Porsche 718 Cayman T

Performance with a pared-back ethos

- Georg Kacher

ENGINE 1988cc flat-4, DOHC, 16v, turbo POWER 220kW @ 6500rpm TORQUE 380Nm @ 2150rpm 0-100KM/H 5.1sec (claimed) WEIGHT 1350kg • PRICE $120,000 (est)

DRIVING PLEASURE in its purest form – or Touring – is what the T moniker is supposed to be all about when attached to a Porsche. So it makes sense that the Cayman (and Boxster), the annoyingly competent younger sibling to the all-conquering 911, gains a pared back, yet more focused variant. Although, it seems more a marketing ploy than anything when emblazoned on the rump of an iconic 911 – you might as well just spec a Carrera how you want it. So PR jargon aside, is the Cayman better with a T?

For a start you get the ‘lesser’ 2.0- litre flat four turbo, and not the bigger 2.5-litre. Still, although it sits on the bottom rung of the image ladder, the water-cooled 1988cc flat four is actually a decent unit. It’s happier to rev and with 220kW and 380Nm pushing around 1350kg, the boosted four is not slow. A 0-100km/h time of 5.1sec (with the preferred six-speed manual) and a 275km/h top speed is the proof in the pudding. Select the rapid-fire seven-speed PDK and the 0-100km/h claim drops to 4.7sec with Sport Plus. Thanks to the impressive real-life performance of the downsized engine, the 718 Cayman T doesn’t, unlike the 911 T, feel like an otherwise complete athlete with a weak heart.