2024 Porsche 718 Cayman

Overview

The 2024 718 Cayman is a delightfully anachronistic sports car, offering modern conveniences such as touchscreen infotainment and Apple CarPlay while retaining the visceral, analog experience of a vintage Porsche. Its brilliant steering and surgically precise handling are the current benchmarks among sports cars and sporting automobiles of all kinds and helped it secure another 10Best and Editors' Choice win for 2024. Placing the engine amidships gives the Cayman—and its convertible twin, the 718 Boxster—a balance that front-engine rivals such as the Jaguar F-Type or the Toyota Supra can't match. While the base turbocharged four-cylinder sounds thrummy, power is generous, and in S models a larger-displacement four adds even more. The optional 4.0-liter flat-six in the GTS, GT4, and GT4 RS adds dulcet tones to the mix and boasts up to 493 horsepower. A six-speed manual transmission is standard (and would always be our choice), but a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is available and operates with well-honed slickness. The cabin is snug and light on storage solutions, but otherwise, the 718 Cayman has proven over a long-term test that it's a surprisingly easy car to live with—all the better for justifying one as a daily driver.

Where This Vehicle Ranks

#2 in Best Performance Sports Cars

1

Chevrolet Corvette

STARTING AT: $69,995

2

Porsche 718 Cayman

STARTING AT: $69,950

3

Porsche 718 Boxster

STARTING AT: $72,050

4

Toyota GR Supra

STARTING AT: $47,535

5

BMW Z4

STARTING AT: $55,225

6

Lotus Emira

STARTING AT: $77,100

What's New for 2024?

The Cayman gets a new Style Edition model for 2024 based on the entry-level car with a few added flourishes to its design, including black tailpipes, 20-inch wheels, and available hood and door stripes. The interior comes with a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel, illuminated door sill protectors, special floormats with chalk-colored stitching, and headrests emblazoned with an embossed Porsche logo. Elsewhere, the GT4 model has been dropped in favor of the more powerful GT4 RS.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

We'd pony up for the GTS 4.0 model to unlock the sweeter flat-six engine. We'd also keep the standard manual transmission because it's more fun to operate than the auto. Plus, every GTS comes with desirable performance equipment, including the adjustable and nicely bolstered Sport Seats Plus, a snorty exhaust system, a great-riding adaptive suspension, and black 20-inch wheels. It also boasts the Sport Chrono package, which brings a limited-slip differential, brake-based torque vectoring, and the obligatory clock on top of the dashboard.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

Porsche offers an assortment of potent engines on the Cayman. The entry-level version is a 300-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-four. The S variant is motivated by a turbo 2.5-liter flat-four with 350 horses. While even the base four-cylinder provides quick acceleration, we take issue with the coarse sounds it produces. Thankfully, the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six fixes the Cayman's auditory issues. In addition to the intoxicating noises it makes, the six-cylinder generates 394 ponies in the GTS 4.0, and 493 in the GT4 RS. Regardless of which engine you choose, every Cayman comes standard with a slick six-speed manual transmission—perhaps the best one on the market. If you're not into that, you can get a quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. The Cayman's willful chassis and telepathic steering transcend perfection. Credit the Cayman's mid-engine layout and sticky summer tires, which work with the sensational suspension to provide the coupe with stunning grip, balance, and stability on twisty two-lane roads. This car is a sublime mix of heady handling and a relatively relaxed ride.

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Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The EPA estimates the base Cayman will achieve up to 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. The more powerful S model is rated at 19 mpg city and 25 highway with the automatic. We tested the base car and a Cayman S on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, which is part of our extensive testing regimen, and both delivered a thrifty 32 mpg in the real world. For more information about the Cayman's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

Easy-to-understand gauges, comfortable seats, and well-placed controls give the Cayman's cabin a form-fitting feel, not unlike a superhero's suit. Still, a plethora of hard buttons and several cheap plastic pieces keep the interior from standing out in this class. Fortunately, Porsche will cover just about any surface in leather—at a cost, of course. A compact front trunk complements the Cayman's rear cargo area, providing the small sports car with cargo space that rivals the best of its competitive set. We fit two carry-on suitcases in the trunk and two in the frunk. A steep rear-hatch angle, however, means owners will need to use soft duffel bags to make the most of the available space.

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Infotainment and Connectivity

The Cayman's standard touchscreen infotainment system is straightforward and offers generally quick response times to user inputs. While Porsche nickels and dimes its customers by charging extra for some features, such as built-in navigation and a Wi-Fi hotspot, every model now has Apple CarPlay compatibility. Android Auto isn't available, though. The audio system can be upgraded to either a Bose stereo or a high-end Burmester unit that has 12 speakers and a total output of 821 watts.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The Cayman is available with a handful of driver-assistance technologies and comes standard with front and rear parking sensors. For more information about the Cayman's crash test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:

• Available adaptive cruise control
• Available blind-spot monitoring

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Porsche's warranty coverage trails most of its rivals when it comes to complimentary scheduled maintenance, but it is otherwise comparable.

• Limited warranty covers four years or 50,000 miles
• Powertrain warranty covers four years or 50,000 miles
• Complimentary maintenance is covered for one year or 10,000 miles

Specifications

Specifications

2021 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door hatchback

PRICE
Base/As Tested: $88,150/$100,990
Options: GTS interior package, $3690; 18-way seats, $3030; navigation, $2320; Black/Carmine Red leather interior, $2160; Bose audio, $990; GT Silver Metallic paint, $650

ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 244 in³, 3996 cm³
Power: 394 hp @ 7000 rpm
Torque: 309 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm

TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual

CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/struts
Brakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented, cross-drilled disc/13.0-in vented, cross-drilled disc
Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
F: 235/35R-20 (88Y) N1
R: 265/35R-20 (95Y) N1

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 97.4 in
Length: 173.4 in
Width: 70.9 in
Height: 50.2 in
Passenger Volume: 49 ft³
Cargo Volume, F/R: 5/10 ft³
Curb Weight: 3196 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.8 sec
100 mph: 8.5 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.0 sec @ 120 mph
130 mph: 13.9 sec
150 mph: 19.3 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.5 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 6.2 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 5.9 sec
Top Speed (mfr's claim): 182 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 142 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 284 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.04 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 22 mpg

EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 21/19/24 mpg

2021 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 PDK

VEHICLE TYPE
mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED
$127,120 (base price: $104,760)

ENGINE TYPE
DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 244 in³, 3996 cm³
Power: 414 hp @ 7600 rpm
Torque: 317 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm

TRANSMISSION
7-speed dual-clutch automatic

CHASSIS
Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink
Brakes (F/R): 16.1-in vented, cross-drilled, carbon-ceramic disc, 15.4-in vented, cross-drilled, carbon-ceramic disc
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, F: 245/35ZR-20 (95Y) N1 R: 295/30ZR-20 (101Y) N1

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 97.8 in
Length: 175.5 in
Width: 71.9 in
Height: 50.0 in
Passenger volume: 49 ft³
Cargo volume, F/R: 5/10 ft³
Curb weight: 3251 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.3 sec
100 mph: 7.8 sec
1/4-Mile: 11.6 sec @ 121 mph
130 mph: 13.7 sec
150 mph: 20.3 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 4.1 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 2.4 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 2.5 sec

Top speed (mfr's claim): 188 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 146 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 288 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 1.07 g
Standing-start accel times omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.

EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/city/highway: 20/18/24 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

More Features and Specs