Taking a quick pit stop
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When Porsche launched the open-topped Boxster in the 1990s it seemed inevitable there would eventually be a closed-roof variant, and it eventually arrived as the first Cayman in 2005 - a car so good that some people reckoned its performance had been deliberately limited so as not to steal sales away from the Porsche 911.
The Cayman is still great today, now in its third-generation ‘718’ form. There’s a choice of four- and six-cylinder engines, naturally aspirated power and turbocharged, road-friendly or track-focused models, and more options than you can shake a Porsche-branded stick at. Its popularity means plenty of choice on the used market too, at some quite tempting prices. Read on to find out more about the Cayman below.
The Porsche Cayman is one of the best sports cars on sale at any price. There are some who’d have you believe it’s even better than its larger sibling, the Porsche 911, and there’s certainly some truth to this - the Cayman’s mid-engined balance and relatively compact size could both be considered advantageous.
When the Porsche 718 Cayman arrived in 2016 it did so with a pair of flat-four engines. It’s fair to say these drew mixed opinions at first - there was certainly nothing wrong with the way they performed, but as the Cayman had previously offered only six-cylinder engines, the sound and feel felt like a step down. If you’re happy with just four pistons then they’re still great units, with plenty of torque and really strong performance even in the 300PS base model.
The 4-litre six-cylinder engines still feel like the Cayman at its best, but all versions have a fantastic chassis, both hugely capable and involving. An excellent driving position helps you feel like a part of the car, and interior quality is hard to fault too - while Porsche’s extensive options list means you’re sure to find some very well-specified cars on sale. The Cayman’s even practical, with not one but two boots.
For similar money, the only two other cars that really get close to the Cayman’s dynamics are the lightweight Alpine A110, and the Lotus Evora. The Porsche has the edge on both for quality, but all three deliver a unique driving experience that’s hard to find elsewhere. If you’re shopping at the upper end of the Cayman range, a Porsche 911 is still a tempting proposition too.
With a broad spread in prices, budget comes into play even among Cayman buyers. At the upper end of the market, the GT4 models really are remarkable, but the GTS 4.0 probably delivers the core Cayman experience - brilliant on the road and still pretty adept on track, with the ‘correct’ number of cylinders for a Porsche. Of the smaller four-cylinder engines we’d go for the Cayman T. It may only have the 2-litre engine, but it’s the sharpest to drive, and with 300PS it’s still a brisk device, while the changes to its specification make it visually appealing too. As for manual or PDK, that’s down to personal preference. Both are excellent, though PDKs are much more common on the used market than manuals.
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The Porsche Cayman’s exterior dimensions are:
The Porsche Cayman’s boot space is:
The Porsche 718 Cayman debuted in 2016 and this means the first year or so of models on the market are taxed on their CO2 emissions. This works in favour of several models given all post-2017 cars attract a VED surcharge and therefore a £600 annual bill - opt for an earlier car and you could pay as little as £305 each year. The later surcharge disappears from year seven onwards however, so some 2017-on cars will already get lower tax rates.
No surprises here really: insuring a Cayman won’t be the cheapest endeavour, with even the 2-litre standard car getting a group 42 rating. The Cayman GT4 meanwhile is in group 47, and the GT4 RS tops the scale at group 50.
£57,999
£49,990
£79,950
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How many Porsche Cayman cars are available for sale?
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