The GT4 is now accessible with a guide or computerized.
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Some issues cannot be quantified. The sound of a naturally aspirated flat-six engine spinning at 8,000 rpm. Loud-and-clear suggestions felt by way of a steering wheel. The crisp, rewarding motion of a guide transmission clicking from gear to gear. All of those sensations are paramount to the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 expertise. So what occurs should you take one away?

LikeSuper-sharp reflexesStrong and sonorous flat-six powerQuick-shifting dual-clutch transmission

Don’t LikeSmall paddle shiftersOutdated infotainment techCan’t change the guide expertise

For 2021, the Cayman GT4 is out there with Porsche’s seven-speed PDK dual-clutch computerized transmission. It’s the identical gearbox you will discover in a variety of the corporate’s different sports activities vehicles, and it comes with an a variety of benefits. Despite including 68 kilos to the GT4’s curb weight, the Cayman is faster with PDK. It’ll hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, in contrast with 4.2 seconds with the guide transmission. PDK additionally permits the engine to provide a skosh extra torque — 317 pound-feet, up from 309 — and even makes the GT4 a bit extra environment friendly, with 1-mpg will increase throughout the board. Of course, the result’s a still-dismal 18 mpg metropolis, 24 mpg freeway and 20 mpg mixed, however hey, any enhancements are good.No shock, PDK works fantastically with the GT4’s 4.0-liter flat-six. Left to its personal units, gear adjustments are as easy as they’re fast, they usually’re completely timed, too. The transmission is aware of while you’re driving arduous and holds gears close to redline to accommodate. Press the PDK Sport button on the middle stack and the DCT is much more alert, retaining the engine revving excessive to eke out each certainly one of its 414 horsepower. Feel like selecting your personal journey? Metal paddles connected to the steering wheel allow you to name up your personal shift logic, and inputs are rewarded with fast responses. I want the paddles had been bigger and mounted on the column — the right means — however so far as dual-clutch transmissions go, it is actually arduous to beat PDK.

But whereas the DCT’s enhancements are undeniably clear, what the GT4 positive factors in goal efficiency it loses in subjective enjoyment. So a lot of why I like the Cayman GT4 comes right down to its uncooked, involving character; by way of driver suggestions, trendy vehicles do not get a lot better than this. The customary six-speed guide transmission heightens that engagement, pulling you into the expertise with a weighty clutch pedal, a hefty gear lever and a short-throw ‘field so tactile you will end up clicking by way of the gears at stoplights just because it feels that good.I’ve heard lots of people complain in regards to the GT4’s guide transmission, saying the gearing is simply too lengthy to actually make it satisfying. But I do not get the hate. Just as a result of you do not have to shift as typically doesn’t suggest you possibly can’t. You need not continually run between 6,000 and 8,000 rpm within the GT4 to have a whale of a time; the 4.0-liter engine has ample midrange shove. You aren’t setting lap data on public roads, in any case. If you need to shift, simply freaking shift.

I want the PDK automobile had bigger paddle shifters.
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Still, whichever transmission you select, the GT4 is an excellent automobile. Porsche’s 718 chassis can just about do no improper, and on this most aggressive spec, it is a pleasure to wring out again and again up and down my favourite canyon roads. A continuing stream of suggestions flows by way of the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, and I can really feel reverberations from the sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires up by way of the chassis and into the fastened bucket seats. These carbon fiber-reinforced chairs aren’t precisely constructed for long-haul consolation, however then once more, neither is the GT4.

Yet on the identical time, the Cayman is shockingly livable. The chassis is not so stiff that it will punish you for driving on tough pavement, which is outstanding contemplating how taut this automobile is on a mountain highway. Wind and tire noise actually make themselves identified, but it surely’s nothing you possibly can’t drown out with a number of twists of the stereo quantity knob. Or, , simply open the game exhaust and dig into the throttle. There’s nothing just like the wail of a flat-six.These full bucket seats are properly supportive.
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The Cayman’s inside is certainly exhibiting its age, although the straightforward association of fastened buttons on the middle stack makes them straightforward to find whereas driving, and there is a satisfying click on to their motion. The material door pulls have but to lose their novelty, and remember, the Cayman can also be fairly purposeful. The mid-engine structure means there is a deep frunk and a small however usable baggage compartment below the rear hatch.If there’s one place the place the 718 actually feels outdated, it is within the tech division. The GT4’s 7-inch colour touchscreen runs the oldest iteration of Porsche’s PCM software program with a comparatively primary menu construction. You can get Apple CarPlay however Android Auto continues to be unavailable. Want the newest and biggest driver help options? You’ve received the improper automobile, pal.Look intently and you will discover this Gentian Blue GT4 has a roll cage behind the seats, however do not get too excited. This is a part of a Clubsport package deal that is not accessible within the US that features a six-point seat belt for the motive force and a light-weight hearth extinguisher as a result of, , racing may be harmful. The solely cause this particular automobile has the Clubsport choice is as a result of it is a German-spec GT4 that Porsche imported to the US for testing. The European quantity plate on the entrance bumper is not only for present, is what I’m saying.Love the look of Gentian Blue.
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The 2021 Cayman GT4 begins at $102,550, together with $1,350 for vacation spot, and the brand new PDK choice provides $3,210 to the underside line. Grab a number of key choices like the total bucket seats ($5,900), carbon ceramic brakes ($8,000), LED headlights ($2,140) and a not-boring paint colour (you will get it in Frozen Berry pink!) and a properly optioned GT4 will run you round $125,000. Considering this factor can chase down supercars costing twice as a lot, that hefty-sounding price ticket oddly appears like a cut price. Weird, I do know.Would I personally go for the PDK choice within the Cayman GT4? No. It takes away from the driving expertise an excessive amount of for my liking, and the efficiency positive factors cannot make up for that lack of involvement. The Cayman GT4 is likely one of the world’s finest sports activities vehicles, and that is true whether or not you go guide or computerized. But for a automobile that is so centered on an all-encompassing sensory expertise, I can not think about shopping for one and not using a traditionally quintessential factor of the bond between automobile and driver.