Contents of the material
Downsizing
Restyling of both the Cayman and the 911 in the current generation has become truly revolutionary. Both Porsche models switched from naturally aspirated engines to turbocharged ones, significantly reducing their volume. But if the older line of sports cars at least retained the proprietary number of cylinders, the Cayman went even further, replacing the 2.7 and 3.2 “sixes” with four-cylinder boxer engines of 2.0 and 2.5 liters. Don’t rush to curl your mouth into a grin, because four cylinders with a 180-degree camber are where the history of Porsche began. Both the 356 and 550 A Spyder, and many other early sports and racing models of the brand sported the “fours”. In addition, like the 911, the Cayman, with the transition to forced supercharging, has gained not only power, but also torque.
Why 718? The new Boxster/Cayman is named after the Porsche 718 racing car, which first debuted in open version in 1957 as a replacement for the legendary 550 A Spyder. The original 718s were equipped with 1.5 and 1.6 engines with 129 and 160 hp. respectively. The photo shows the only original 718 GTR coupe in history, which brought the crew of Yo Bonnier and Carlo Maria Abate victory in the legendary Targa Florio on the roads of Sicily.
Judge for yourself if our 718 Cayman produces 300 hp. and 380 Nm, then its naturally aspirated predecessor is only 275 hp. and 290 Nm. Moreover, if previously the peak power was reached at 7,400 rpm, and the torque plateau was quite narrow: 4,500 – 6,500 rpm, now the entire herd is available at 6,500 rpm, and the thrust is – starting from 1,950 to 4,500 rpm. That is, you always have either power or torque. These numbers alone are enough to understand that the restyling has made the Cayman family much more talented and capable both on the road and on the track. In Zuffenhausen, they generally considered that this time the restyling could be counted as a full-fledged change of generations, and assigned the Cayman a new in-house index, and added the index 718 to the name of the Boxster/Cayman family in honor of the sports roadsters and coupes of the late 50s – early 60s . Isn’t it too bold?
The steering wheel is perhaps the main innovation in the Cayman interior. The spokes are now hollow in the style of the 918 Spyder hypercar, and on the right on cars with the Sport Chrono package there is a rotating mechatronic chassis mode selector. In its center is the Sport Response button, which briefly sharpens reactions.
Lighting engineering
Bi-xenon headlights.
Rain. Fog. Night darkness. This will not scare a real athlete. All 718 models are therefore equipped with bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights.
The Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) is available as an option with expressive 4-point daytime running lights, headlight washers and dynamic headlight control. Dynamic Cornering Lights direct the headlights into corners to improve illumination of the road. In a word, you are just entering a turn, and the road in front of you is already illuminated by the headlights of your car.
LED headlights incl.
High safety combined with sporty design. LED headlights including PDLS are available as an option. Optimal visibility is ensured by 4-point daytime running lights and headlight washers.
We learn materiel
In terms of design, the Cayman and Boxster are also as close as possible. At first glance, there are not many changes in the appearance of the coupe, but in fact only the roof, windshield and trunk lid remain the same. All other body parts are new. Overall, the car became wider and stockier and received many different elements that made its appearance more interesting. The front panel in the cabin has been redesigned. There is a new Porsche Communication Management (PCM) with a state-of-the-art touch display – it is included as standard.
If earlier the engines of the Cayman coupe were more powerful than those of the Boxster roadster, now the output of their power units is the same. The motors are new. Instead of naturally aspirated flat-six engines, the new product is equipped with turbocharged four-cylinder engines – also, of course, opposed ones. The 718 Cayman version has a 2-liter unit producing 300 hp, and the 718 Cayman S modification has a 2.5-liter engine developing 350 hp. In both cases, this is 25 “horses” more than previous atmospheric versions. It is interesting that the new power units have one turbine, while many automakers now install two superchargers, or even more. The 718 Cayman S has a variable turbine geometry, like the 911 Turbo.
The new 718 Cayman is more dynamic than its predecessor, but also consumes less fuel. Thus, the 300-horsepower version with the Sport Chrono package accelerates to “hundreds” in 4.7 seconds, which is 0.7 seconds faster than the similar model of the previous generation, and the 350-horsepower version performs the same exercise in 4.2 seconds, which is 0.5 s better than before. In addition, Porsche claims that due to the clever Dynamic Boost system, the response to pressing the accelerator pedal in such engines is as fast as in naturally aspirated units. Thanks to this system, when the gas is released, the throttle valve remains almost completely open and the boost pressure does not drop to zero, and when the pedal is pressed again, the engine reacts almost instantly.
The chassis has been seriously modernized. New shock absorbers have been installed, and the springs and stabilizers have become stiffer. Additional buffer springs have appeared on the front axle, limiting the rebound stroke, which reduces the lift of the car’s front end during acceleration and reduces the roll angle during high-speed cornering. And, despite the stiffer suspension settings, the car became more comfortable over small and medium-sized bumps. The width of the rims on the rear axle has been increased by half an inch, which, in combination with new tires, seriously increases speed and stability on turns. Improves handling and modernized steering, which has become 10% sharper.
As an option for both modifications, the PASM active sports suspension is offered, lowering the body level by 10 mm, and for the 718 Cayman S, an even sportier version of this chassis can be ordered, reducing the ride height by 20 mm. All versions of the active suspension have an expanded range between “sport” and “comfort” modes; the version with a 20 mm lowering has a more rigid “sport” mode. In accordance with the increase in dynamics, the coupe also received more powerful brake mechanisms.
New driver assistance systems have appeared. For example, cruise control automatically brakes the car on a descent and has a coasting function to save fuel. There is an optional lane change assist system that warns of the presence of obstacles in the blind spot. In short, there are so many changes that they look like a full-fledged new model.