Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 review

The regular 718 Cayman is a pretty machine as is, but the GT4 – with its big front splitter, lightweight wheels and fixed rear wing – looks like a racing car for the road. It kind of is, so it’s no sheep in wolf’s clothing. It’s a certified wolf.

Epic. Times a million. Because the 718 Cayman GT4 uses a flat-six engine (which places its six cylinders on a horizontal plane, if you’re wondering) with no turbocharging or hybrid electrification, so it’s old-school petrol power. With the manual six-speed gearbox, it provides maximum engagement. You can get an automatic, but we know which we’d go for.

Then there’s the handling, which is second-to-none. The GT4 is beautifully balanced, and its controls are brimming with feedback, so you feel entirely at one with the machine. 420hp enables a 4.4-second 0-62mph time, while big, powerful brakes and enormous grip from track-capable tyres mean you can fully exploit its maximum whenever you want.

Because it’s based on a 718 Cayman model that’s a few years old, the GT4 doesn’t get the all-digital technology of Porsche’s latest cars. But we like that. It means you get an analogue rev counter and speedo, to go with the ‘analogue’ driving experience. And it means there are buttons below the infotainment system, so things can be adjusted with just a press of this or that. It’s simple, leaving you to focus on the fun bit: the driving.

As a proper two-seater, the Cayman is never going to win practicality awards. But the GT4’s fixed bucket seats (hashtag race car) are brilliantly supportive, and there are two cup holders folded away (they’re hidden until they're revealed) above the glovebox. You’ll also find some space behind the seats for small bags, while the door cubby holes are able to swallow thinner bottles, too.

Thanks to the mid-placement of the engine (it’s right behind the driver and passenger), you get a small boot at the back. But you also get a fairly large boot under the bonnet, which is deep enough to swallow a small suitcase or a couple of squdgier travel bags.

Despite being a highly-strung performance car, the 718 Cayman GT4 is – relatively speaking – not an overly complicated mechanical proposition. That means there’s less to go wrong, so while it’s too new to really know about long-term reliability, we’re optimistic it’ll be good.

It’s not particularly heavy, either, so while that 4.0-litre engine is never going to sip fuel like a hybrid, it does have a pretty easy job of shifting the car around. We saw over 30 miles per gallon on the motorway, and high 20s in more mixed driving. Which, given the performance of this thing, is impressive.

The GT4 is a racing car for the road in more than one way. It looks the part, it sounds the part and it goes even better. If you love proper driving, you’ll be instantly smitten with the GT4.