2021 Porsche 718 Cayman

Cool, Stylish and sensible, these are the words that pretty much distinguish the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe from the rest of the otherwise super cars. Well, probably not a supercar but driving a Porsche 718 Cayman feels pretty similar to driving one. The 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman packs a surprising punch and drives and handles just like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini.

The Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe was previously offered in four different trims namely Porsche 718 Cayman Base, Porsche 718 Cayman S, Porsche 718 Cayman T, and Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS but as mentioned earlier, the 2021 lineup sees the introduction of the all-new Porsche 718 Cayman GTS trim. 

The trims have varying features as per their costs, with the base trim being the most simple and least expensive, and the GT4 RS is loaded with high-performance features and luxury is the most expensive trim. A quick comparison of the above-mentioned trims of the car is given in the table below. 

Trim	718 Cayman Base	718 Cayman S	718 Cayman T	718 Cayman GTS	718 Cayman GT4 RS
MSRP	$61,250	$73,250	$70,250	$88,150	$101,550
Key Features	2.0-liter turbocharged and horizontally opposed engine with direct fuel injection (DFI)	Adds to or replaces in Base trim	Adds to or replaces in S trim	Adds to or replaces in T trim	Adds to or replaces in GTS trim
	Porsche Communication Management (PCM) with a 7-inch touchscreen display and 4.6-inch color screen	2.5-litre turbocharged horizontally opposed engine	2.0 liter turbocharged horizontally opposed engine	4.0-liter six-cylinder naturally aspirated engine	The 20-inch 718 Sport Wheels
	Sport-Tex leather interior with firmly padded Sports seats	variable turbine geometry (VTG).	Normal, SPORT, SPORT PLUS or Individual mode switch	all-electric Sport Seats and Adaptive Sport Seats Plus	Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Change Assist (LCA)
	two-zone automatic climate control	Alcantara lined seat centers	eight speakers sound system	Six-piston aluminum monobloc fixed brake calipers	Optional Apple CarPlay
	Sound Package Plus with six loudspeakers and available BOSE Surround Sound System	Electromechanical power steering	Navigation including Porsche Connect	Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM)	Optional Burmester High-End Surround Sound System
	Bi-Xenon headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights	Sport Chrono Package	Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV)	-	-
	Porsche Side Impact Protection System (POSIP)	dimmable LEDs in various parts of the interior.	GT Sport Steering Wheel	-	-

The base trim costs the buyer around $61,250 and is loaded with standard features. This is the cheapest of the lot and offers exactly what the price stands for. There's the Porsche 718 Cayman S which stands at $73,250 and offers really nice features and performance for the value. This trim has the features of higher expensive trims and the simplicity of the base model. 

Porsche 718 Cayman T with nearly the same price as S, costs around $70,250. The performance of the T trim is decently impressive and the features offered are also well-chosen. 

The all-new Porsche 718 Cayman GTS trim carries the engine performance of the high-performance GT4 RS trim and features and luxury of the lower trims as well. Standing at $88,150, the car costs reasonable for all that it offers. 

At last, there's the high-performance Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS which had the iconic 4.0-liter six-cylinder naturally aspirated engine which gave it the power to give an adrenaline-rushing performance on road. Furthermore, this is the most expensive trim of the lot, costing its owner a good $101,550. The cost increases with the addition of optional luxurious and expensive features. 

The Porsche carries a reputation of making reliable sports vehicles with good owner contentment since as long as the market for them exists. It also has a reputation for improving its cars over the years to make them never go out of fashion. 

While the recent Caymans and Boxsters are praised for their build quality and car's road-handling and comfort, something similar could not be said regarding their dependability which they have proven to be robust in recent years. 

Reliability and Ownership Costs 

As mentioned earlier, Porsche holds a reputation for customer satisfaction and reliable cars. In 2019, 718 lineup has won the Car and Driver Editors Choice awards and Car and Driver 10 Best Cars. A year before that, it was recognized as both Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value: Sports Car and Car and Driver 10 Best Cars. It had gathered even more recognition and awards in the years before that. The upcoming car is expected to have a similar background in customer satisfaction and reliability. 

The upcoming 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe has a starting ownership cost of $61,250 for the base trim. The car will reach the individual dealers in the US by the end of the year 2021. Until then it is not possible to determine the price in different states. 

It won't be wrong to state that the Porsche is quite a reasonable car but for the normal pocket, it could prove to be quite an expensive car. The insurance of sports cars like these are penalized by insurance ratings where the new 718 Cayman sits in group 42 and the Cayman S is in group 44. There's also the servicing costs which could be quite expensive considering that the car requires specialist knowledge when being worked on. But the budgeting of the servicing is quite easy because Porsche offers fixed-price servicing and long service intervals. 

Warranty 

It is known that the Porsche does not offer complimentary scheduled maintenance which usually comes with almost all the sports cars. Its warranty in a nutshell is represented below.

Criteria	Period
Limited Warranty	four years or 50,00 miles
Powertrain Warranty	four years or 50,000 miles
Complimentary Maintenance	one year or 10,000 miles

The Porsche warranty is not much impressive and what you expect of a sports car in that price range but is decently well. It does not compete with its major rivals but is comparable with them. 

Miles per dollar

Though better than its major rivals, the fuel economy like any other sports car is not very impressive in the upcoming 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe. But it is worth noting that if you're able to afford the initial investment in buying the Porsche, then fuel economy is comparatively palatable. Determining the exact cost of running the car a mile could be difficult but a good enough idea could be cultivated using the MPG figures in the fuel economy section. 

Considering aspects like costing, features, performance, and luxury too, we would recommend that the Porsche 718 Cayman S trim would be the right choice for buying. It offers most of the luxury and comfort features of the expensive GTS and GT4 RS trim along with the simplicity of the base trim at a moderately affordable and reasonable price. Additional packages might increase the net cost of the car a bit but it still proves itself to be a good option. 

On the other hand, if you're in the showroom for that adrenaline rush on the racetrack and price of the vehicle is not a big deal for you then it is highly advised that you check out the GTS and GT4 RS trim. They are the high-performance trims of Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe which promise all that you seek from a sports car on road. Obviously the two trims are much more expensive than the base trim but their value is much reason for what all they offer. 

Is buying a used Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe a good idea? 

The upcoming 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe does not see much of a change from its previous model apart from the introduction of the new GTS trim. So unless you want the new trim, it won't be a bad choice for you to go for a used Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe. But the car has seen good improvements and changes in the past couple of years so one must make sure that the car you're buying isn't too old. 

Under the hood of the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe is the 2.0L Intercooled Turbo Premium Unleaded H-4 engine with 6-speed manual w/OD transmission which generates a power of 300 hp @ 6500 rpm and a torque of 280 lb-ft @ 1950 rpm. The technologically sensible Porsche Cayman 718 packs such immense power in this small 2.0L turbocharged 4 cylinder engine that many V6 and V8 engines feel shy. 

However, this is the one of the most perfect cars built in the history of automobiles which has power, performance and pretty much a car that makes you comfortable for daily commute. The specs given are for the base trim and the power and performance are much better in the higher more expensive trims of the car. A quick comparison of the base trim with its major rivals is given in the table below. 

Models	2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe	2021 BMW M2 CS	2021 Lotus Evora GT	2021 Toyota Supra
MSRP	$61,250	$83,600	$98,945	$51,945
Engine	2.0L turbocharged inline four-cylinder	3.0L turbocharged inline six-cylinder	3.5L supercharged V6	3.0L turbocharged inline six-cylinder
Drivetrain	RWD	RWD	RWD	RWD
Transmission	6-speed manual w/OD	8-speed automatic	6-speed manual w/OD	8-speed automatic
Power	350 hp @ 6,500 rpm	444 hp @ 6,250 rpm	416 hp @ 7,000 rpm	382 hp @ 5,800 rpm
Torque	280 lb-ft @ 1,950 rpm	406 lb-ft @ 5,500 rpm	317 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm	362 lb-ft @ 1,800 rpm

As is noticed from the above comparison, the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe's base trim cannot challenge its rivals in terms of engine performance. However, the 414 hp power generated in the GT4 RS trim compares well to the rivals. It certainly beats the Toyota Supra but still cannot manage to surpass the BMW M2 CS and Lotus Evora GT. 

2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe Acceleration and braking performance

The 2.0 L Intercooled Turbo Premium Unleaded H-4 engine under the hood of Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe produces a decent acceleration that takes the car from 0-60 mph in 4.4 secs. It also has a quarter-mile timing of 12.5 secs and a top speed of 182 mph. 

Equipped with 4-Wheel Disc brakes, the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe comes from 60 mph to a standstill rest within a distance of 99.8 ft. The figures are not very impressive when compared to the major rivals in the section but are satisfactory for a Porsche of this price.

Models	2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe	2021 BMW M2 CS	2021 Lotus Evora GT	2021 Toyota Supra
0-60 (seconds)	4.4	3.8	4.0	3.8
Quarter-Mile (seconds)	12.5	N/A	12.4	12.3
Top Speed (MPH)	182	174	188	155
60-0 (feet)	99.8	155	N/A	99

The base version of the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe can be a bit slower than its rivals. However, the top speed of the 2021 BMW M2 CS top speedand the 2021 Toyota Supra top speed rankings fall behind the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe.

Any sports car drinks a lot of gas hence their mileage is not very pocket friendly. But the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe has quite nice mileage when compared to its major rivals. Giving off a 20 MPG, 26 MPG, 22 MPG on city, highway, and combined road conditions with a fuel tank capacity of 14.2 gallons. 

Models	2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe	2021 BMW M2 CS	2021 Lotus Evora GT	2021 Toyota Supra
MPG (City)	20	18	17	24
MPG (Highway)	26	25	26	31
MPG (Combined)	22	20	20	26
Fuel Tank Capacity (Gallons)	14.2	13.7	15.9	13.7
Range (City/Highway/Combined Miles)	284.0/369.2/	246.6/342.5/274	270.3/413.4/318	328.8/424.7/

As is evident, the MPG figures of the Cayman Coupe stand above those of the 2021 BMW M2 CS fuel efficiency and 2021 Lotus Evora fuel efficiency figures. The fuel economy of the Toyota Supra beats the Porsche drastically. 

First look into the interior gives you that sporty feeling which makes you want to get the car on the track. The new dashboard designs of the Porsche 718 give the striking look to the interior. With an ascending center console that shortens the reach between the steering wheel and the gear lever/selector and a clear arrangement of function buttons saves time, the iconic cabin ergonomics speaks for itself. The rev counter positioned in the center with a 4.6-inch color screen is very visually appealing. 

There's also a 7-inch multi-touchscreen with a revised version of Porsche Communication Management (PCM) which gives basic controls to the driver in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The interior space is slightly compact and might feel a bit tight for bigger drivers. A quick comparison of interior space with the major rivals is given in the table below. 

Models	2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe	2021 BMW M2 CS	2021 Lotus Evora GT	2021 Toyota Supra
Seating Capacity	2	4	4	2
Front (Headroom/Shoulder Room/Legroom; inches)	38.3/51.5/41.6	40.1/54.4/41.5	NA	38.3/54.4/42.2
Second (Headroom/Shoulder Room/Legroom; inches)	N/A	36.5/53.4/33	N/A	N/A

The interior space of the Toyota Supra and BMW M2 CS is quite impressive in front of the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe. The interiors of almost all these sports cars are very impressive and isn't really a clear ground for competition. But the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe's interior might have some possibilities of improvements when compared to its rivals. 

How's the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe’s infotainment system? 

The infotainment system is very straightforward and simple. It offers a rev counter positioned in the center with a 4.6-inch color screen which provides the information regarding the drive in a very visually pleasing manner. There's the 7-inch multi-touchscreen controlling the basic features of the car. 

One downside of the infotainment section in the Porsche is that it charges extra money for some features like built-in navigation and a Wi-Fi hotspot which are supposed to be standard in a car. The cars have Apple CarPlay compatibility to connect your iPhone to the infotainment system for seamless connectivity. 

Android Auto still isn't available in the car. Coming down to the audio entertainment section, the car offers a Sound Package Plus with six loudspeakers with an extra investment that could be upgraded to the BOSE Surround Sound System or a Burmester High-End Surround Sound System with 12 speakers and a total output of 821 watts. 

Summing up, the infotainment system is quite simple and average but could be upgraded to a much nicer level with extra investments. This increases the total cost of the car significantly. 

The iconic exterior designs of the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe is something to boast about. A standing Porsche gives that sporty look which surely attracts the bystander's eyes. The new 718 models sporty, distinctive edges, and clearly defined formal contours. The front end of the new 718 Cayman Coupe appears wider and smooth. 

Emphasizing the mid-engine layout, the side profile features large wheel arches designed for wheels up to 20 inches in size. There's the contouring on the doors which directs headwind into the large air intakes on either side of the car providing sufficient air intake for the turbocharged engines making the performance slightly better. 

New exterior mirrors with a v-shaped mirror base look sharp and sporty. Slimline tail lights with inner workings fashioned three-dimensionally, four LED brake spotlights which are incorporated into each of the horizontal rear light units and an accent trim makes the rear end look even wider. 

Models	2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe	2021 BMW M2 CS	2021 Lotus Evora GT	2021 Toyota Supra
Curb Weight (lbs)	3,034	3.600	3,112	3,400
Length (inches)	172.4	176.2	173	172.5
Width (inches)	70.9	73	73	73
Height (inches)	51	55.5	48.1	50.9
Ground Clearance (inches)	4.3	4.8	4.7	4.5
Wheelbase (inches)	97.4	106	101.4	97.2

The information reveals how the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe is much smaller in terms of length, width, and height than its competitors. It is a low lying car with much smaller ground clearance. 

The 2021 Porsche Cayman offers advanced safety features to make your drive more confident and safe. However, the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe has not yet been tested by the safety ratings agency such as NHTSA or IIHS, still we believe it can score really well when tested. The safety features included in the Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe are:

• Anti-theft system with engine immobilizer and alarm system with radar-based surveillance of the cabin.
• Front and rear deformation zones
• Side-guard door beams
• Dual front advanced airbags including knee airbags for driver and front passenger
• Seat belt pretensioners and load limiters
• Porsche Side Impact Protection System(POSIP) for driver and front passengers with side impact protection elements.

2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe vs 2021 BMW M2 CS 

The 2021 BMW M2 CS performance surpasses the base trim of the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe in almost all the aspects except the fuel economy. The engine and on-road performance of the BMW M2 CS are remarkably competitive and superior to that of the Porsche. It even stands tall when it comes to interior features and gives a rather stiff competition in terms of exterior designs.

The higher and expensive trims of the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe could be expected to give a comparable competition to the BMW M2 CS but they still lack behind the iconic performance of the latter car. 

2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe vs 2021 Lotus Evora GT

The Lotus Evora GT is the most comparable car to the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe in many aspects like engine performance, interior, and exterior designs and features. The higher trims of the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe actually surpasses the 2021 Lotus Evora GT performance. Though the price difference in the two cars is striking the performance and specs are nearly comparable.

The Cayman Coupe carries the Porsche logo which is a symbol of sport and luxury in itself whereas the Lotus Evora GT although with impressive specs is not a very known and appreciated logo in the market. 

2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe vs 2021 Toyota Supra

The Toyota Supra is one of the most strong competitors of the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe. With almost superior specs in all aspects including engine and on-road performance, fuel economy, interior, and exterior design, and features, the Toyota Supra stands way ahead of the Porsche in the competition.

The most expensive trim of the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe which is the GT4 RS comes a bit near to the Supra but still falls short of defeating it in specs and numbers. 

Porsche 718 Cayman Coupe is an example of a sublime performer, it is known for making things more desirable whether you are part of the race track or the city roads. The affordable price of this german car makes the fun more serious, and track oriented when you push its limits. Compared to competition the Porsche Cayman Coupe can turn things more easily in its favour with its sheer abilities and excellent drive dynamics and also gives them a run for their money. However, the 718 Cayman might not have the charm or the pedigree that the Porsche 911 holds.