Our 2022 Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0 Starts Its Stress Test
The very first day our new Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 went into long-term service, it got snowed on. Heavily. Six inches of powder, the kind skiers live for, piled atop a crust of ice from a blast of freezing rain that had arrived in Michigan earlier in the day. Welcome to your new home, Cayman!
Why would we subject a car this nice to weather this harsh? Because we praise Porsches for being everyday-drivable sports cars. Testing that belief requires living with one of our favorites from Stuttgart—we know, tough duty—long enough to experience it in a multiplicity of driving situations. A Cayman owner in Los Angeles might decide to take his or her car up to Big Bear for some skiing; a Michigander might want to do a little slip-sliding on a snowy day. We happen to know that a former C/D editor-in-chief bought a new 911 a few years ago and proceeded to use it as a daily driver in winter.
This isn’t the six-inch snow that buried our GTS on its first day in service. This is the two-inch snow that fell on it a few nights later.
Rich CepposCar and Driver
So, as we do with all our long-term test cars, we fitted the Cayman with winter tires when it arrived in late winter and proceeded to break it in. We’ll keep it long enough to rack up 40,000 miles through all four seasons and learn things about it that a short stay could never reveal. We’ll take it on cross-country trips and trundle down to the corner grocery in it to pick up a dozen eggs. We’ll lean on it hard on gnarly two-lanes. We’ll bring it to the dealer for service. And we’ll record every penny spent on maintenance, fuel, and repairs.
Snow or no snow, our Cayman will not remain parked for long periods, and with good reason: It’s the quintessential driver’s car. After all, the Cayman earned a spot on our 2022 10Best list—its 16th straight year—for its “shimmering combination of poise, grace, and grit.”
Michael SimariCar and Driver
Our new Cayman arrived well dressed for its stay with C/D’s staff of hot-footed drivers. It wears a coat of sweetly understated Aventurine Green Metallic paint—far better that than arrest-me red. This is the GTS 4.0, after all, which is Porsche-speak for “racy.” It’s powered by a mid-mounted, naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six that spins out 394 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 309 pound-feet of torque at 5000 rpm.
If that power curve sounds peaky, you’re right. This motor gets a big jolt of caffeine at about 4000 rpm—typical behavior for an unboosted Porsche engine—and it fills the intimate cockpit with an exquisite baritone wail as the revs race to the 7800-rpm redline. As if we needed more incentive to go fast. We opted for the six-speed manual gearbox—of course—and the stubby shifter moves through the Cayman’s tightly spaced gates with precision and delicacy.
Michael SimariCar and Driver
Yes, Porsche’s brilliant seven-speed dual-clutch automatic would chop a few tenths of a second from the acceleration times, but initial instrumented testing of our manual-equipped long-termer (conducted after easing it through its 2000-mile break-in period), confirmed that it’s plenty quick. It’s not the easiest car to launch—it doesn’t like its clutch slipped off the line—but it still busted out a 3.9-second run to 60 mph and galloped through the quarter-mile in 12.1 seconds at 118 mph. It also circled our skidpad at 1.03 g’s and stopped from 70 mph in 145 feet. That’s appropriate performance for a car wearing a Porsche badge and a $99,070 window sticker.
Ninety-nine large is a lot of money, and our long-termer is actually lightly equipped for a Porsche. Our test car (base price: $88,750) has $10,320 in extras—a mere sprinkling by Porsche standards. The list includes the special green paint ($650), rich Espresso leather slathered on most interior surfaces ($3680), and ventilated seats ($740). We also added a Bose Surround Sound audio system ($900), brushed aluminum interior trim ($900), and gloss-black-painted brake calipers ($900). Wait a minute: plain black brake calipers for 900 bucks? Yep, this is a Porsche all right. At least Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM)—meaning, adaptive dampers—is standard along with Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summer tires, size 235/35ZR-20 up front and 265/35ZR-20 rear.
Michael SimariCar and Driver
So now it’s on to the driving, 40K miles worth. We expect to bask in the Cayman’s sweetly intuitive steering; sharp, powerful brakes; and gutsy flat-six every time we climb behind the three-spoke steering wheel. What we can’t be sure of but hope to learn is whether that special driving character is matched by an equal measure of reliability though every season and situation. We’ll report back soon enough, with updates on how the Cayman’s stress test is going every 10,000 miles.
Months in Fleet: 1 month Current Mileage: 3845 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 20 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 16.9 gal Observed Fuel Range: 330 miles
Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Specifications
Specifications
2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $88,750/$99,070
Options: Express leather interior and seats, $3680; Porsche Dynamic LED headlights, $1180; Bose speakers $990; black brake calipers, $900; black brushed aluminum interior trim, $900; ventilated seats, $740; passive entry, $680; Aventurine Green Metallic paint, $650; Wheels painted Satin Platinum, $600
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 244 in3, 3996 cm3
Power: 394 hp @ 7000 rpm
Torque: 309 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/struts
Brakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented, cross-drilled disc/13.0-in vented, cross-drilled disc
Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
F: 235/35ZR-20 (88Y) N1
R: 265/35ZR-20 (95Y) N1
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 97.4 in
Length: 173.4 in
Width: 70.9 in
Height: 50.2 in
Passenger Volume: 49 ft3
Cargo Volume, F/R: 5/10 ft3
Curb Weight: 3185 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS: NEW
60 mph: 3.9 sec
100 mph: 8.8 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.1 sec @ 118 mph
130 mph: 14.7 sec
150 mph: 21.2 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.6 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 6.2 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.0 sec
Top Speed (mfr’s claim): 182 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 145 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 296 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.03 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg
Unscheduled Oil Additions: 0 qt
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 19/17/24 mpg
WARRANTY
4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper
4 years/50,000 miles powertrain
12 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection
4 years/50,000 miles roadside assistance
1 year/10,000 miles scheduled maintenance
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
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