Porsche 718 Cayman 2021 Review

When Porsche renamed its Cayman the 718 Cayman back in 2017 and replaced the car's six-cylinder engine with a turbocharged four-cylinder, part of the connection to the 911 — something so intrinsic to the Porsche experience — was lost. There's nothing wrong with the four-cylinder 718's performance certainly, but the driving experience is all a bit soulless. Thankfully, there's a heaping dose of James Brown in the 2021 718 Cayman.

The Cayman got a brand-new six-cylinder last year with the debut of the GT4. For 2021, Porsche is following it up with the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0. It has the same naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine as the GT4, albeit with a bit less horsepower (394 horsepower compared to 414 hp in the GT4). You do, however, get all the comfort and accoutrements you'd expect from the GTS model line as well as a lower price.

More than ever, the 718 Cayman is an appealing lead-in to the venerated 911 lineup. It could very well be hard to choose between a Cayman GT4 and, say, a base 911 Carrera. Other notable sports car rivals include the BMW M2 Competition, Chevrolet Corvette, Jaguar F-Type or even top-end versions of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. So should Papa get a brand-new 2021 Cayman? Read our Expert Rating below to help you decide.

Which 718 Cayman does MatoCar recommend?

The 2021 718 Cayman sports car is available in five trim levels: the base 718 Cayman, 718 Cayman T, 718 Cayman S, Cayman GTS 4.0 and 718 Cayman GT4. All models are rear-wheel-drive and come standard with a six-speed manual transmission. A seven-speed automatic (PDK) transmission is offered as an option.

718 Cayman The base 718 Cayman comes well equipped, though as a "driver's car" many advanced safety features are not standard. Feature highlights include:

• Turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (300 horsepower, 280 lb-ft of torque)
• 18-inch alloy wheels with summer performance tires
• Sport exhaust
• Xenon headlights
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Heated front seats
• Partial leather upholstery
• 7-inch touchscreen
• Two USB ports
• Eight-speaker audio system
• Satellite radio
• Apple CarPlay smartphone integration

718 Cayman T The Cayman T is a slightly sharper performance coupe and includes all of the base Cayman's features, as well as:

• 20-inch wheels
• Variable-damping sport suspension lowered 20 millimeters
• Mechanical limited-slip differential and torque vectoring (can enhance traction and agility when accelerating or cornering)
• Sport Chrono package
• Lightweight nylon door handles
• Sport seats

718 Cayman S The Cayman S picks up where the base Cayman leaves off and increases the performance quotient with:

• Turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (350 hp, 309 lb-ft)
• 19-inch alloy wheels

718 Cayman GTS 4.0 The new GTS 4.0 gets a similar array of performance upgrades as the Cayman T. It also has:

• 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six-cylinder engine (394 hp, 309 lb-ft of torque or 317 lb-ft with the PDK)
• 20-inch wheels
• GTS-specific trim details

718 Cayman GT4 The range-topping Cayman GT4 goes all in with:

• Naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine (414 hp, 309 lb-ft)
• Variable-damping sport suspension lowered 30 mm
• Upgraded brakes
• Fixed rear wing
• Larger cooling intakes
• Lower rear fascia with diffuser
• GT4-specific trim details

Some performance upgrades found on the Cayman T and GT4 are available on the regular Cayman and Cayman S as options. Other notable extras include:

• Ceramic-composite brake rotors
• Keyless entry and ignition
• Full leather upholstery
• 14-way or 18-way sport seats
• Ventilated seats
• LED headlights
• Navigation system
• Blind-spot monitoring (alerts you if a vehicle in the next lane over is in your blind spot)
• Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Cayman and the car in front)
• Bose or Burmester premium sound system