2017 Porsche 718 Cayman S |
2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four (350 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm; 309 lb-ft @ 1,900-4,500 rpm) Seven-speed PDK, rear wheel drive (six-speed manual std.) 21 city / 28 highway / 24 combined (EPA Rating, MPG) 11.0 city / 8.4 highway / 9.9 combined (NRCan Rating L/100km Base Price: $67,350 (U.S.) / $75,600 (Canada) As Tested: $82,860 (U.S.) / $96,570 (Canada) Pricing includes $1,050 delivery charge in the U.S. and $1,300 delivery charge and A/C tax in Canada. |
Replacing the lead singer in an iconic rock band is a thankless task. Van Halen fans never fully embraced Sammy Hagar. Paul Rodgers’ recent stint as lead singer with Queen was okay, I guess, and Axl Rose is now screaming it out in front of AC/DC. All fantastic singers and more than worthy in their own right, but how to you replace David Lee Roth, Freddie Mercury and Brian Johnson?
Enter Porsche’s 2017 reboot of its beloved mid-engine Boxster/Cayman. Same deal. The operatic flat-sixes that have propelled this duo since their respective inceptions sing no more, replaced by a pair of gruff turbo flat-fours.
Oh, the conundrum.
Have the darlings of the sports car world been emotionally eviscerated by their two-pot-ectomy? Porsche lends some credibility to this conceptual shift with the 718 pre-fix, pilfered from a mid-engine four-cylinder racecar of 1957-62.
Base cars get an all-new 2.0-liter single-turbo four that makes 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of twist from 1,950-4,500 rpm. This 718 Cayman S rolls with a 2.5-liter version kicking out 350 horsepower and 309 lb-ft, on board from 1,900-4,500 rpm. There’s more to the S’s increased grunt over the standard car than merely increased displacement. The engine also benefits from variable vane turbo technology. At lower engine speeds, small adjustable vanes in the exhaust track just before the turbo act like a tiny venetian blind, partially closing to increase the exhaust gas flow rate, spinning the turbo up sooner. Those vanes open up at higher engine speeds, which allow for max high-end power.
Both engines use an air-to-liquid intercooler, and a six-speed manual transmission is standard kit. The seven-speed dual clutch PDK will set you back $3,200.
This 718 Cayman S tester looks imminently familiar yet sexier, especially in optional Miami Blue. With only the hood and windshield carrying over, the new bodywork is edgy and rakish. The more pronounced front fenders bookend a flatter nose with thinner and wider air intakes. Up front we see Porsche’s signature four-point LED driving lights. There’s fresh detailing on the sides, and the tail is all-new, sporting multi-element LED lights connected by a black bar with raised Porsche lettering.
Time to take this siren for a spin. Sliding into the optional 18-way sport seats, I’m presented with a marginally refreshed cabin, featuring a new steering wheel and recontoured vents. I’m lovin’ the view over the sharply creased front fenders. The big news here is Porsche’s (finally) up-to-date touchscreen interface that features a logical menu, pinch and swipe functions, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The 2.5 liter fires up and settles into a baritone idle. As before, driving position is nigh on perfect. Sliding the PDK shifter back to D, we’re off into the brave new world of Porsche’s mid-engine sports car.
Oh yes, it’s different. There’s a new game in town and it’s called mid-range punch. While the old sixes really didn’t get down to business until the tach topped 4,500 rpm, this 718 with the optional (and exceedingly brainy) seven-speed PDK will waft you along all day without even cresting 3,000 rpm if you let it. Yikes.
Granted, I’m in default normal mode, which Porsche programmed to sip fuel and fool the powers-that-be into giving the Cayman impressive economy numbers. On light throttle, you’ll be in fourth gear by 30 mph. Helping with this ruse is auto start/stop and a “sailing” function wherein the engine decouples from the transmission and rests at idle when coasting at higher speeds. The latter is eerily seamless; the only real clue is the swinging tach needle.
But nobody buys a Cayman S to gingerly putter about in a quest to match its official 21 miles per gallon city and 28 mpg highway. These cars are here to be enjoyed … and thrashed when conditions allow.
Pressing the Sport button wakes thing up, calling up a more aggressive shift map, enhanced throttle response, further lenience in the stability control and a more vocal exhaust note with entertaining pops and gurgles on overrun. New for 2017, Sport Mode works independently of the two-stage adaptive PSM (Porsche Suspension Management), so the drivetrain can be on high alert while keeping the ride complaint — good for pressing on over rougher tarmac.
The 718 Cayman S charges with a mid-range ferocity the old car never had, yet Porsche has not abandoned the upper reaches — this engine pulls strongly to its 7,500 rpm redline, which is just 300 rpm shy of the outgoing sixes. Up here, it howls like a stuck yak, while generating an equally frantic pace. Gearing is taller, so corners that were once taken at high-revs in second gear are now huffed around on a wave of torque. Again, different. But damn, this car is fast.
All other attributes of the Cayman S carry forward … enhanced, of course, because this is Porsche. The 718 feels sharper out on these country roads, slicing and dicing the twisties with poetic balance and telepathic handling. There’s a lot going on here: retuned springs, larger damper pistons, half-inch wider rear wheels, stiffened rear subframe and two (instead of one) adaptive hydraulic engine mounts. Additionally, the steering rack is 10-percent more direct and the brakes gets bits from the 911. This new 718 S eclipses the old car’s Nurburgring time by an astounding 16 seconds.
I can’t for the life of me understand why Porsche spec’d this press car without the Sport Chrono Package. It adds launch control, a racier program for both PDK and stability management, and includes the new-for-2017 rotary drive mode selector that lives at 4 o’clock on the steering wheel. It’s an ergonomic success, making switching between Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and (new) Individual settings a breeze while on the move. And pressing the centre of the button puts all systems in full attack mode for 20 seconds.
After a week behind the wheel of this 718 Cayman S, my inner whining (re: the loss of six-cylinder power) slowly faded to the background. It’s still there, mind you, but I’m working on it. And while the 718 does go down the road in a markedly different manner, this Miami Blue wedge has assured me the Cayman S remains as one the greatest sport cars on the planet.
And for that, we give thanks.
[Images: © 2017 Peter Bleakney]
” but how to you replace David Lee Roth, Freddy Mercury and Brian Johnson?”
Minor quibble: Brian Johnson was himself a replacement.
Brian was also tragically flattened by a stampede of American “footballers” in the latest episode of The Grand Tour, so he will indeed need replacing…
He was already replaced by Axel Rose.
You are correct, Brian was a replacement. I would argue he was the single most-successful frontman replacement (in terms of keeping with the original spirit of the band) in rock music. Just sayin’
Funny, when I was younger I preferred Brian Johnson and his songs. But now that I am older I like Bon Scott and his songs a lot more.
Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson. Nobody else even comes close.
Bruce Dickinson was also a replacement. Iron Maiden had 2 albums out before they hired him to replace Dianno.
But yeah, he’s the real deal.
Right, that was my point. Eric said Brian Johnson replacing Bon Scott was the most successful frontman replacement in rock music. I’d say that Bruce replacing Paul Di’Anno was far, far more successful. To be fair AC/DC was a lot bigger when Bon Scott died than Maiden was when they fired Di’Anno, Scott was the better frontman compared to Di’Anno, plus there’s the small fact that Maiden fired Di’Anno while AC/DC losing Scott was rather less voluntary, so Maiden had far more to gain while AC/DC was simply trying to keep what they had. All that means t’s not an entirely fair comparison, but Maiden still picked up one of the greatest frontmen of all time in the process. Hard not to see that as the more successful swap.
I’m enjoying reading about a Porsche and Bruce Dickinson, in light of his cousin Rob Dickinson (of Catherine Wheel and Singer Porsche fame). I doubt that Rob likes the new car, though.
I know there has been much gnashing or teeth and rivers of blood-ink spilled over the switch from H6 to H4T but I can’t be bothered to care. Just like I couldn’t be bothered to care when Apple eliminated the floppy drive and electronics manufacturers stopped producing aperture grille CRT monitors (though they genuinely WERE better than the craptacular LCD panels at the time).
Americans might buy HP (or kw) but we drive lb.ft (or Nm) and having a nice meaty lump of lb.ft in the more accessible part of the rev range is better.
I eagerly await the arrival of a $140k winning lottery ticket so I can head down to the dealer and buy one.
Until then, I’ll keep saving up for the V8 swap for my RX-8.
“Americans might buy HP (or kw) but we drive lb.ft (or Nm) and having a nice meaty lump of lb.ft in the more accessible part of the rev range is better.”
Interesting that you acknowledge this, yet your sports car features one of the least torque-endowed engines extant…
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the RX-8’s appeal, but MAN does it have to be wrung out in order to really go…
“Don’t get me wrong, I understand the RX-8’s appeal, but MAN does it have to be wrung out in order to really go…”
Did you miss the part where he said he wanted to swap in a V8?
.
.
Nope.
I was young and dumb when I bought it.
I didn’t know what real torque is.
LOL!
I discovered torques after I had been driving my RX-8 around for a while but then needed to rent a full size pickup to move some stuff. Damn near broke my own neck peeling out of the rental lot…
Lots and lots of Porsche sports cars have had four cylinder engines, no issues there. This car is totally lustworthy.
Now, if I just had an extra $70K that I’m sure I’d never need, and some deserted twisty roads nearby…
Nice to read a review of an unobtainable car with such an expressive and joyous paint color on this bleak January day.
But don’t ever compare Brian Johnson and Axl Rose to an engine note if you are trying to compliment said engine. Those are the caliber of singers I think of when looking for an analogue of our thrashy Nissan 2.5.
And I don’t know what a stuck yak sounds like so that comparison isn’t helpful either.
This car is a good sweet spot but the premium you pay for the Porsche name and brand takes it out of my price range…and unfortunately it will likely not retain 911 type resale value even being a very fine example of the unmistakable and classic Stuttgart profile. The first picture explains everything you need to know about this car.
But I think most people buy Caymans to keep and enjoy them anyway.
Regarding “sailing mode”…this is the first time I have read of such a thing, but have often wondered why it is not already a part of mainstream transmission design. If you have a car with real-time fuel mileage readout, it is easy to prove to yourself that depressing the clutch pedal or sticking the transmission in N when coasting downhill has a significant positive effect on fuel economy. I assume this is because of the reduced drag of the engine pumping air at high(er) rpm, as opposed to just turning over at idle? Any of you smart people have insight into this?
When you let off the gas in a fuel injected car and coast, the engine computer will turn off the fuel injectors. You’re getting infinite MPG’s until the engine gets down to around idle and the ecu starts putting gas back in.
While debugging issues with my old 635, I could see the fuel injector pulses stop as the engine came down from high rev’s, and then pick back up again to keep it from totally stalling out.
This ‘sailing’ mode will reduce drag, but will use more fuel. (I assume the reduced drag makes up for the fuel used). Wouldn’t this mean there is no engine breaking though too? That might be a bit odd. I assume too that this mode turns off when in sport mode. A little engine breaking helps with weight transfer on the track.
I thought this was weird as well. In my last car, a stick shift, I used to throw it into neutral on steep downhill grades in an attempt to save fuel. My buddy told me about DFCO (Deceleration Fuel Cutoff) and that leaving it in gear actually uses less fuel to a certain extent because the injectors shut off and the engine just becomes a giant air pump. “Sailing” mode sounds cool but something needs to keep the engine spinning so your steering and brakes still work and if it’s not the wheels doing the work, it’ll be fuel.
That’s one of the things I like about my Mustang GT – I get engine braking on a downgrade – if I want it. There wasn’t much of that to be had in the V6 automatic Accord it replaced.
Steering is electric, so the battery keeps it working. Assume the brakes are vacuum with a decent size vacuum reservoir. Neither are dependent on the engine spinning, at least in the short term.
I assume Porsche has done their sums and decided that the engine at idle uses less fuel than would be saved by the extra drag of the engine when coasting. Though I would think the ideal would be to disconnect the engine and shut it off until it is needed again. Works in a Prius!
BMW takes a different approach and uses coasting to charge the battery, recovering energy.
“Sailing mode” used to be part of mainstream transmission design – sometimes. Ford and GM used to do this on some of their earlier electronically shifted transmissions. There was an article recently where coasting mode was brought up in the comments. Some of “the B&B” posted comments and said that manufacturers can’t do this anymore because it’s bad for emissions. This article doesn’t mention the effect on emissions, but repeats Porsche’s claim that it’s good for fuel economy. If it is really bad for emissions, then apparently Porsche has found out how to keep it within spec. Or maybe it’s the birth of the next EPA lawsuit. I guess we will see.
This “review” reads like a mildly re-worked press release. The comparison to the six cylinder models is done in passing and is unsubstantiated with any data. I’m also curious as to where the “country twisties” are near downtown Toronto – where all the photos were apparently taken. #colormeskeptical
Probably somewhere off the Don Valley – my first thought was Rosedale Valley Rd, but it doesn’t look like there’s a (snowed over) bike path in that photo.
TTAC continues to solicit the services of the autojournos excoriated by the more dissident faction of the staff. This one is better than some in the past year or so, but it still reads a bit too much like the Wheels section of the newspaper from which Mr. Bleakney hails.
I’d really like to see some more reader reviews on here. There are some good writers in the comment threads and I’d frankly like to see that talent applied to their own ownership or rental experiences.
To continue the musical theme here, no new writer to TTAC is pitch-perfect the first time out. Hell, I floundered with my first post upon taking this job. Give the new guys a little slack, ya?
That said, I’ve made some mistakes in the past picking certain contributors. Likewise, we’ve had some great additions over the last year and a half. I believe Peter writes as honestly as he can, unlike some others.
Speaking of reader reviews, do you know what holds them back? The quality of the words submitted. Sure, it’s great to have a first-hand take on ownership, but I don’t want to have to rewrite 95 percent of the piece to put up an article on a 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser. I did, however, look through the submission bucket yesterday and found a couple gems, so they’ll get posted shortly.
Thanks for the reply, Mark.
I didn’t criticize him harshly and he’s not new. His bio on driving.ca states he’s been an auto writer for 20 years. If he continues to contribute I’ll gladly read it. As I wrote, this review was better than most of the priors and I should add by quite a margin.
Similarly, thank you for the update on reader reviews. I have no doubt some are not publishable but I haven’t seen any in quite awhile and wanted to demonstrate that there is at least some demand.
A note on editor’s discretion: if you wanted to take the heat off a new contributor you could throw that unedited PT Cruiser review on here the same day :)
By “new” I mean new to TTAC. Peter’s been around quite a while. I believe he got his start on Canadian Driver back in the day. However, TTAC has its own voice, and it takes a while to get used to writing for you miscreants :)
That said, no writer is above criticism. I like that TTAC readers keep us honest. However, when criticisms fall in an area of writing style, where that writer came from, etc., I don’t think those criticisms are valid. Everyone does their own thing.
Part of bringing Peter on (and maybe some other local Toronto writers) is my effort to do some comparison tests this year. I don’t mean just head-to-heads. I mean full segment tests. I can’t do that on my own, and none of the other current TTAC writers live near here, so that means recruiting some local talent, seeing how they do on their own, then using the best of those to do larger pieces.
More car reviews, comparos, and generally more car-focused content would be appreciated. Less fiction, politics, and click-bait hyperbole would also be appreciated.
We’re well behaved miscreants until politics come up.
Looking very much forward to that full segment test, I think it is a fantastic idea. Good way to field potential future contributors as well. Thanks for the update.
Skeptical – You don’t spend a whole week driving a Cayman S in downtown Toronto. Country road is in Halton Hills region.
I would compare Axl to a Yugo with a bad rod bearing and the timing off. His nasaly whining is the reason I can’t stand GnR songs. They are good songs when sung by cover bands though and they had a good guitarist.
I make no qualms that I am a huge fan of this car. I usually read that this car is faster, more refined, and more capable, but slightly less edgy than that outgoing version. To me the GTS is a sweet spot for this car, but the S is a fantastic choice.
Hard to admit that this car is 2900 lbs +/-, and almost as quick (a couple 10th) 0-60 as my Carrera 4S. Of course, you don’t buy this car for 0-60 times.
This car is gorgeous IMO.
What sort of issues have you seen come up with these flat turbo 4’s?
Spun rod bearings? Head gaskets? Oil consumption? Weak pistons? Poor tunes?
Serious question, just poking fun at Subaru’s boxer in the process.
How much more than the $100,000 CDN test price do you have to pay to eliminate the 5 blank switches between the seats?
What’s with the B&B’s obsession with blank switches? Would it make you feel better if they installed flashing lights so it looked like it did something? Porsche pricing is absurd, but so is anger at a manufacturer for making you feel bad about not spending money.
I think it depends on the price point.
The higher the price the more “cheap” blank switches look.
But then, who does it well, especially given the huge variety of options Porsche offers (and ergo the huge number of permutations possible)?
Blank switches remind you of the features you’re missing every time you see them. That’s doubly true if you are a car obsessive and learn what would go in each spot.
I could care less about the blank switches. I can also see a certain symmetry with having an even number of switches on both rows.
Having received a loaner Cayenne a couple months ago, I noticed this when I got it, and within about 30 seconds forgot about them. Not even enough to register as a distraction to me.
Welcome to the TTAC team Peter! I’m familiar with your work from the Toronto Star. Love the photo in front of the legendary Massey Hall…best music venue in Toronto!
I had the opportunity to ride one for a couple of hours on the backroads near Asheville, NC. It is mind blowing. A phenomenal car, telepathic would be the word. It is a better driver’s car than the current 911, better balance, more fun. The 911 is larger, bigger and therefore more comfortable for 6ft+ drivers, and that is pretty much it.
I never had a Porsche but I’m seriously thinking about buying one. I’m inclined towards a used 6 cyl, NA. I want to experience the famous NA before it is gone forever.
Do it! I have had a use Cayman S for some years now and have never regretted the purchase.
Exactly. CPO Cayman S, low miles. It is maturing.
2015 Boxster GTS with 5k miles bought CPO nearly $30k less than new MSRP with all the options and less tax due to lower purchase price. Also had full clear bra worth $4k already applied. I went in for a test drive due to the low advertised price and ended up trading in my 2011 M3 on the spot. I use it as a DD and have put on 15k miles in 9 months. Just can’t stop driving it everywhere I go. I plan on using the entire 100k miles in 6yrs CPO. Do yourself a favor and take one of these out for a test drive, be sure to try the flat 6 NA and the new H4 turbo before you make your final decision. To me, there is no comparison, the H4 turbo feels so cheap and coarse, the only way to enjoy that car is at full blast, while the H6 can be enjoyed at any speed.
Almost $97K…that’s quite the extreme “brand tax” for what it is.
Even old slow 356 fetch 6 figures. It looks like 924 or 944 for us serfs.
I might be in the market for one of these in three or four years after some other poor soul has taken the depreciation hit.
.
.
They’re still pretty damn pricey.
A lot of things are pricey. The question is whether it’s a good value.
.
.
WORD.
BTW, with the election over, aren’t we owed an updated picture in your profile? I’m as much a fan of Hillary as you are, but it reminds me of the folks who had Gore bumper stickers on their cars in 2006.
“I’m as much a fan of Hillary as you are…”
I’m known to be sarcastic.
.
.
Bernie 2017!
My point was that they don’t depreciate all that quickly. The lowest priced 2014 Cayman I see in my area is in the mid 40’s, and the asking price for a well equipped 2014 Cayman S is approaching $60K.
When you get down to it, no premium branded car is a good value. Having said that, if I were still single, I’d have a Cayman in my garage right now.
Peter,
Can you please comment on the throttle response of the turbo 4 vs the NA six?
For whatever reason, Porsche just never really “reached down my trousers” as much as I thought it should. Maybe it’s the fact that I’d always read about reliability issues, or the fact that they are horribly expensive to maintain due to engine layout, but the thought of owning a Porsche leaves me with a “meh” feeling.
It’s upsetting, really, because every time I see one or read about one, I kind of want one – but I doubt I’d be able to get over my inner voice telling me to stay away.
“I’d always read about reliability issues”
The reliability is quite good second to Lexus in many cases. The B&B harp on issues because they can’t afford one and want to feel better about themselves.
The Fox and the Grapes
ONE hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. “Just the things to quench my thirst,” quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: “I am sure they are sour.”
“IT IS EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT GET.”
Depends on the survey. They do well in JD Power. They’re 16th in Consumer Reports. They’re abysmal in the UK Reliability Index.
“The B&B harp on issues because they can’t afford one”
A Macan lease is $699 a month, a Cayenne is $750 a month, and a Cayman lease is $799 a month. There’s a little Porsche also wants at signing, but that’s not an insurmountable, exotic price for a lot of the B&B demographic. We aren’t talking Lamborghini here.
I can afford that.
As much as I would like to drive a Porsche, I have other things I would rather do with that money.
@JMO – That sure is a wide sweeping assumption about everyone that comments on these forums. I would venture to guess that most could afford the new Cayman. That said, lets list out just a few of the reliability problems that have plagued past Boxsters and Caymans (not including the Cayenne and Macan out of sheer mercy):
– IMS Bearing and shaft failure that pretty much grenaded engines in roughly 10% of production. Some bonehead in Stuttgart figured that a plastic sleeve would hold up over time, and boy were they wrong. Porsche did NOTHING to help owners impacted by their flawed design; rather, they felt the owner just out of warranty should pay the $15k or so for a new engine… plus labor…
– Oil and coolant mixing in the oil pan, causing engine failure…
– Front and rear main seal leaks…
– Radiator tank overflow, onto carpet of passenger compartment…
– Convertible top transmission cables wearing prematurely…
– Brakes and tires that seem to get chewed through every 10000 miles..
The list goes on and on. So instead of your blanket assumption regarding income of the B&B, maybe you should change your last line to “ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY”.
Porsche has one of the best CPO warranty’s in the business though. I just bought a ’16 Cayman (not the 718) CPO. Someone else took the first 20% depreciation hit and I got a 6 year, 100k mile warranty on a car that only has 5k miles. The annual oil change/inspection costs are comical though. $800 for basically an oil change! I might find an Indy to do that. A Porsche loner car would be really nice though…
No wonder they can afford all the free coffee and savories you can eat.
I’ve found Porsches to be roughly equivalent to BMWs in maintenance costs.
Porsches generally cost more for an identical service, but they tend to have fewer problems.
Sounds like the perfect car. Everybody should buy one.
I test drove two first generation Caymans. In terms of driving dynamics, they were better than anything I have ever driven. But, after half an hour of listening to the engine drone just behind my head, I opted for an Infiniti G37 coupe. I wonder if the third generation cars are quieter.
Was there significant turbo lag? Another car I test drove was a 2001 911 turbo. To check for lag, I downshifted from top gear to third at 50 mph and floored the accelerator pedal. It felt like I got an immediate 200 horsepower followed by another 200 a second later. Admittedly, this is a severe test but, on the street, it’s exactly what I would do to pass a slowpoke on a two lane highway. I prefer normally aspirated engines because they respond promptly to changes in throttle. I also like engines that build power progressively as RPM increases. If you are just putting around, shift at low RPM. If you want to go fast, floor the accelerator pedal and wait longer to shift.
Given Porsche’s history of using early buyers as beta testers (e.g. IMS bearing failures), I would wait a couple of years before purchasing this car to see what they got wrong.
The 9A1 engines (2009+) have not had a catastrophic issue like IMS.
And I believe they are also quieter than the M97 engines when cruising.
I have a 2008 Cayman S. I quite like the engine noise, even on longer trips. However, as the tires wear down they get quite noisy (and harsh riding). That’s something people won’t get to experience when test driving a brand new car.
That’s a little scary that a Nissan VQ is your escape from engine drone.
Early buyers & IMS? That was one engine iteration out of many. That was a design flaw, not an early version and it was solved in 2009 as stated above.
I hope you realize that a 2001 911 Turbo is FAR different that current gen turbos. I think you’ll find zero discernible lag from this engine. I think you’ll also find that the modern 718 is far more refined than the 1st gen Caymans. I haven’t driven this latest version, but I’ve never noticed an engine drone with later models. However, I guess one persons drone is another persons engine noise feedback.
There is noticeable lag with the new Porsche 6. I’d be surprised if the 4 managed to eliminate it.
“Porsche engineers acknowledge that the newly turbocharged 911 Carrera needs a full three seconds at wide-open throttle to achieve its maximum torque at 1800 rpm.
On the road, that delay is actually shorter because the revs rise as soon as you mat the throttle. Still, the hesitation can be felt during the transition from steady-speed cruising with a small throttle opening to full-wood acceleration.”
http://blog.caranddriver.com/turbo-vs-non-turbo-putting-throttle-response-to-the-test/
Damn, nearly $100K for a well-equipped version of this car. I somehow can’t quite wrap my head around that. As much as I like the car, I don’t like it $100K worth. I realize it’s a Porsche and all, but cut the price in half and I’d have one in my garage for sure. Maybe the problem is that everyone else would too.
>>> cut the price in half <<<
Funny you mention that. I (and dozens of others through the US) did just that: got a brand new Cayman S for half of nearly $100k. Specifically, $48k.
By the middle of 2009 the economic crisis was in full swing and some Porsche dealers couldn't unload their brand new 2008 Cayman Ss. To make matters worse, the 2009 had a modest exterior, interior, and drivetrain upgrade. If you wanted an automatic, the 2009 had an enormous drivetrain upgrade.
Anyway, there weren't many for sale and they seemed to go very fast. $48k seemed to be the exact price of a bunch of them, regardless of equipment. Mine had an original sticker of $66k.
The rear badging further reinforces what baruth said about the direction porsche is going.
Would we have ever seen a badge that said “993 Carrera Turbo S” on that particular car?
So why would Porsche try to make model codes ‘mainstream’?
Sailing mode sounds like the old freewheeling feature of my Saab 96.
When the 850cc 2-stroke seized one day, it simply decoupled, and I drifted quietly to a stop with no drama.
porsche flat sixes sound too good to eschew. theres plenty of good used Pcars out there. dont support porsche’s heresy and apple-esque marketing. do.not.buy.
Hey Porsche, I’m in the right demographics to buy one of these and I will not pay 75k+ for a 4-cylinder car. There are far too many fun ways to spend less.
“This 718 Cayman S tester looks imminently [sic] familiar yet sexier…”
You mean eminently suitable. I dunno, kids today…
So the Coxster is slowly and more expensive than a Z06
I always love Porsche reviews, but….
I was hoping someone else would mention it, but the description of the variable turbine geometry in the Cayman S made me cringe. “Venetian blinds in the intake track (sic)”??? Nope. The variable turbine is IN the turbo housing. What made it novel when it appeared on the 997 Turbo was that it had previously only been used in Diesel applications… Anyway, sorry to be pedantic, but my teeth were hurting from gritting them so tightly.
http://www.porsche.com/international/models/718/718-cayman-s/drive/vtg/