2020 Porsche 718 Cayman Review

For 2020, Porsche carries over the core lineup of the 718 Cayman without significant changes. This mid-engine coupe is one of the most engaging sports cars to drive, and it offers a top-notch manual transmission at a price point where they're increasingly rare. Two new trims debut this year to enhance the Cayman's performance attributes even further.

Truth be told, the new Cayman T isn't a game-changer. In a nutshell, it uses the base Cayman powerplant — a turbocharged four-cylinder pumping out a stout 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque — and adds the best dynamic upgrades on Porsche's options sheet. These include 20-inch wheels, dual exhaust outlets, and the PASM sport suspension with a 20-millimeter ride drop.

You also get the Sport Chrono package, which includes a dash-mounted analog clock and a timer to track laps around your favorite circuit. A narrower steering wheel gives drivers a more direct connection to the front wheels, and its wheel-mounted dial lets you choose from four drive modes with the flick of a finger. If you opt for the PDK dual-clutch transmission instead of the standard six-speed manual, you'll also enjoy launch control and an overboost function at the push of a button. To top it off, the Cayman T comes with a mechanical limited-slip differential and Porsche Torque Vectoring to ensure you won't lose power due to a slipping rear wheel.

On the inside, the door pulls are ballistic nylon, a nod to the race-winning GT models, while the manual transmission's shift knob features red numbers. The standard sport seats offer two-way electrical adjustability, beefier bolstering, and fabric center sections with the 718 logo prominently embroidered on the headrests. The 18-way-adjustable Sport Plus seats are available for those who want to fine-tune every aspect of their position, and hardcore fixed-back bucket seats for those who don't.

If you're not entranced by a super-sporty four-cylinder Cayman, the return of the cult favorite GT4 might be right up your alley. If it were powered by the energy of internet rumors alone, the GT4 would be the fastest car on the planet. It's not. Our early look had us finally confirm that right in the middle, buried behind you and your passenger, is a 4.0-liter, non-turbo flat-six engine with 414 horsepower and 309 lb-ft.

That's significant, because while the rest of the world is making smaller, turbo or hybrid engines to pass ever-tighter emissions and noise regulations, Porsche has stuck to its guns with the Cayman GT4. Enthusiasts of the world can rest easy for now.

It was a big hit last time, Preuninger conceding that the previous GT4 really was a sweet spot, and we're not about to disagree. The thing is, Porsche's motorsport department developed the GT4. And, well, being motorsport people, they just cannot help fiddling. This replacement GT4 gains quite a lot, even if the changes don't look that significant.

How to measure that? Take it to the track, and specifically the Nürburgring. This new GT4 laps the industry benchmark track in Germany in just 7 minutes 28 seconds. That's a whole 12 seconds quicker than the old GT4, and, unbelievably, 4 seconds quicker than Porsche once managed around the same track in its exotic 603-hp V10-powered Carrera GT. Ah, progress …

Like that iconic hypercar, the Cayman GT4 has a manual six-speed transmission, though Porsche's people admit that a seven-speed PDK is coming next year if you prefer to give your left foot a rest and let your fingertips flip gearshift paddles instead of gripping a lever.

The Cayman T is the rare Porsche that actually aims to save you money. Optioning a base Cayman with these features à la carte would cost a bit more than the Cayman T's starting price of $67,750 (including destination), and you still wouldn't be able to get the Cayman T's specialized upgrades. The cloth seat inserts, door straps and 20-mm suspension drop (the standard Cayman's PASM option offers a 10-mm drop) are all unique to the Cayman T. Its optional race-inspired bucket seat doesn't reappear on the Cayman options list until you upgrade to the GTS.

But as much as we enjoy the outright speed of the current-generation 718 Cayman's four-cylinder engines, we frequently find ourselves missing the sound and feel of the old naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine. The GT4, for its part, doesn't just add a truly special engine. As a product of a motorsports department, the GT4 operates in a narrower bandwidth than its regular 718 Cayman relations, upping not just the speed but also the purist driving appeal.

If you like driving, the Cayman GT4 should appeal to you. That Porsche has built a new flat-six engine for it is intriguing, too, as the rest of the 718 Cayman (and open Boxster relation) were switched to turbocharged flat-four engines a few years ago. That move upset a good number of Porsche fans.

Starting at around $60,000 (and ranging up quite a bit from there) the Cayman has plenty of competitors, ranging from the high-performance variants of muscle-car coupes such as the Ford Shelby GT350 and Chevy Camaro ZL1 to luxury sports coupes such as the BMW M4 and Mercedes AMG C 63. Perhaps its biggest new price-point competitor is the mid-engine 2020 Chevrolet Corvette. All of these cars are quicker in a straight line, and most offer more day-to-day convenience, but the Cayman's poise sets it apart.

As for the new GT4, its $99,200 list price — before a single option is checked — puts the variant in a segment above its similar, and greater, performance rivals. Audi's 394-hp TT RS leaves the GT4 trailing in its wake on the 0-60 mph run. The Audi's 3.6-second time is not an insignificant 0.6 second quicker than the 4.2 seconds Porsche quotes for the GT4. Even being reckless with the cost of the options, you'd struggle to get the TT RS within $20,000 of the GT4's price. Top speed from the Porsche is 188 mph, should you have a runway to land.

Here's the clincher: The way the GT4 drives makes all the talk of rivals and numbers a little bit moot. If you like driving, you'll love the GT4. If you love driving, then you'll fall big time for this mid-engine machine.

It's refreshingly devoid of driver-selectable modes. The choices that exist are basic. You can switch off the electronic stability control and traction control, and there's a stiffer Sport mode for the suspension. Even on the track, such is the poise and balance on offer that you won't feel inclined to mess around with any of those. There's a sport exhaust button for more sound, plus an auto blip button that rev-matches on downshifts if you're not able to roll onto the throttle yourself via fancy footwork. Other than that, it's just an unadorned steering wheel, three pedals and a gearstick.

The six-speed transmission's shifter is beautifully weighted and precise. There's a real joy to be had in using it, especially when you're wringing the last few hundred revs as the flat-six runs up toward its 8,000 rpm redline.

That engine isn't a de-tuned GT3 engine, but rather a bespoke new 4.0-liter flat-six. It revs with abundant enthusiasm, sounds fantastic, and, thanks to a good deal more low- and midrange torque than its predecessor, does an excellent job of masking the rather long gearing from the transmission.

That engine is placed within a chassis of supreme poise and balance. The suspension mixes taut body and wheel control with a supple ride. The steering is quick and accurate, too. The GT4 is so faithful in its reactions and so rich in its detailed information that you don't need to be asking for all the engine's performance to have an engaging, involving drive.

Up the ante — that's best saved for a track — and it keeps on piling on the reward, demonstrating incredible agility, huge grip and brakes that are unerring in their bite, even when punished on the track. If you plan on doing a lot of track work, you might want the PCCB carbon-ceramic brakes option. Though, do so and you'll add $8,000 to your sticker price.

If you want some facts to justify upgrading to the new GT4 trim, then roll out that the GT4 produces 50% more downforce than its predecessor, but no more drag. For that you can thank its open-topped Spyder relation, which, in the absence of a big fixed rear wing, had the aero people come up with a large diffuser. It's that which has been instrumental in adding downforce.

Should practicality be on your radar, the Cayman's actually quite useful. No, it doesn't have the rear seats of its 911 relation, but it does have a pair of trunks, front and rear, making it a surprisingly usable daily driving proposition.