Jonathan Harper
There’s rather a lot to be mentioned for the meditative high quality of an extended drive on a very good highway by your self, however I usually discover that operating by the canyons north of Los Angeles is extra enjoyable with a pal. And since my vital different owns a Porsche Cayman GT4, lots of our date nights contain me staring on the again finish of his Brewster Green coupe whereas I’m chasing it down Angeles Forest Highway.With its huge rear wing and light-weight fixtures, the hardcore GT4 makes no bones about its positioning as Porsche’s most race-focused Cayman. Yet within the years I’ve been aware about seat time in my accomplice’s GT4, I’ve as an alternative come to respect its skills as a highway automobile. No matter what supercar I’m driving, the GT4 at all times retains up. And whereas the 2020 GT4 improves on lots of the coupe’s livability components, it provides up nothing in the way in which of go-like-hell satisfaction.
LikePerfectly tuned chassisPowerful flat-six engineA tactile expertise that places the driving force and automobile in good concord
Don’t LikeOutdated infotainment techMight be too harsh for some
The new GT4’s 4.0-liter flat-six is shared with the 718 Spyder, in addition to Porsche’s up to date Boxster and Cayman GTS fashions. It shouldn’t be, nevertheless, the identical 4.0-liter engine from the 911 GT3. The excellent news is that the brand new 4.0-liter has cease/begin and cylinder deactivation, which assist it run extra effectively, for no matter that is value in a automobile designed to be pushed laborious. The dangerous information is that this 4.0-liter does not sound fairly nearly as good because the GT3’s motor, and even the 3.8-liter engine from the outdated GT4. Of course, that is nonetheless a free-breathing flat-six that’ll spin as much as 8,000 rpm, so I ought to make clear that “doesn’t sound quite as good” is not actually a demerit. Plus, it is a welcome little bit of salvation for these postpone by the lesser 718s’ turbo-four soundtracks.With 414 horsepower, the 4.0-liter engine improves upon the 2016 GT4’s 3.8-liter flat-six by 29 hp. The torque specs are equivalent, at 309 pound-feet. Porsche says the 718 GT4 will speed up to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, which does not sound all that fast for a sports activities automobile in 2020, particularly when a base 911 Carrera will do the identical dash in 4 seconds flat. But the additional emotion that comes with winding out a giant flat-six greater than makes up for any discrepancy in straight-line pace. Besides, the GT4 is not about acceleration occasions. Throw it right into a nook. That’s when it comes alive.
Jonathan Harper
The GT4 affords the form of tactile expertise that leads me to consider this needs to be the benchmark for all of Porsche’s future sports activities automobiles
Both the Cayman GT4 and its 718 Spyder sibling share a entrance axle with Porsche’s 991.2 GT3, a automobile I personally placed on a pedestal as one of many best-handling sports activities automobiles I’ve ever pushed — ever. Compared to different 718 fashions, the GT4 has a singular rear axle, stiffer chassis and a 1-inch decrease trip peak. Drivers can tinker with camber, toe and anti-roll bar changes. The wing has a barely completely different form and the big rear diffuser homes a brand new exhaust system, all of which accounts for a 50% enchancment in downforce over the outdated GT4, leading to higher high-speed stability. All instructed, whereas the 718 GT4 is simply barely faster than its predecessor in a straight line, it is rather a lot sooner within the corners.And holy smokes, can it hustle. The 718 Boxster-Cayman chassis is already a factor of brilliance, however the GT4 takes it to a different stage. Unique stability management tuning and a mechanical limited-slip differential enable you to put the ability down with nice management, however they by no means get in the way in which of a very good time. There’s simply sufficient play within the chassis to maintain you in your toes, and sufficient grip from the 245/35ZR20 entrance and 295/30ZR20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires to allow you to safely and confidently exploit its limits.
Jonathan Harper
The GT4’s reflexes are so fast and its actions so exact, it varieties an prompt bond with the driving force. It does not take lengthy earlier than you are placing your full religion within the GT4’s {hardware}, coming into corners method sooner than you’d in any other case dare and popping out the opposite facet considering it was all a bit of cake. The new GT4’s steering is barely lighter on heart than its forebear, however the response is however speedy. This automobile affords the form of tactile expertise that leads me to consider this needs to be the benchmark for all of Porsche’s future sports activities automobiles.
The six-speed guide gearbox has provoked the ire of some of us. Its comparatively lengthy gearing means you’ll be able to attain triple-digit speeds not lengthy after shifting into third gear. Said one other method, you do not actually have to alter gears all that a lot, which form of defeats the aim of a guide transmission. But I personally do not get the hate. There’s extra drama in a single push of the clutch and one pull of the shifter than in a complete highschool theater division. The new GT4’s clutch is definitely lighter than the outdated automobile’s, too, so I’m compelled to make use of it extra usually, simply shifting for the sake of shifting, repeating corners at completely different factors in numerous gears simply to see what feels higher. It’s enjoyable, and enjoyable is sweet. Or simply wait a number of months and order your GT4 with the upcoming dual-clutch computerized, which is rather a lot much less enjoyable.Huge, 16.1-inch entrance and 15.4-inch rear carbon-ceramic brakes deliver the celebration to a halt with a quickness, although beware, they’re an $8,000 add-on. Adaptive dampers allow you to toggle between Normal and Sport settings, although this actually simply adjustments the trip high quality from stiff to stiffer, which I suppose is perhaps a grievance if this automobile wasn’t designed from the get-go to be an absolute scalpel of a driver’s software.
Jonathan Harper
The GT4 is the perfect expression of the inherently implausible Cayman.
On that be aware, there’s not a lot to speak about so far as consolation or comfort options are involved — at the least, not more than the final GT4, or actually, every other Cayman. Most of the inside is lined with Alcantara suede, and whereas I known as the $5,900 full bucket seats a bit cosy after I reviewed the 718 Spyder, I’ve since dropped 20 kilos, and now they’re much more tolerable. A 7-inch touchscreen runs the older model of Porsche’s Communication Management software program with Apple CarPlay included, which is fairly simple to make use of however positively behind the occasions, particularly in comparison with the newer PCM tech within the 911. There are not any superior driver-assistance methods to talk of, both, however that is not why anybody buys a GT4.At $100,550, together with $1,350 for vacation spot, the GT4 is a way more costly proposition than one other track-ready sports activities coupe like, say, a Ford Shelby GT350. But Porsche individuals do not buy Mustangs, so it is a moot level. The 2020 Evora GT presents a fairly good mid-engine risk, too, however hilarious as it’s to drive, I could not stay with the Lotus’ inside day-after-day, to not point out the model’s less-than-stellar observe document for reliability.The GT4 is the perfect expression of the inherently implausible Porsche Cayman, and the brand new one is not any kind of particular than the unique. That’s particularly excellent news for 2016 GT4 house owners like my higher half. I can chase him by the canyons, GT4 behind GT4, and nonetheless awe on the greatness of the outdated automobile whereas having fun with the magic of the brand new.
The 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 is the definition of a driver’s automobile
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