In recent years Porsche has telegraphed the impending demise of the mid-engine internal combustion Cayman and Boxster sports cars in favor of an as-yet unnamed EV replacement. While there is little doubt that this successor will deliver impressive performance, the switch from petrol to electrons brings with it some foregone conclusions about the car’s design.
Lightness and involvement have been hallmarks of Porsche sports cars since the beginning 356 rolled out of Gmünd, and the loss of a conventional ICE drivetrain in favor of a hefty battery pack and synthesized sound is the kind of paradigm shift that fills traditionalists with a sense of dread. And with the introduction of the top-level Cayman GT4RS and Spyder RS models in recent years, there was a simmering feeling that the internal combustion 718 had reached its final form and would soon shed this mortal coil. But Porsche has recently changed its mind about its aggressive EV push, and as a result the 718 will continue to use some form of internal combustion for the foreseeable future.
This stay of execution may seem like a step backwards at first glance, but after a few days driving the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 through the streets of Los Angeles and the canyon roads that surround the Angeles National Forest, I wouldn’t mind being labeled a Luddite. It’s as close to pristine as any sports car I’ve ever driven, and while the 718 is starting to show its age almost a decade later, it’s hard to see reinvention as the most logical path forward.
The GTS 4.0 itself reflects Porsche’s willingness to adapt its product development strategies based on the demands of its customers. Despite quantifiable improvements in both power and efficiency, Porschephiles balked when the 718 debuted in 2017 with turbocharged four-cylinder engines instead of the naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines that had powered its predecessors. The introduction of the Cayman GT4 brought a flat-six back into the fold in 2019, but the model’s limited availability and track-focused tuning aimed it squarely at a niche audience.
To rectify the situation, Porsche introduced the Cayman GTS 4.0 for 2021. Motivated by a slightly detuned version of the 718 GT4’s four-liter naturally aspirated six-cylinder, the GTS 4.0 makes 394 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque when equipped with the six-speed manual transmission. PDK-equipped models gain 8 additional lb-ft. This represented a deficit of just 20 horsepower over the GT4, while matching it in torque, and the GTS 4.0 scores with a nearly identical curb weight of around 3,200 lbs. The crucial difference between the two iterations is that Porsche’s GTS models have always been serious performers more attuned to the road than the track, and that ethos extends to the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0.
In a place like Los Angeles, this is a sports car that you could realistically drive every day. The suspension is firm but not abusive, the linkage is perfectly weighted, and while the active exhaust system lets the flat-six sing proudly to its 7,800-rpm redline, it’s also willing to stay in the background during long stints on the highway.
And while the 911 continues to take on an increasingly technologically progressive character, the 718 has become something of a refreshing throwback. Unlike the latest 911, the 718 still has a large analogue tachometer in the center of the instrument cluster, and although all 992.2 911 Carrera models have ditched the trademark ‘faux-key’ arrangement in favor of a conventional start/stop button, the 718 retains this tangible nod to Porsche’s heritage.
Speaking of tactility, extra points have to be awarded to the 718’s cabin. Physical switchgear may not have the visual appeal of capacitive buttons and touchscreen controls, but in practice they are much easier to operate, and virtually every commonly used function in the 718 has a button, toggle switch or an honest-to-goodness pressable button assigned to it. And that means you don’t have to take your eyes off the road ahead to dive into a submenu of the infotainment system or confirm that something has been registered correctly. If you want to lower the air conditioning temperature, stiffen the dampers or soften the exhaust volume, it’s all just a simple push of a button.
The GTS 4.0 also has a steering wheel-mounted dial that lets you cycle through the different driving modes, but it’s largely redundant as most of the settings that change these modes have dedicated buttons on the center console anyway. The fact that automatic rev-matching can’t be turned on or off independently of powertrain mode is one of the few shortcomings of this control scheme, while the lack of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality makes the relatively bare-bones infotainment system feel a little dated by today’s standards.
However, these trivial compromises immediately become irrelevant when you point the nose of the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 over a winding stretch of asphalt. Without the seriousness inherent in models from Porsche’s GT division, the GTS 4.0 feels playful against its dynamic limits rather than intimidating. While more aggressive gears and stickier tires might get you through a technical section of road a little faster, there’s something to be said for the impeccable balance of GTS 4.0’s tuning. The car’s lightweight construction, linear power delivery and road-oriented spring rate are at once communicative and seemingly undisturbed by being wrung by the neck, making the outer limits of its formidable capabilities feel eminently accessible, even on less-than-ideal road surfaces.
Honestly, I feel like I could drive this thing for the rest of my life and I wouldn’t want for anything. This is the kind of car you make excuses to drive. While steady progress will likely bring us increasingly faster and more capable machines over time, in the case of the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 I’m not really sure we need more of anything. We may not be able to stop time, but we can enjoy a moment when opportunity presents itself, and this moment is certainly worth appreciating while it lasts.
Images: Bradley Iger
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