Porsche 718 Cayman T review: added sparkle for this gem of a sports car
R, S and T are the sportiest of letters – or so it would seem in the eyes of car producers, and Porsche has been sweet on them for years. Indeed, some of the German sports car maker’s most desirable products wear RS nomenclature, while the 911 comes as a Carrera S and also, for a brief period, as a very focused 911 R.
But the letter T is far less used by the men from Stuttgart… until recently. Talk to anyone from the company and they tell you that ‘T’ stands for Touring, in homage to the 911T launched in 1967. That car used a detuned, 108bhp 2.0-litre engine and (kind of) functioned as the entry-level for Porsche ownership in the Swinging Sixties.
However, T wasn’t seen again on a Porsche for a long time until, near the end of the outgoing 991-generation 911’s life, it made a comeback, as the Carrera T. This car was to the base Carrera 911 as the 911 GTS was to the Carrera S; namely, it bundled in much of the best cost options available, for a price premium slightly less than what each individual extra would be if specified by a Carrera-buying customer.
It also, as this is Porsche we’re talking about, had the option of some weight-saving tricks, like the deletion of the rear seats and the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) infotainment.
Now the T-formula has spread to the 718 Boxster and Cayman ranges. In much the same fashion as the Carrera T went about its business, these new models employ the 295bhp, 2.0-litre engine of the regular 718 (rather than the 345bhp, 2.5-litre motor of the 718 Boxster and Cayman S variants) and gain some desirable kit, plus visual amendments, to make a more driver-focused version of Porsche’s most affordable cars.
You get about £8,000 or so of extra equipment, for a starting price of £51,145 as the Cayman T coupé, which we’re driving here. The Boxster roadster is the same confection mechanically, with a folding fabric roof.
Since both are two-seaters anyway, this T cannot junk any seats to save weight, but there’s still the option to make do without PCM, a two-tier shelving arrangement sitting where the satnav screen would otherwise be.
Outside, 20-inch wheels couple with discreet graphics and ‘718 Cayman T’ badging on the rump, while inside are fabric-loop door pulls, the GT Sports steering wheel and discreet ‘T’ logos.
Mechanically, the T gains no extra power over a regular 718, but it does benefit from a 20mm-lower Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) chassis (which cannot be specified on the standard 2.0-litre models) as well as the Sport Chrono package, a Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) system with a rear differential lock and the Porsche Active Drivetrain Mounts (PADM) for the engine and gearbox.
As is usually the case with Porsche, there is nothing drastic in terms of changes, but these tweaks add up to a rather splendid whole.
The 718 Cayman T is good enough to have you questioning the need to look at the brawnier Cayman S, and maybe even the Cayman GTS, too. While many will still lament the Porsche’s shift from a normally aspirated flat-six in the older models to this 2.0-litre flat-four, there’s little problem with the sheer speed the Cayman T can summon, its torquey engine providing an in-gear elasticity that makes this a startlingly quick car.
And yet, it’s the handling that delights – and which has had the clearest improvements as a result of the T treatment. There’s less understeer in this more focused Cayman, with the car neatly hunkered down in corners, the body control flat and the grip levels immense.
The feedback coming through the wheel is more nuanced and detailed, while the PADM does a grand job of transposing all the 718 T’s muscle to the rear wheels in an effective fashion.
There’s a shortened gearshift to work with, too, emblazoned with red numerals and particularly pleasant to operate.
So while S still trumps T, officially at least, in the Cayman hierarchy, it’s hard to imagine why you’d need anything more talented than the new 718 T in either open Boxster or closed Cayman form.
It’s an exceptionally talented sports car and one which should, if you’ll pardon the pun, suit most Porsche fans down to a T.
THE FACTS
Porsche 718 Cayman T
TESTED 1,988cc horizontally opposed turbocharged four-cylinder petrol, six-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive with mechanical diff-lock
PRICE/ON SALE 718 Cayman T from £51,145, 718 Boxster T from £53,006/now
POWER/TORQUE 295bhp @ 6,500rpm/280lb ft @ 2,150-4,500rpm
TOP SPEED 171mph
ACCELERATION 0-62mph in 5.1sec
FUEL ECONOMY 34.9mpg/25mpg (EU Combined/Urban)
CO2 EMISSIONS 186g/km
VED £830 first year, £450 next five years, then £140
VERDICT Simple but highly effective changes make the already-great 718 Cayman into that little-bit-greater-still 718 Cayman T. Blinding chassis, strong drivetrain, appealing character – this is a first-class sports car.
TELEGRAPH RATING Five stars out of five
THE RIVALS
Audi TTS Coupé, from £41,205
Has tremendous all-weather security and a cheaper price, but as nice as the TTS is, it lacks for the finesse, balance and engagement of the 718 Cayman T.
BMW M240i, from £37,360
Due for replacement, nevertheless the M240i has a storming straight-six engine and a couple of rear seats. Very, very capable, but not quite as deft as the Porsche.
Jaguar F-Type 2.0, from £51,925
This great-looking coupé can be specified with a 295bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It’s a good car, although on the heavy side compared with many rivals.
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