Car UK May 2019

52 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | MAY 2019

First drives

Sunday T

The good news? Compared with the entry-level

296bhp 718 Cayman, the new T equates to a 10

per cent discount when you add all T-specific

extras. That includes dark 20-inch alloys, ad-

justable sports suspension, bi-lingual exhaust,

the Sport Chrono kit, a Sport mode for stabil-

ity control, torque vectoring and a mechanical

limited-slip diff. The bad news is that it costs

£7071 more than an unadorned Cayman,

pushing it to within £3746 of the 718 Cayman S,

which has an altogether stronger 345bhp.

However, thanks to the impressive real-life

performance of the downsized 2.0-litre engine,

the Cayman T does not – unlike the 911 T – feel

like an otherwise highly complete athlete with

a weak heart.

It can swoosh from a standstill to 62mph

in 5.1 seconds and reach 170mph with our test

car’s manual transmission, which suits this

concept better than the optional PDK. While

the four-cylinder engine doesn’t sound as

musical and strong-voiced as the old flat-six,

ultimately acoustics aren’t really an issue.

In ethos if not hardware, this is a cut-price

alternative to the track-focused Cayman GT4.

Because it sounds meaner, answers more

promptly to throttle orders, tramlines a little

more and is lowered 20mm on stiffer springs

with firmer adaptive dampers, the 718 Cayman

T feels brawnier and subjectively faster than

the base model.

When warm, the bigger tyres instil more

lateral grip as well as fierce traction, but you pay

for its dynamic focus with well-below-par ride

quality on B-roads. In crosswinds and when

following ruts, the directional stability can also

be unsettling at times.

The T looks the part. With the exception

of tacky full-length stickers along the door

bottoms, the 718 T looks every bit as desirable

as the top-spec GTS. Inside, we find sports

seats (take your pick from off-the-peg chairs to

pricey 918-style carbonfibre buckets), acres of

so-called Sport Tex upholstery and fabric loops

in lieu of conventional door openers.

All things considered, the 718 Cayman T is a

better car for weekend thrill-seekers than the

regular 718 Cayman, but less easy to live with

the rest of the week.

Think weekends not weekdays for

this driver-focused 718 Cayman T

PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN T

THE FIRST HOUR

10 seconds

£7k more than a

718 Cayman? Those

stickers? Really?

30 minutes

Stiffer, 20mm lower

and on 20-inch rims,

it’s a jiggly ride in town

45 minutes

But boy does it handle

and grip well. Whoop!

46 minutes

Feels quicker than the

base car and has more

attitude too

60 minutes

Too focused for some,

but we’d have a T over

the more powerful

Cayman S

First verdict

Tempting extras and more engaging drive make

the T a cut-price GT4, but it’s also a less-rounded

sports car than siblings.

★★★★★

PRICE

£51,145

POWERTRAIN

1988cc 16v turbo

four-cylinder,

six-speed manual,

rear-wheel drive

PERFORMANCE

296bhp @ 6500rpm,

295lb ft @ 2000rpm,

5.1sec 0-62mph,

170mph

WEIGHT

1350kg

ON SALE

Now

Data

EFFICIENCY

31.4-32.5mpg,

186g/km

▲

PLUS

Chassis, tasty extras,

performance, design,

quality

MINUS

▼

Ride quality, price

hike, stickers

20-inch alloys

and 20mm lower

suspension are

key T upgrades