LUXURY REVIEW: 2023 PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN GTS 4.0

Now this is my kind of green vehicle. Don’t get me wrong, I love electric cars , and for day-to-day motoring (range limitations aside) nothing beats an EV. But a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 in Python Green? C’mon. I would argue (colour aside) this variant of the Cayman is the best sports-car-money can buy, and with a starting price of $98,800 (add… ahem, $24k in options here) it’s not an exorbitant price for what must be one of the greatest ways to celebrate the end of the ICE age for the mid-engine Porsche . The next Cayman and Boxster, expected for 2025, will be fully electric , dontcha know.

It’s no secret these mid-engine two-seaters are the sweetest handling of Porsche sports cars, showing uncanny balance with a bandwidth that spans balletic to balls-out. And while the Cayman GT4 and track maven GT4 RS live higher up on the performance ladder, the GTS 4.0 finds a sweet spot that perfectly straddles edgy, snarling performance with a disposition one can live with on a daily basis. This has always been the signature of Porsche’s GTS models — not the fastest, not the most expensive, but tuned and spec’d specifically for the enthusiast. Aren’t all Porsche customers enthusiasts? True enough, so let’s call them enthusiasts with a purist bent — those not afraid to forgo a few creature comforts to get that much closer to the pointy end of the driving experience.

Porsche answered the cries (literally) of the enthusiast when, after launching the 718 Boxster and Cayman with flat-four turbo power back in 2016, it introduced the GTS 4.0 variants for 2021 with a 4.0L naturally-aspirated flat-six. Just as Gawd had intended. Not that the four-pots are bad. They generate plenty of low-end grunt and marginally better fuel economy, but what they didn’t generate for many Porsche-files was passion.

The GTS’ 4.0L flat-six comes from the racier $122,000 Cayman GT4, but is detuned slightly (down 20 horses and 8 lb-ft of torque). Not that you’d notice. It’s a sweetheart of a mill that tugs at the heartstrings and, in this time of turbocharged everything, reminds us of the joys of a non-force-fed engine that sings for its supper — happily to 7,800 rpm.

 

Putting out 394 horses and 309 lb-ft of torque, the 4.0 goes from a somewhat gruff idle to a mellifluous midrange to an all-out banshee howl as your right foot plays conductor to this Swabian Symphony in G-whizz. Above 4,000 rpm, the GTS 4.0 goes on a holy tear. It’s a fast car, but not stupidly so — the perfect amount of power for the street.

The seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic ($4,250) has an IQ to rival Einstein and plays along perfectly. The little rotary controller nestled below the right-hand spoke of the steering wheel calls up the drive modes. Give it a twist and the wonders of the GTS 4.0 reveal themselves.

In normal mode, the PDK shifts smoothly and upshifts early in the most civilized of fashion. Select Sport and the shift map becomes more entertaining and the suspension firms up, while Sport+ has the Cayman in full-attack mode. On a track, the PDK will think faster than you can ever hope to, although at any time the metal shift paddles will instantly do your bidding.

For those who like to stir their own gears, I’ve driven this car with the six-speed manual transmission, and it is one of the best in the biz. I would spec that in a heartbeat and pocket the $4,250.

I probably wouldn’t spec the $6,740 carbon Full Bucket Seats that are fitted to this tester. These puppies are a commitment. Yes, they save weight, look cool, and once ensconced, make one feel like an actual mechanical extension of the car. Weigh that against a fixed upright rake, no heat, minimal padding and prominent rock-hard bolsters that make ingress, and especially egress not for the faint of heart (or sore of back). If you plan to track the GTS, then the carbon buckets are a worthy addition.

Along with the flat-six, the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 gets Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), active engine mounts, a torque-vectoring limited slip differential and staggered 20-inch wheels shod with 235/35ZR20 front and 265/35ZR20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S performance rubber. The GTS also rides 20 mm lower than the standard car.

Tuck into your first bend and all is revealed. The Cayman’s nose turns in with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel and your backside is instantly aware of the car’s balance and poise. It’s a friendly invitation to press further into the formidable reserves of its reassuring performance — this GTS will go as hard as you dare without biting back. It feels light on its feet yet secure and planted. Steering feel is nigh on perfect, and similarly, the brakes respond with linear clarity that gives nothing but confidence.

Despite all this performance, the car’s ride is far from punishing when tootling about town. Sure, it’s firm, and the GTS’ reduced sound deadening means the cabin is alive with engine and road noise, but these are just reminders that one is indeed driving something special — and an end of a great motoring era if you want to get maudlin about it. But let’s not.

So what options are pushing this tester’s sticker to $122,000 before freight and taxes? The aforementioned seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission ($4,250) and carbon bucket seats ($6,740) are a couple of biggies. Visual upgrades include the 20-inch five-spoke Carrera Sport Wheels ($1,430) painted in satin platinum ($690) and that head turning Python Green paint ($2,950). Inside, the $4,200 GTS Package bestows contrasting stitching and seatbelts, GTS logo on the headrests, tachometer in deviated colour, fancy floor mats and carbon fibre trim. The latter package is only available with the $2,470 Leather/Race-Tex Interior which adds more carbon red stitching and highlights.

One might ask if the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 is good value. I would answer: absolutely. Every bit of performance kit is included in the $98,800 base price, so theoretically, one could order a GTS 4.0 with zero options and not miss out on a thing. And bonus, you’d likely be the owner of the only Porsche ever built with no options. For reference, the 2023 718 Cayman lineup starts with the base 2.5L four-cylinder at $76,200, and this is the least expensive sportscar Porsche makes. The Cayman has been in production since the 987 version launched in 2005, and this GTS 4.0 is certainly a high-water mark.

Along with all its delightful abilities, the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 has some practical bona fides as well. For those travelling two-up, the deep front trunk and rear hatch provide ample space for a weekend’s worth of luggage and some shopping. Sadly, the cabin has no storage space to speak of and the flimsy cup holders seem no more than an afterthought. I do like the fact that the cabin sports a plethora of good old-fashioned analogue controls and buttons — a reminder the 718 has been with us since 2016.

Putting it into a musical perspective, I liken the 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 to a finely crafted guitar. Pick it up and it instantly feels like butter in your hands. It flatters novices, yet in the hands of an expert, can transports them to next level virtuosity. And of course, the sound. A Stratocaster through a Marshall stack turned up to eleven, or this 4.0L flat-six kissing its 7,800 rpm redline? That’s a discussion for another day.

Check out the specs of the latest Porsche 718 Cayman model.

Pros

✔ Sonorous 4.0L flat-six

✔ Sublime handling

✔ Everyday usability

Cons

✘ Dearth of cabin storage

✘ Optional carbon buckets test your flexibility

✘ Road noise

2023-06-05T12:01:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd