The end is near for the Porsche 718 Cayman, at least in its current form. Porsche has announced that internal combustion versions of the Cayman (and its convertible twin, the Boxster) will halt production
in October of 2025. After decades of providing entry-level Porsche driving dynamics, the Cayman and Boxster will soon transition to their new role as the first two-door EV sports cars from the brand.A few weeks back, I realized just how quickly October and the Cayman's demise was approaching, and I simultaneously
remembered that it had been a few years since I'd driven one. So, I sent out an urgent plea. I wrote to the folks at Porsche and said "Please, let me have a go in whatever you've got with a Cayman or Boxster badge. I want to remember this one fondly before its beating flat-six-cylinder heart is ripped from its proverbial chest and it's left to wither and die."
Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit overdramatic in my recreation of the correspondence, and to clarify, I have some hope for an entertaining two-door EV from Porsche (it's not like the four-door electric Macan was a letdown), but I still wanted a refresher on just how good the Cayman is.
Read more: 8 Enthusiast Cars That Are Absurdly Overrated
Climbing The Horsepower Ladder
The standard 2025 Porsche 718 Cayman is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that puts out 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. It's enough for a feisty sprint through the hills, but there's room for improvement. The Cayman S steps in and offers 350 hp from a 2.5-liter four-cylinder as a sort of middle ground, but the GTS 4.0 goes a significant bit further – and that's exactly what Porsche sent me. Instead of a four-cylinder, it uses a 4.0-liter flat-six and produces 394 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque (PDK models get that 317 lb-ft rating, six-speed manual models are rated at 309 lb-ft).
In a straight line, the GTS' power isn't shocking or mind-altering. Instead, it's purposeful. Send your right foot with intention towards the floorboard and linear, progressive acceleration is the result. Zero to 60 mph, according to Porsche, takes 4.3 seconds. Add the Sport Chrono package and that time drops to 3.8 seconds. The GT4 RS (which we thoroughly enjoyed the last time we had one in for a test) with its 493 hp, is of course, even faster. The GTS feels more accessible, however, with power that can be taken advantage of on most public roads. To truly get the most out of a GT4 RS, you need a racetrack at your disposal.
All The Performance You Need
The GTS' power levels might seem relatively modest by modern sports-car standards. Cars like the C8 Corvette and the BMW M2 offer nearly 500 hp, but the power provided by the GTS' flat-six doesn't feel modest on public roads of any kind. Roll onto the throttle for a straightaway and the active exhaust growls its way up to redline, with a satisfying and refined tone. It'll have you doing extra-legal speeds in no time. Would I love to throw an obnoxious exhaust on the back and make the GTS a bit less refined? Sure. But that's not what this trim is about.
Plant your foot and row through the gears as you head towards the horizon, and the GTS feels rewarding rather than shocking. It doesn't punch you in the back like a torque-heavy EV, but it's certainly not slow: it's a balanced sports car in that way (and in pretty much every other way too). The six-speed manual is engaging. The gear shifter has a solid and relatively heavy feel in your hand. The clutch feels light, easy to depress, and it won't wear down your left leg after a day in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Ultra-Impressive Handling Makes A Stiff Ride Easy To Handle
If there's any body roll from the Cayman in the corners, I couldn't feel it. The GTS was flat and composed, even with quick adjustments to steering, throttle, and brakes mid-turn. It responds to inputs with lightning speed and driving it quickly is a truly joyous experience. Getting through corners with such skill and ease comes via some relatively firm suspension. In the cabin you can feel most road imperfections, especially the large ones, but mid-corner imperfections don't toss the Cayman around. It feels settled during enthusiastic driving, no matter what the surface condition is.
Much like the Taycan I recently reviewed, the Cayman GTS has an essentially flawless steering wheel. Its rim is just the right thickness to feel substantial without feeling too large; its diameter is in the just-right Goldilocks zone, too; and the steering itself is borderline telepathic. Placing the Cayman wherever you want it inside your lane is nearly effortless. Move your hands just slightly at speed and the tires go exactly where you want them. It doesn't have the kind of race-car speed or sharpness you get with the GT4 RS, but then the GTS isn't nearly as harsh.
Comfort Over Broken Roads And Through Fast Corners
On your plain-old city streets, the Cayman's suspension is firm but forgiving. Going over bumps and cracks, the impacts make their way into the cabin but they don't jostle you about. It's smooth enough for the terrible condition of some of Los Angeles' freeways, without sacrificing the handling capabilities that make it so good on a curving mountain road. It strikes an excellent balance between performance and comfort.
The seats in my test car were Porsche's 18-way Adaptive Sport seats. They're $2,920 extra (compare that with the standard 2-way adjustable standard seats) and they're definitely worth the money. On top of all the adjustability, they're extremely supportive, comfortable to sit in, and the bolsters were large enough to hold me in place well during high-speed corners. The seats themselves and the nature of the Cayman's low-slung cabin required a bit of climbing to get in and out, though, which doesn't add much grace to the driving experience. Like the firm-but-forgiving ride though, the trade-off in elegance while exiting was worth the comfort and secure seating position.
Interior Highlights Porsche's Build Quality
The Cayman isn't the first Porsche to prove just how well the German automaker can do build quality, but it's the latest one to remind me of that reality. All the interior materials I made regular contact with felt top notch, even if the test car I drove was fairly monochromatic with its varying grays and blacks. On the dashboard, the tight carbon fiber weave and consistent stitching felt immediately premium. The big, bright red center-positioned tachometer is a part of the optional GTS interior package ($2,240) which puts red stitching all throughout the cabin and pairs it with specially embroidered GTS logos, upgraded leather, and the aforementioned carbon fiber on the dash. The gauges are high contrast, easy to see in harsh light, and as classically styled as any 911 setup.
The Cayman's center screen continues the theme, being extremely high resolution and responding swiftly to inputs. The 10-speaker Bose stereo ($1,030) was excellent. That high number of speakers seemed like overkill for the tiny cabin when I first read the spec sheet, but auto quality was impressive and clarity stuck around even at the highest volumes: just what I needed for windows-down cruising. There is a bit of whirring from the engine just over your shoulder, but the stereo does an excellent job of drowning it out at speed.
Space Is Limited, Because Of Course It Is
If you're the kind of traveler that overpacks, whether it's with big luggage for your vacation or with lots of extra small items for short trips, you'll have some adjusting to do in the Cayman. It's not surprising that a small, performance-oriented car like the Cayman has limited capacity, but it's still worth noting.
The interior space is limited to a few small pop-out cupholders, slim door pockets, and a barely-large-enough spot in the center console for a smartphone to connect and charge. The Cayman's front trunk has 5.3 cubic feet of storage and it is deep enough for a small carry-on suitcase; the rear trunk is slightly larger, at 9.7 cubic feet of storage, but it's relatively shallow by comparison. Get creative with your luggage and a weekend trip for two people should be alright, but much more and you'll end up playing a significant amount of luggage-Tetris.
Priced Reasonably To Start, But Predictably Climbs
The standard 718 Cayman has a reasonable starting price of $77,395 (including $1,995 destination fee). It undercuts the base 911 by over $50,000. The GTS 4.0 I tested, however, gets much closer to the 911's price. With the upgraded engine and all its other equipment upgrades, the GTS starts at $105,295. That's not cheap by any standard, but when you consider the performance and refinement you're getting, it makes a bit more sense.
Even at six figures, the GTS considerably undercuts the standard 911 which starts at $134,650. In a straight-up numbers race, the Cayman GTS 4.0 with the Sport Chrono package is quicker, too. It accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds while the base 911 Carrera -- with 388 hp -- takes 3.9 seconds. The car I tested came with a sticker price over $120,000, but that could easily be trimmed down a bit by removing a few options like illuminated carbon fiber door sills, and satin logos. Drop the price down to about $110,000 and the Cayman GTS 4.0, with a series of more judiciously-selected options, has some serious appeal.
2025 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 Verdict
Saying goodbye to the Cayman is tough. It started life as the entry-level stepchild in the Porsche family, only to claw its way to respectability amongst some of the toughest enthusiast critics around. It's won over Porsche fanatics and naysayers alike over the last few decades, outgrowing its reputation as the "hairdresser's Porsche". They were born in the shadow of the 911, but the Cayman and the Boxster have emerged as truly impressive, driver-friendly cars that are more attainable than the flagship Carreras.
More than that, in its price range, the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 is about as good as it gets for an engaging sports car with unassailable refinement. It's just as easy to drive as it is fun and precise, and there's little else in the category that provides such a direct connection to the act of driving. It's pricey, but that's to be expected in the luxury performance sports car class, and it's worth it.
With the shifting automotive landscape and changes with EV tax credits in America, it's hard to say exactly when the new Cayman will arrive, exactly what kind of performance it will offer, or how much it will cost. But whatever the future holds, this final generation of gasoline-powered Cayman has a place amongst some of the Porsche greats.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
