Motor Australia — January 2018

First Fang

New. Fast. Driven.

by DAVID MORLEY

Porsche Cayman GTS

Morepowerandabettersound–what’snottolike?

EMEMBER whenThe

Simpsons was at its best?

You know, a few seasons

in. After the animation

had been cleaned up and Homer

had handed over to Bart as the main

culprit in the show’s misadventures.

But before the feature-length film

cash-in (Geez, what a turkey), and

before Peter and Lois stole the show.

Remember? Yeah, well that period

was to The Simpsons what the GTS

badge is to any Porsche of the last

decade. It was a purple patch, the

sweet spot, where every swing was a

hit and every hit was out of the park.

And now the GTS badge is about

to make a return on the Boxster and

Cayman 718. Having just driven the

Cayman S at PCOTY, I have questions.

Typically, Porsche started with the

powerplant. Staying at 2.5 litres, the

unit is fundamentally the S model’s

engine, but with some important

tweaks. Those start with a revised

intake tract with greater volume. And

with a new snail with variable vane-

geometry tech, boost has jumped

from a max of 1.1 bar to 1.3 bar.

Power now peaks at 269kW (11kW

more than an S) and torque maxxes at

430Nm. That, says Porsche, will push

the GTS to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds.

Having just recorded very impressive

figures in the Cayman S at PCOTY, I

can well believe that claim.

The handling side of things is

covered off with a revised version of

PASM, while PASM Sport is optional

and lowers the whole shebang

another 10mm. There’s also Porsche’s

PSM stability program and, since

the Sport Chrono package is a GTS-

standard fitment, you also get PSM

Sport mode which allows for a

rather larger degree of yaw angle

when you’re up it for the rent. You

also get standard torque vectoring, a

mechanical diff lock and Porsche’s

active engine mounts.

Stock stoppers are iron rotors with

a 330mm front and 290mm rear unit

and four-pot calipers with the option

of ceramic-composite anchors with

bigger discs and six-piston fronts,

painted, of course, bright yellow.

So how do you spot a Cayman or

Boxster GTS? Look for the specific

front apron and the dark-tinted tail-

lights. The 20-inch black Carrera

wheels and GTS badges are the other

giveaways. Inside, it’s an Alcantara-

fest with the stuff covering the seat

inserts, roof lining and steering

wheel. It’s everywhere.

I know the GTS is going to be

quicker than a Boxster or Cayman S,

but what I really want to know is if

the new engine tune has given back

any of the yowling refinement that

was lost with the switch from an

atmo flat-six to the turbo flat-four.

Because that’s the deal breaker. I

understand that fuel consumption

and emissions concerns rule the

world these days. But somehow,

for a bloke like me, that was never

justification enough to dump the

flat-six. But knowing Porsche, there’s

bound to be a way to make the new

four-banger excite me like the old six

did. Is this it, then?

Just for starters, there’s a bit more

bite built into the chassis. Where the

Cayman S will tend to understeer just

a fraction at the limit, the GTS is a tad

more likely to wag its tail.

The extra power is not immediately

obvious. But when you do really

stretch it out to redline, it’s maybe

a tiny bit more excited to get there.

What you will have noticed long

before that, however, is that the thing

no longer sounds like a Subaru with

a big tailpipe. Like I said, you won’t

mistake it for a six, but Porsche has

somehow managed to re-engineer a

bit of the flat-six’s mystique into the

aural delivery.

It’s still syrupy smooth, but now

there’s a hint of that plaintive,

seductive, moaning, wail that

comes through the bulkhead at

you. Suddenly, I’m interested again,

because with the GTS, I can have the

visceral noises and horsepower I love

along with the emissions and fuel

economy I (and Mother Earth) need.

The other question is whether the

GTS treatment is worth the nearly

28-grand Porsche will ask for it.

Your call. So is the seven-speed

PDK at just on $6000 but, given the

newfound purity of the GTS and the

slick accuracy of the manual shifter,

I struggle to see the point. You’ll

find the new Boxster/Cayman GTS

in Porsche showrooms from about

March 2018.

GTS also available

in drop-top Boxster

guise for $175,900.

PDK a $5980 option

on both variants

ENGINE2497cc flat-4cyl, DOHC, 16v, turbo / POWER 269kW @ 6500rpm / TORQUE 430Nm @ 1900-5000rpm / WEIGHT 1375kg / 0-100KM/H 4.1sec (claimed) / PRICE $173,100

Like

All the stuff you

loved with a

much raunchier

soundtrack

STAR RATING

Dislike

Massive price jump

over the S

4.5

30 january 2018 motormag.com.au

R