The 718 Porsche Cayman S is a mid-engined sports coupe that’s sure to get your heart racing, but is it the emotional driving pleasure or the price tag that is turning up the heat?
I usually have a set order for my reviews. Since we’re discussing whether the Cayman is an affordable sports car, I guess we should talk money first.
How much is a 718 Porsche Cayman S?
The 718 Porsche Cayman price in the UK starts at £44,790 RRP (2021). However, this can quickly increase to an eye-watering amount when you start adding all the fun customisations available on the Porsche configurator.
After adding many extras including premium paint, contrasting rear side air intake grilles, upgraded alloy wheels, Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) gearbox plus Porsche Sports Chrono package, this Porsche Cayman S I’m driving was upwards of £71k.
Is Porsche Cayman a poor man's car?
Whilst the starting price of the Porsche Cayman makes it the cheapest Porsche you can buy new, it still comes with a 2.0L turbocharged engine giving just under 300bhp and 0-62mph in just 5.1 seconds. Stepping up to the Cayman S upgrades you to a 2.5L turbocharged engine with 345bhp and 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds, rivaling the new Toyota Supra. Performance can be further improved with the optional Porsche Sport Chrono Package added to this model.
What is the Porsche Sport Chrono Package?
Porsche Sport Chrono Package makes these sports cars even sportier. The main features are an analogue clock, the drive mode selector and the thrilling launch control on PDK models.
PDK models with Sport Chrono also come with Sport+ and a button to unleash the maximum power instantly.
This means it can achieve 0-62mph in an impressive 4.2 seconds!
Watch me use launch control on the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman S in my car review on YouTube. Click here to see the full video.
How does the 718 Porsche Cayman S drive?
Typical of any mid-engined sports coupe, it’s bloody fantastic! It handles exceedingly well, the steering is perfectly weighted. The throttle is responsive. It’s also fast plus you can have some fun without fearing for your life.
The ride is a bit rough at times and can get noisy inside the cabin. That’s expected in any sports car, so that’s more of an observation than a criticism. Nonetheless, it does get annoying after a long period. I’ll brush over the 28mpg and move on.
How practical is the Porsche Cayman?
A direct benefit of being mid-engined is the additional storage in the front, traditionally the engine bay. Yes, that’s right, you get a FRUNK (front trunk) as well as the boot giving a combined 334L storage capacity. That’s a lot for a sports coupe.
More surprising is the space inside. Getting in and out of the sports seats, which are low to the ground, can be challenging when you have a bulky steering wheel and beer-belly fighting for space in the doorway. Once you fall into position, it’s comfortable. You might occasionally elbow your passenger, but not often enough that they’ll become offended.
This small sports coupe is so versatile. The compact dimensions make it easy to manoeuvre around busy town centres and squeeze into tight parking spaces if you need to.
Conclusion
Ok, I know I claimed a £44k car is an affordable sports car. Ridiculous. But when you compare it to other modern sports cars around the same value, you get much more value for money with the 718 Porsche Cayman.
Would I rather have a Porsche Cayman vs. Alpine A110 or Toyota Supra? Yes.
Would I be happy paying upwards of £71k for the model I test drove? Not so much. But it is an excellent car and remains a pure drivers car, even with the turbocharged engine.
Don’t forget there are many car finance options out there too. So you don’t necessarily need to whack down £71,000 on the table at the dealership. If you want to know more about some car finance options, my other post about Car Leasing might be useful.
