here is one for the crowd source opinion………have any Cayman 718 S buyers had remorse over living with the 4 cyl 2.5 and not going the extra dosh for a 4.0? Seems it’s about £10k to £20k difference from the cheapest S model manual to the cheapest GTS manual on autotrader and other markets. We all prolly prefer the music of a flat six, but is it worth the price jump? Resale is not really important , I am looking for a long term ownership stint. For me, have always preferred NA to the boosted motors but it’s hard to deny you could do a simple remap on a 2.5 and get similar power and torque to a 4.0. What say the masses?
718 2.5 turbo regrets?
- Thread starter andrew.holobinko
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It sounds like you would like a 4.0 but the cost is an issue? If so, it might be worth looking at 981 series cars.
It's a very personal decision and it's all about the characteristics of a turbo vs NA. I know what I like and I don't care if it has 1000bhp and does a quarter mile in 4 seconds, I want an NA power plant under my right foot. It's all about the throttle response and the way the power is delivered.
You need to drive everything, if you can, and make your own decision.
It's a very personal decision and it's all about the characteristics of a turbo vs NA. I know what I like and I don't care if it has 1000bhp and does a quarter mile in 4 seconds, I want an NA power plant under my right foot. It's all about the throttle response and the way the power is delivered.
You need to drive everything, if you can, and make your own decision.
When a marginal difference in performance has a significant difference in price attached to it, for me, it’s unlikely to be worth it … but you have to make up your own mind about that equation. Go drive the cars and compare them, and then decide. Otherwise, it’s just a paperwork exercise in contrast to driving a car which is a tactile experience.
Thanks for the input guys. You are right, should drive both and feel and hear the two or three. I have considered 981 and even later model 987 for the 3.4 NA pluses. Curious to see if all the chatter about hydraulic vs electric steering is a thing or not , as in deal breaker. Next big thing I need to explore is wheel and tire size for these bumpy UK B roads. I have a feeling those pretty 20inchers with tiny 35 series sidewalls are going to be torture and dent prone.
Yes, I much prefer my 987 on the 18” winter tyre set up to 19” summer tyres. As you say, a slight increase in sidewall ratio on the 18” wheels makes a lot of difference to the comfort of the ride!
I've had my base 718 2.0 since May now and I can say I don't regret going for the turbo 4 at all. It's a different noise from the flat 6 and I won't try and say it's quite as nice but for a 2.0 4 cylinder car this thing sounds amazing. Now if money was no object of course I'd have gone for a GTS 4.0 but they're substantially more expensive and when I drove one at PEC Silverstone I was impressed with it but I wouldn't say it was worth basically double what my base model was. I was tempted by 987's and 981's but the 981's were so close if not more than my base 2.0 car I ended up discounting them. The 987's would also require a lot of compromises compared to the 718 I ended up getting so I ended up ruling those out.
I also have 20" alloys on my car with no PASM and I can say I'm actually impressed by how compliant the car is, I came from a 2024 VW Polo GTI before I got my 718 and even though that car had the adaptive 2 stage dampers and was on 18" wheels with 40 profile tyres I'd say the 718 is as compliant if not more so than the Polo. I'd also say that it's a lot more compliant than my fathers VW Golf R MK8 which again has 18" alloys and 40 profile tyres but no adaptive dampers. Now it's not the smoothest thing in the world and I'm sure the 19" alloys are a little more compliant but these 20s are no where near as bad as I was expecting them to be.
The 20"/ 35 section wheels and tyres are not an issue at all on either GTS models which both have PASM suspension, which really is quite remarkable in providing a astonish good ride for a sports car. In if you have the standard -20mm suspension. rather than the optional softer -10mm drop.
Bought a new base 718 in 2016, one of the first ones off the line as the 718 had just been released, after driving 981s beforehand, I didn’t like the lifeless steering on the 981, but the 718 felt so much sharper. Also offers roughly 981S levels of performance for base money, in a car that’s far more up to date. Was quite surprised at the time by the amount of forum vitriol, and suggestions it would become worthless, when residuals actually turned out the same.
Just had the 10th year service done and renewed another two years of warranty, never traded, and I’ve driven a decent spread of alternatives along the way, GTS 4.0s, Aston Vantages, Emiras, an F-Type V8. The little 2.0 still stands out for pure bang for buck.
On the remap point, a 2.5 with a simple remap gets you into 4.0 power and torque territory without the premium, if you don’t run warranty.
I’ve test driven a couple of 4.0s, and the muted engine sound is such a minor dimension of the car. Prefer the pre-GPF noise, thought my 718 sounded far better. The noise improves as the miles go on. Not what people expect from a flat four.
May add a GT for quieter, more comfortable touring, as the Cayman is loud and firm for long distance. Never trading it though, and the residual hasn’t moved since Covid.
I actually think the flat six is overrated, hence the price premium, which in my view isn’t worth paying. Viewpoints may differ.
Just had the 10th year service done and renewed another two years of warranty, never traded, and I’ve driven a decent spread of alternatives along the way, GTS 4.0s, Aston Vantages, Emiras, an F-Type V8. The little 2.0 still stands out for pure bang for buck.
On the remap point, a 2.5 with a simple remap gets you into 4.0 power and torque territory without the premium, if you don’t run warranty.
I’ve test driven a couple of 4.0s, and the muted engine sound is such a minor dimension of the car. Prefer the pre-GPF noise, thought my 718 sounded far better. The noise improves as the miles go on. Not what people expect from a flat four.
May add a GT for quieter, more comfortable touring, as the Cayman is loud and firm for long distance. Never trading it though, and the residual hasn’t moved since Covid.
I actually think the flat six is overrated, hence the price premium, which in my view isn’t worth paying. Viewpoints may differ.
I have moved from a 718 2.5 Turbo to the 718 4.0l - I have to say the 2.5 Turbo has plenty of get up and go in low mid range speeds but the sound and smoothness I would describe as rather gruff!
I previously have had two 911,s but prefer the Cayman for its excellent road holding, more exciting to drive, I became bored with the 911,s ( I’m not a track person). Getting back to the question, I changed my preference from 718 2.5Turbo to 4.0l for two main reasons, I missed the smoothness of a six cylinder engine and I also had nagging concerns about some people’s issues with the catalytic converter regeneration software, resulting in some people having to incur expensive replacements even though the car was still under warranty.
I did consider remapping my 2.5Turbo but you may have issues in the future by changing the cars standard specification, plus you have to inform your insurance company!
For long term ownership which is where I am I believe the 4.0l will hold its price better and is a superior car in performance and is worth the extra monies.
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