It’s not always about the money, although relative value always plays its part. Often, what drives our purchases are intangible wants, capabilities and values. And image, perhaps.
I wanted a fast, engaging Porsche that could easily cope with spirited Sunday mornings and the occasional 1,000-mile multi-day road trip – usually one up. Here, we have arguably the pick of Porsche’s current non-GT sports car ranges: a 992 Carrera GTS and a 718 Cayman GTS 4.0. Both are coupés, pictured here in rare metallic Aventurine Green.
Other than the Porsche crest, that’s all they have in common… except, of course, 76 years of evolved DNA as fast, beautifully balanced performance cars.
Both cars are essentially targeting the same enthusiast buyer. Unless you need room for kids. Or a pooch. Porsche wants everyone to aspire to a 911, so should the Cayman GTS owner look longingly at its 992 sibling and think ‘One day…’?
Fellow PCGB member Tim Rice and I both recently paid our money and took our choices. Then, after getting used to our cars, we drove both back-to-back over a variety of roads. Were we happy with our respective purchases? Or were we even slightly envious of the other? We’re not debating which is best; merely attempting an objective comparison.
THE VALUE PROPOSITION
The Cayman lists at £77k, with the 911 being £30k more in two-wheel-drive form. But the option list is longer and more expensively priced on the 911, so it’s easy to make it 50 per cent more costly.
The 911 is longer, wider and a lot heavier, and particularly so with a tech-laden spec including rear-wheel steering, front axle lift and a panoramic sunroof. Its 3-litre twin turbo flat six makes 486bhp and 420lb/ft at 2,300rpm, while this Cayman makes 400bhp and 317lb/ft at 5,000rpm.
Perhaps this alone justifies the price differential. The Cayman seems to be the last of a very long line of naturally aspirated Porsche sports cars – GT cars excepted – but this 911 GTS (soon to be replaced by an e-Turbo hybrid) is already a tech tour de force and a million miles away from Porsche’s small, light and fast heritage.
How many buyers really care? Are we now agnostic to tech and weight, provided it’s fast, fun and fits into our lives? But Porsche now sells a lot of GT cars – the new S/T strips out some tech and weight to get back to basics, for example – so perhaps we do care.
THE DRIVE
From those electric retractable handles to its fixed starter key (what’s the purpose of that?), the 992 screams ‘modernistic’. It feels much larger, lighter and more airy. The panoramic roof helps. Ignition brings a carnival of lights on the digital dash and large touchscreen, and only the central tach remains analogue (and that’s disappearing in Gen 2).
The Cayman feels a lot smaller. A tall driver can fit comfortably but, two up, it’s tight. Coats, bags and paraphernalia fit in the very usable space behind the engine. It’s better than a Boxster and more useful than a 911 with rear seat delete. The ergonomics feel dated, but it’s a clear and functional joy: analogue switches and dials, a small central touchscreen and some useful digital dash sub-menus. No cacophony of bongs and beeps.
There’s an engaging baritone rumble from the rear of the 992, and that’s without the sports exhaust engaged. The Cayman has a lighter, more urgent bark – surprising, given its bigger capacity. Both sound nice, but nothing like raucous pre-OPF generations. Both sound much better in than out. Porsche’s acoustic engineers work hard to overcome modern legislative constraints.
Gently moving away, the 911 feels much more powerful at low revs and through the mid-range. By comparison, the Cayman feels flaccid. Is it game over after 100 yards? No. It’s those turbos, of course. Hit 5k and the Cayman finds its legs and begins to scream deliciously as power, torque and speed build decisively. The 911’s engine doesn’t enjoy screaming to the redline so much. It has a lovely flat six wail, but you tend to change up earlier and that defines the drive.
We drove a variety of fast, interesting A and B roads that were dry and had different gradients, cambers and surfaces. The steering, brakes and ride quality on both are superb. They are fabulously well planted and cope with bumps, crests and compressions with equal aplomb.
On narrower roads, the Cayman’s diminutive size, mid-engine and short wheelbase make it feel more agile. It’s supremely well balanced as only a mid-engined car can be.
You can feel the 911’s rear weight bias and its sophisticated multi-link suspension working in harmony with the electronics and rear 21-inch wheels and tyres.
The Cayman’s suspension and chassis feels a little more primitive. None the worse for that, just different. In reality, on most British roads and with a normally skilled and risk-aware driver, neither would have a decisive advantage. Both are hugely capable and enjoyable but offer a different tactile experience.
Side by side, in pictures, in the cockpit and on the road, everything about the 992 GTS screams ‘big brother wearing a new Ozwald Boateng suit’. Do I admire that big brother? Yes. Do I envy him? No. The Cayman suits my purpose better. For me, the 992 feels a tad wide for these roads and causes too many anxious breathe-in moments. Tim, who regularly takes long European road trips, has no such worries. He’s 6ft 3in and prefers the 992’s better GT characteristics.
The cars have different images and this is important for many. Porsche invests heavily to keep the 911 as its halo model and the Cayman is, after all, entry level. It is, undoubtedly, better value. But this is Porsche, and we all know that value is a slippery slope…