RE: 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 | Driven

[jl4069]

Miserablegit said:

Pistonheads should be brave and do a head to head on the track and road with this and a similar cost pdk gts (getting around the usual Porsche excuse of “I’m sorry journalist we only have this model available with all the extras and pccb “)
My money would be on the lighter 4 pot...

This is a shame as the gt4 was the Halo model but this seems to have lost its way- yes it is a 6 pot but it is the heaviest in the range. I suppose if they had really made it a halo model nobody would be able to buy it anyway....

True story. The press will almost never test and compare different Porsche's with one another. Imagine a test between this Cayman and a 991 GT3. A test we all would love to read, a test which will never happen. Bring on more citizen/public funded car tests. j

[Mike335i]

simonbamg said:

PDK maybe for me, or I’d go for something like the new A45s much more fun for a lot less money

How would an A45s be more fun than a GT4? Faster maybe, but faster is not more fun.

[BogleDog64]

fuchsiasteve said:

+1

Hmm. Have you actually driven a Cayman 987, 981 or 718? No appeal at all? Understandable if you need to do the school run or go to the local tip (brilliant for the weekly shop). What about the handling, braking, steering accuracy and sheer performance? Maybe try first? I suggest you don’t judge by Top Trumps.

[Nerdherder]

Sandpit Steve said:

sideways man said:

Nice car, but Walter Röhrl is the real legend in this story.

Walter Röhrl is a legend in any story!

Ganz genau.

[Nerdherder]

BogleDog64 said:

Feirny said:

Cayman or Caymen? The writer doesn’t seem to be able to decide in the article.

Cayman singular; Caymen plural.

Edited by BogleDog64 on Sunday 14th July 16:46

“All the Caymen are macho, can’t you see their leather shine” ~ Joe Jackson - Real Men

[BogleDog64]

simonbamg said:

PDK maybe for me, or I’d go for something like the new A45s much more fun for a lot less money

Different beast.
Very quick but the sound is not there (for me). Not sure about the much more fun bit. I had a “challenge” from a new A45 and while quick, the driver couldn’t match the 981 handling through the twisties.

[SidewaysSi]

Lack of challenge and feelfree steering. Sounds dull to me.

[RacerMike]

Gandahar said:

They have a car with EPAS and too longer gearing and MORE DOWN FORCE.

Thanks Porsche for getting all your priorities wrong for a sporty road car that has some fun in 2019 rather than that lap around the famous german track ...


I'm sure it will more than sell out the LOI's...

Every new Porsche since the 991 Gen 1 has had EPAS, and contrary to the Pistonheads experts, that doesn’t mean then steering is rubbish. Current 911s and Caymans are fantastic for steering feel.

Massive fan of the GT4. Such a fantastic car to drive fast.

[anonymous-user]

RacerMike said:

Every new Porsche since the 991 Gen 1 has had EPAS, and contrary to the Pistonheads experts, that doesn’t mean their steering is rubbish. Current 911s and Caymans are fantastic for steering feel.

Massive fan of the GT4. Such a fantastic car to drive fast.

Shhhh. You'll only upset the theoretical PH driving gods - busy driving their keyboards round social-meeja land.

[SidewaysSi]

Gandahar said:

They have a car with EPAS and too longer gearing and MORE DOWN FORCE.

Thanks Porsche for getting all your priorities wrong for a sporty road car that has some fun in 2019 rather than that lap around the famous german track ...


I'm sure it will more than sell out the LOI's...

I largely agree but that is what buyers and engineers want so there you go.

I thought the old Cayman GT4's steering was poor. But I am a driving God after all.

[RacerMike]

SidewaysSi said:

Gandahar said:

They have a car with EPAS and too longer gearing and MORE DOWN FORCE.

Thanks Porsche for getting all your priorities wrong for a sporty road car that has some fun in 2019 rather than that lap around the famous german track ...


I'm sure it will more than sell out the LOI's...

I largely agree but that is what buyers and engineers want so there you go.

I thought the old Cayman GT4's steering was poor. But I am a driving God after all.

Genuine question. What aspects of it did you find poor? And is there anything you’d hold up as being the absolute best example of steering in your opinion?

[Porsche911R]

RacerMike said:

Genuine question. What aspects of it did you find poor? And is there anything you’d hold up as being the absolute best example of steering in your opinion?

Eps is st, that’s that :-) esp in the wet when you have no idea what the front ends upto.

Best steering car I have owned was a Noble, after that Lotus after that, 987's or the early GT3’s , and any classic has feel in spades.

991,981 are the very worse Porsche have ever made, new models are getting better but still nothing like older cars. New GT3 is passable in the dry, still not great for wet.

Odd they made the steering feel lighter in the new GT4 !

But eps is the ruin of the 991.1 and 981 range which is a shame as they were really great cars bar that.

[kars]

1400kg+ no thanks, I take Lotus Exige

[Kolbenkopp]

jl4069 said:

True story. The press will almost never test and compare different Porsche's with one another. Imagine a test between this Cayman and a 991 GT3. A test we all would love to read, a test which will never happen. Bring on more citizen/public funded car tests. j

Yup. An eye opener for naive me: the lead sports car mag in Germany admitted they could not get Porsche to lend them a (similar priced) Cayman to test against the V6 Exige. Had to wait until the limited run and expensive Mk1 GT4 was available...

[RacerMike]

Porsche911R said:

Eps is st, that’s that :-) esp in the wet when you have no idea what the front ends upto.

Best steering car I have owned was a Noble, after that Lotus after that, 987's or the early GT3’s , and any classic has feel in spades.

991,981 are the very worse Porsche have ever made, new models are getting better but still nothing like older cars. New GT3 is passable in the dry, still not great for wet.

Odd they made the steering feel lighter in the new GT4 !

But eps is the ruin of the 991.1 and 981 range which is a shame as they were really great cars bar that.

It’s all very well saying that ‘it’s sh**’ but honestly what parts of it are rubbish specifically?

Personally I find the weighting excellent, the linearity off centre really good and the feedback of tyre forces really good. My 987 was similar, but had too much noise from unnecessary road surface variation for me. Even if you like this though, to describe it as ‘sh**’ in a 991 or 981 is pretty strong. It’s arguably not quite as detailed as the older cars but it’s better than most hydraulic racks in most other manufactures. And having recently driven a 964, I’d actually say the modern EPAS systems are closer to the feel of these than the 987 and 997 gen HPAS.

[av185]

simonbamg said:

PDK maybe for me, or I’d go for something like the new A45s much more fun for a lot less money

A remarkable conclusion from yet another armchair expert seeing as you've not driven a 718 GT4.

[jontykint]

Feirny said:

Cayman or Caymen? The writer doesn’t seem to be able to decide in the article.

Plural innit

[av185]

'Cayperson' presumably would best appease the offended snowflakes.....

[Cold]

jontykint said:

Feirny said:

Cayman or Caymen? The writer doesn’t seem to be able to decide in the article.

Plural innit

No. It's almost as bad as those who say "Loti".

[gofasterrosssco]

Scoobysaurus said:

Would be good to see it tested against the Lotus Exige S3 as well in due course

What, like this?

https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-features/p...

I'd expect the same sort of conclusions, as both current cars (new GT4 against a Exige 410 Sport) are just variants of existing models..