Is the sharper, faster 718 GTS now the perfect mid-engine Porsche?
Words: Matt Master
Photos: Porsche AG
A better prospect it is hard to imagine, as the sun rises over the private Andalusian circuit of Ascari, setting fire to the Racing Yellow paintwork of a box-fresh 718 Cayman GTS.
Despite the back-and-forth about a two-cylinder shortfall, about low-down torque being a poor relation to top end power or soulful soundtrack, there’s an argument that the 718 wears the GTS badge more easily than any of its contemporaries. After all, it shares the basic premise of a complex, mid-mounted four-cylinder Boxer not just with 718 RSK from which it takes its name, but also with the 1963 904 Carrera GTS, the car for whom those three iconic letters were created.
The 718 GTS sits 10mm lower than its ‘S’ sibling on satin black 20-inch Carrera S wheels. Black-tinted light clusters, black lettering and a black rear apron and sports exhaust are subtle but distinctive hallmarks.
Inside, the driving position remains faultless, the Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel a welcome reminder of that increased sporting purpose. Fire it up and there’s that flat-four bark again, but this time angrier, amplified.
In the hand, an Alcantara-shod six-speed manual looks and feels the part, and as it clicks with perfectly measured resistance into first and second, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where you wouldn’t choose this massively satisfying level of mechanical interaction over the automation of PDK.
Out onto an empty, sun-drenched Ascari, it’s an otherworldly playground for the GTS. A couple of cautious sighting laps reveal a rapid and intriguing track deserving of healthy respect, while also underlining the Cayman’s preternatural ability to cope with almost anything.
The torque available – 420NM from just 1,900 – gives the GTS an immediacy out of a slow corner that belies is 2497cc. Find yourself with the wrong ratio in an unfamiliar corner and there is enough low-down grunt to spare your blushes and even your lap times. The engine peaks at a modest 6,500rpm, but combined with clutch and stick there is huge satisfaction to be had in a nicely matched downshift or a flurry through the gate as you make the most of this intriguing and impressive powertrain.
Behind you, an angrier turbo with improved breathing brings peak power up to 365hp, 35hp more than the previous six-cylinder GTS, but a mere 15hp over the 718 S. There’s a bellicose growl from that consciously nosier sports exhaust, however, and an addictive pop and burble on the overrun. Plant your right foot and a roar fills the cabin, at once loud and hollow. The 981 evangelists will not go for it, but in isolation it’s a compelling soundtrack nonetheless.
And while you’re pondering the loss of two cylinders, the 718 GTS is covering ground with an appetite and ability that makes light work of Ascari and leaves the 981 a distant memory. With a manual ‘box the GTS will hit 60mph in 4.4 seconds on its way to a 180mph V-max.
In Sport mode, it feels remarkably planted too, with a trace of body roll allowing you to explore the possibility of overreaching the chassis’ astonishing mechanical grip. When the slide does come it is progressive considering the mid-engine configuration, and with PSM Sport engaged a satisfying degree of slip is tolerated before the automated wrist slap of on board intervention.
Another factor in this agility is the standard Sport Chrono Package and PADM system – Porsche Active Drivetrain Mounts. These dynamic mounts improve handling under extreme cornering loads, much as they would on a purebred track car, but without foregoing day-to-day comfort by making things too stiff.
In truth, despite some not insignificant performance gains, the GTS feels every inch as compliant as the ‘S’ it will take sales from. The ride is superb, even in sport setting and running on the 991’s 20-inch rims.
And this is the essence of the GTS: noticeably (if not greatly) improved performance, sharper driving characteristics, and all without compromising on daily comfort. Picking up where the 981 GTS left off in 2014, this is a more finely-honed derivation of a product that was not wanting in many respects in the first place.
You could make the point that there is little more on offer here over and above a £51,853 Cayman S to justify the extra outlay – £59,866 for the off-the-peg manual GTS. But the majority of ‘S’ customers add some if not all of the costly standard GTS spec, quickly making this marginally more powerful, faster and more exotically finished edition fractionally cheaper like-for-like, and all of a sudden the default at this price point.
However you frame it, the Cayman GTS is a car that is hard to fault, straddling the chasm between entry-level 718 and incoming GT4 in a way that will surely have more relevance to majority than whatever tops it. The debate about that flat-four, and in particular its increased resonance in GTS spec, is going to run and run, but you will have to go a long way to find a better sports car in production today for under £100,000.
Tech Spec
Model: 718 Cayman GTS
Year: 2018
Price £59,866
Engine capacity: 2497cc
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Max Power: 365hp at 6500rpm
Max Torque: 420 at 1900-5500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual (PDK optional)
Wheels and tyres front: 8J x 20; 245/35 ZR 20
Wheels and tyres rear: 10 J x 20; 265/35 ZR 20
Length: 4,379mm
Width: 1801mm
Weight 1375kg
0-62mph: 4.4sec
Top speed: 180mph
Fuel economy 31.4mpg