The 718 Cayman is one of Porsche’s most wonderfully balanced machines. It’s great as a daily or as a weekend car. It’s easy on the environment and road tax bill but packed with power. It’s everything you would have wanted in a car as a teen, yet it’s matured and sensible enough to carry you through the city for your lunch meeting. In other words, it’s the perfect sports coupe.
This generation sees the introduction of the ‘718’ moniker to the car’s name. The 718 name harkens back to Porsche’s legendary mid-engined sports cars, famed for their agility. Dynamically, this new Cayman makes itself worthy of the 718 badge by being engineered to take corners harder and faster than any of its predecessors. So naturally, they had to give it a more advanced powerplant.
Delivering an immense amount of power is a new 2-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder boxer engine. The sounds and power this thing makes is truly worthy of the Porsche name. 300 horsepower and 380Nm of torque – more than enough to get you to 100km/h from a standstill in less than 5 seconds. Yes, the engine is smaller in displacement. But it more than makes up for it by being rev-happy. This thing red lines over 7000 RPM! Porsche’s brilliant tuning make it so power delivery is linear and predictable too.
The quick shifting 7-speed PDK is light-years ahead too, beating manual gearboxes in performance and efficiency benchmarks. And because these components are mid-mounted, the rear tyres get a lot of weight pushing down on them. Acceleration out of corners feels intense. All you have to do is hit the SPORT PLUS button and they Cayman becomes a monster.
And thanks to Porsche Stability Management (PSM), control is always in your hands. Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) is also present, and the ride height here has been lowered by 10mm for even greater stability. Plus, at speed, the rear wing deploys automatically to add a little more downforce.
This is without a doubt, the best looking car to bear the Cayman badge. Its fastback silhouette is unmistakable, but now in its 4th generation, the 718 Cayman looks meaner, more technologically advanced and more appointed than ever before. At the front you’ll find redesigned headlights with optional integrated four-point Porsche Dynamic Lighting System and larger air intakes. The width of the car is accentuated by the black, glossy accent strip that ties the tail lights together. The amount of detail that went into this rear end design is really quite extraordinary. It’s quite possibly the best looking hardtop sports car to grace the roads in the history of the automobile.
When it comes to build quality, Porsche is second to none. The interior here is exemplary – it’s premium-feeling and sophisticated in design yet clean. Porsche Communication Management (PCM) now comes on the 718 Cayman, and of course the instrument cluster is the best looking in the industry. It’s a mix of analogue and digital that Porsche have nailed perfectly. And like we mentioned before, the Cayman can be as civilized as any other road car. The interior plays a huge part, integrating little convenience features that go unnoticed until required. The cupholders, for instance, are beautifully integrated into the dashboard.
So, yes, the 718 Cayman does prove that you can have something that’s just as fun to play with as it is distinguished to arrive in.
Visit the nearest Porsche Centre to you and find out more about the new 718 Cayman.
Porsche Centre Glenmarie: +603 5030 9911
Porsche Centre Sungai Besi: +6019 675 9911
Porsche Centre Penang: +6019 400 9911
Porsche 718 Cayman Specifications:
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed PDK
Displacement: 1,988 cc
Power: 300hp @ 6,500 rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 1,950 – 4,500 rpm
0-100km/h: 4.9s
Top Speed: 275 km/h
Price from: RM530,000
