How Fast Is the Non-S Porsche 718 Cayman?
Most performance tests tend to ignore the base Porsche 718 Cayman in favor of the faster S. But, the ‘slower’ model isn’t slow by any means.
When it comes to performance testing, we tend to ignore base model cars like the non-S Porsche 718 Cayman. Mainly because, well, they aren’t as fast as their upgraded brethren. But in the case of the Cayman (and Boxster), overlooking the base model is a big mistake. With 300 hp coming from the new turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder powerplant, these things aren’t exactly slow. And that’s exactly what Edmunds set out to prove in this video.
To figure out the Porsche 718 Cayman acceleration sweet spot, our reviewer makes several attempts at achieving a stellar time. The first? Just stab the gas and go, with all the electronic nannies on. With little excitement, the Cayman leaps off the line. Albeit with “clutch engagement that’s a little long, initially.” Presumably on purpose, as the various computers work to eliminate wheelspin. But even still, the little base Porsche manages a decent 5.2-second 0-60 and 13.3-second quarter mile.
For the second go round, our tester puts the car in Sport Plus, sets the dampers to soft, and turns stability control off. And in good old fashioned drag race style, he builds revs with one foot on the brake and one on the gas. This time, we get a nice, hard 6,000 rpm launch. Not to mention a marketed improvement in elapsed times – 4.3-seconds to 60 and a 12.6-second quarter mile.
The third time around, there isn’t much to change, but our tester sets the dampers to firm for scientific purposes. But that only hurts weight transfer and adds a tenth of a second to the 0-60 time. The fourth and final run involves an attempt to let off the brake more quickly and launch at 6,500 rpm. But that only results in another 4.4-second blast.
Still, these are pretty impressive (and consistent) results. Ripping off low 4-second runs is as easy as it gets in the base 718 Porsche Cayman, which is enough to outrun most non-exotic machinery on the road today. So maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss this “base” model ride after all!
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