturup track the tail would get quite squirrelly even when trying to apply the throttle smoothly. This was probably due to tyres that were past their best after some serious track work, and perhaps also due to the fact that Porsche’s special turbo-boost design sees the throttle opening even when you have released the accelerator, in the interests of keeping the turbocharger on the boil. Fuel is shut off, but the air still being sucked in by the partially open throttles sees the turbo primed and ready for instant action. The ultra-quick new steering makes catching such slides totally intuitive, and of course there is still traction-control intervention at the upper limits.
Which one is best?
Which should you opt for? The two-litre has the sweeter sound. It also feels slightly more refined, yet is still more than quick enough. The 2.5-litre is a little on the brash side in terms of induction noise and exhaust note, especially when activating the optional exhaust flaps to the “loud” position. And the engine itself is not quite as silky smooth as the two-litre.
All in all, the Cayman 718 is everything you’d expect from a Porsche, offering superb tactile and sensory feedback, a wonderfully integrated cabin, plenty of luggage space in the nose, handling to die for, and looks that are more macho than ever thanks to that purposeful nose with its brutal-looking air intakes. Expect, at some stage in the future, for these cars to be simply known as 718s, which you order either in open-top or coupé form. The name 718, by the way, harks back to a racer from the early ‘60s, more commonly known as an RSK. In fact, the car looks more like a modern version of the famous Porsche Carrera Abarth GTL.
How much will it cost?
Prices will be R854 000 for the 718 Cayman and R934 000 for the Cayman 718 S when they arrive here in September, before you have started ticking any options lists.
They both sound like bargains, in more ways than one.
Star Motoring