718 Cayman GTS - OMG!

[Windymiller]

I went to the 70th anniversary of Porsche event at the PEC Silverstone on Friday and had an hour with an instructor on the Porsche test tracks (twisties, ice Hill, skid pan, launch control straight) in 718 GTS PDK with PCCB. 

 

I had specifically booked a PDK Cayman to drive as I wanted to compare the difference between the new flat-four turbo engine with computer-driven gear changes and my now 8 years old  ‘analogue’ 987 manual S. I was pleasantly surprised on a number of fronts. 

 

For a start I was ‘well stoked’ when I stepped out to a GTS (I was expecting an S at best), and to have the opportunity to try the carbon ceramic brakes on a track was icing on the cake. ???

 

Sitting in the car it’s obvious the interior has moved on from the 987. The alcantara of the GTS has a tactility that just (literally) feels right in a car of this sporting nature.  Despite the large touch-screen centre display there did seem to be a bewildering array of buttons throughout the cockpit and I think the mode-select dial lets the overall feel down, seeming like an aftermarket knob from the Halfords ‘upgrades’ bin. 

 

I believe the cabin is slightly larger than the 987’s, but with the higher centre-console I felt more ‘contained’ / ensconced in the car. 

 

That said, it did still feel familiar and the actual seating position and reach to the wheel and views through the glass-house seemed no different to the 987. 

 

The noise...

 

There are so many opinions on the new flat-four engine and exhaust noise, so it was great to actually hear it in the flesh at last. 

 

Its different. I’d not say worse, nor better. Now I love the howl of my 3.4 flat six above 4500 rpm all the way through to nearly 7000 when I absolutely Ring it out on a track day, and with PSE engaged the exhaust has a rortiness to it that simply invites you to push the ‘loud pedal’ further into the carpet.  When on the gas in the 718 GTS with PSE on I liked its more guttural ‘angry bark’ (no more or less than my 6-cylinder, I just liked it for its own character). I didn’t much notice the down shift ‘Pops & bangs’ many reviews comment on, perhaps they’re more noticeable to anyone outside the car?

 

I can imagine that on a long cruise at 70 the noise may be a little droney, but I’d just turn the PSE off for a quieter cabin (exactly as I do in mine now when just on a long steady drive). 

 

That engine...

 

I love my flat six. I love its smoothness, I love its ‘swell’ of torque as the revs build, and how it just seems to go on and on building the faster you go with no apparent end to it peaking. But other than on a track I can’t access it fully (safely and legally) and I find myself having to down-shift 2 cogs to hit that sweet spot for any kind of quick overtake (i.e 5th to 3rd). Now I actually enjoy the ‘drama and performance’ of manual shifting and I try my best at rev matching when I do, so i consider it an important and intrinsic part of the experience of driving my ‘analogue’ 987 S. 

 

But. The 718 GTS just had instantaneous torque available on tap seemingly anywhere and everywhere in its rev range, and lots of it. I got to try out the launch control setting 4 times from a standing start. Holy f**k it was incredible!!! It’s the only time I’ve induced a travel nausea in myself from my own driving - it took off so fast from the line, accelerated so quickly and just pulled and pulled constantly till the instructor said ‘brake now’ that my internal organs just decided they didn’t like the Gs ?.  After 4 launches, I’d had enough ??. 

 

And even more astonishing were the PCCBs. I finally understand what the fuss is all about. I’ve never experienced stopping power like it, utterly confidence inspiring every time bringing the car to a straight and rapid safe halt within <20m from 80mph. 

 

The 3 driving and engine modes of normal, sport and sport + all had noticeable effects on engine, gearbox and suspension characteristics. 

 

A few initial laps in normal (‘everyday’ driving’) mode demonstrated a comfortable yet capable and sure footed car, every bit the Cayman that I know and love. Dialing up to sport firmed that car up and and just made it feel more ‘taught and sinewy’ with a keener acceleration response and sportier gear change (longer in the revs). I’d use this mode for Sunday morning super-sausage run-outs and quiet highland / welsh roads ‘blasts’. It made me wonder whether I should have gone for a 987 with PASM (and sport chrono) - but you buy what’s available at the time and what you can afford...?

 

Switching to sport + turned the car into snarling, aggressive, rabid animal, chomping on the bit to be let loose. I LOVED it ??.  It turned an everyday road car into a track beast. To be honest after the launch control tests I was eager to dial back down to ‘just’ sport!

 

PDK vs stick. When I got my 987 I tried both boxes and preferred the manual. The PDK I tried was the steering wheel buttons type and it just didn’t feel intuitive, and lessened the car somehow. I hugely enjoy the additional driver to car interface and tactility of a manual lever for changing gears and the skill (or personal lack of) involved in shifting smoothly and rev matching.

However, the PDK in the GTS seemed like the perfect synergy between that flat-four turbo engine and the progressively dialled  up handling characteristics in the selectable modes of the GTS. After a few laps of playing with the paddles I stuck it in full auto and let the Stuttgart engineered algorithms do all the work for me, letting me just focus on steering and the fast and stop pedals. I felt no less engaged in driving the car. 

 

So, would I buy one?

 

YES. In a money no object world (which I don’t live in sadly), I’d happily part with the £78k for a 718 Cayman GTS PDK with PCCB and sport chrono package. I know you can get a 981 GT4 for not too much more (and yes in an ideal world I’d have one of those too ???). But if I could only have 1 car and had limitless pockets I’d have the 718 GTS. 

 

Back to reality. If money was an object and I was buying one would I spec £6.5k brakes? No. As astonishingly good as the PCCBs were, I’ve never found my brakes lacking and I expect the standard brakes would be more than capable of arresting the 718 GTS’s progress more than adequately enough, even on track. 

 

And my final reflection was this.  I loved the GTS. I’d buy one in a heart beat if I had the money (but without the PCCBs) and yes I’d move to a PDK if/when I buy a new Cayman. But upon driving home in my 8-year old 987 S manual with passive suspension I felt no sense of paucity in its character and capabilities. I had just as big a smile on my face driving MY Porsche as I had in the £78k GTS only a couple of hours earlier ?.

 

If I was (lucky enough) to buy a brand new 718 GTS would I sell my 987 S? The answer is no. In my ideal world I’d want to keep both. 

 

And I think that says so much about the character of the Cayman. No matter which one you own, from a 987.1 2.9, to a 981 GT4, or 718 GTS, they all invoke the same happiness and satisfaction that you are driving a perfect sports car with a fantastic pedigree. 

 

Now to persuade Mrs ‘Miller’ that a remortgage for a 718 GTS makes complete blokenomics sense... ????????

Edited June 10, 2018 by Windymiller

[twopointnine]

Nice report, thanks. You've pretty much summed up my feelings when I drove a 718S at the PEC last year, especially the self induced nausea on the launch control/PCCB stopping test. When on circuit I thought the engine sounded fine, it was only at tickover you could tell it was 'different'.

 

I now have a 987S PDK and depending on the roads and journey I'm on I vary between auto and paddle shifts but enjoy both, I usually drive in 'Sport' mode but with PASM in 'Comfort'. If I had any criticism of my PDK I'd say it can be a little slow to react to paddle changes but I suspect that this has been improved with the 981/982 PDK box. I'm happy with my car.

[Windymiller]

17 minutes ago, twopointnine said:

  I'm happy with my car.

And isn’t that the most amazing thing about the Cayman.  There seems to be no such thing as a ‘bad one’ to have. 

 

Its the perfect (every day) sports car. 

 

Goddamn we’re all very lucky to own one ???

Edited June 9, 2018 by Windymiller

[garytipping]

Great write up,. The grin you had when you came back from the drive said it all.

 

Gary

[Draven]

Much as I think the 718 is an incredibly capable sports car, I simply can't love that engine. If I want to drive a turbo four-pot with huge dollops of torque, I'll jump into my Focus RS and enjoy every minute of it. From my Porsche I want to hear that flat-six screaming behind my head as I wind it up over 7,000rpm, I want to have to work the gears to get the best out of it, rather than ride the torque wave. And that's before I start going on about hydraulic vs. electronic steering. 

 

For me Porsche has made a big mistake by dropping the Cayman and Boxster down to turbo-four engines, but not because of the forced induction - I'm pragmatic enough to know that the days of high-revving, naturally aspirated engines are practically over - it's more about losing the flat-six configuration that has been synonymous with the brand for so long.

 

As impressive and fast as the 718 Cayman is, if I was buying a new car in that bracket today I'd go for a BMW M2 Competition, since it still has that beautiful straight-six engine in it; and now the Competition has the same twin turbo version as the M3 and M4. In fact, at around £49k, the M2 Competition is an absolute bargain compared to the 718, too!

 

If I'm being really cynical, I think that by dropping the Cayman and Boxster down to four-pot turbo engines, Porsche has solved its problem of the Cayman/Boxster out-performing the 911. Now, even if a Cayman GTS is quicker than an entry level Carrera, Porsche has the caveat of "but the 911 is equipped with a Porsche flat-six engine" to hide behind. 

[Windymiller]

I quite agree with your final point Draven, re the cynical marketing exercise of making the ‘cheap’ end of the brand ‘less competent’ a car with 4-pot turbos, thus retaining the 911 6-cylinder as the ‘definitive’ Porsche. (NB - before I get flamed, this is not my personal opinion, just my inference of Porsche model positioning within the marque now).

 

But I couldn’t deny that the 718 (like or loath the endlessly debatable 4 vs 6, n/a vs turbo, etc, etc...) was a marvellous car and greatly enjoyable to drive. 

 

And yet, I enjoyed stepping ‘back’ into my 987 manual just as much. And that was the ‘revelation’ for me - I simply don’t think porsche makes a bad car.... ??

 

re your point on BMW M2 straight 6 ‘vs’ 718 flat 4 - I’ve never owned (or driven) a performance bimmer, but I like the look and specs of them  all. But I’ve never ‘longed’ for one, like I have for a Porsche (since 10 years old). So 6, or 4 cylinders, n/a or turbo, hydraulic or electric steering, manual or PDK, water or air cooled, I’ll always want a Porker in my garage for the rest of my days, and for me personally, nowt else would ever fill that space (though a Maserati GT might do as a ‘stop gap’ should the need ever arise.... ?

 

i think we we should all just lap up combustion engine driven performance cars for as long as they remain - we’ll all be (driven by) driving electric within 20-30 years... ?. imagine the for / against debates on here then, and all the reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ of turbo’d flat 4s ???

 

?????

[Mk1]

On 23/06/2018 at 15:16, Draven said:

Much as I think the 718 is an incredibly capable sports car, I simply can't love that engine. 

 

Agreed ... as of right now, if it were to improve in future then a 718 would be a real possibility. Exhaust note is OK ... ish; that low speed `mechanical engine noise` so bothers me though ! 

 

As impressive and fast as the 718 Cayman is, if I was buying a new car in that bracket today I'd go for a BMW M2 Competition, since it still has that beautiful straight-six engine in it; and now the Competition has the same twin turbo version as the M3 and M4. In fact, at around £49k, the M2 Competition is an absolute bargain compared to the 718, too!

 

Tested a manual M2 yesterday, with a view of a `Competition DCT` replacing the 981 CS PDK ... engine; steering; handling; brakes are all very good. Driving ergonomics for my frame were awful -  offset pedals - elbow clashing with a `too high` glovebox on gearchanges - manual seat `way too high` (electric option is even higher) - steering wheel lacking sufficient height adjustment - poor dashboard layout / details. Whilst DCT would alleviate some of the above I could not live with a `high` seating position. I believe that the Competition will receive an `M` seat but whether it mounts lower ?  Hoping that a demonstrator is available at the August launch. 

     

[Draven]

19 hours ago, Mk1 said:

Tested a manual M2 yesterday, with a view of a `Competition DCT` replacing the 981 CS PDK ... engine; steering; handling; brakes are all very good. Driving ergonomics for my frame were awful -  offset pedals - elbow clashing with a `too high` glovebox on gearchanges - manual seat `way too high` (electric option is even higher) - steering wheel lacking sufficient height adjustment - poor dashboard layout / details. Whilst DCT would alleviate some of the above I could not live with a `high` seating position. I believe that the Competition will receive an `M` seat but whether it mounts lower ?  Hoping that a demonstrator is available at the August launch.

 

Yep - I was never completely sold on the standard M2, and I'm not really expecting the Competition to feel as focused and pure a driver's car as my Cayman R. But I think if I was weighing up a 718 or an M2 Competition, the straight-six would be quite a major plus point in the BMW's favour. 

 

It's unlikely to be a consideration anyway, since I can't see myself letting go of my R, especially since it's currently having the front end resprayed then covered in Xpel PPF among other things.  Add to that the new discs and pads I fitted recently, and it's looking like a keeper for a good while yet, lottery wins aside ?