987.2 Cayman vs 718 Cayman S comparison

I've been looking at replacing my 987.2 Cayman base with a 718 Cayman S so I rented one through Turo on Saturday. The host was a total nightmare but I got what I needed out of what was essentially a 5 hour/240 mile test drive. I thought I'd post my thoughts for others who might be looking to trade up.

2018 Cayman S, PDK, Sport Chrono, without PASM, PTV or PSE. The engine had an aftermarket tune.
2011 Cayman, PDK, Sport/Sport+ modes added (no LSD). GT3 LCAs. Track alignment.

Engine – At first, I had the same response that everyone else had. The engine was raspy and made weird sounds at some rpm ranges. After about 45 minutes on the highway the engine just disappeared behind me. After another three hours of ripping it around a bunch of back roads I changed my mind. In Sport or Sport + the engine sounds pretty good. It isn’t musical like the flat 6 is. Different for sure, similar to a 356 or VW race motor but with a bit of turbocharged whoosh. At the same time the power delivery is very linear like an electric motor. You never get the sense that you hit the sweet spot like you do with the flat 6s. It has a lot more torque everywhere in the rev range. I didn’t really notice any turbo lag in Sport or Sport+ mode.

PDK – In my 987.2 Normal mode is pretty anemic so I use Sport mode most of the time. Unfortunately, in Sport mode the clutch is a bit harsh at low speeds and at the same time it tends to run one gear higher than I’d prefer. It will downshift if you get on the throttle but sometimes you have to give it more throttle than I’d like to get it to downshift. I almost never use Sport+ on the street because it tends to stay in the absolute lowest gear possible and the clutch engagement is very harsh at low speeds. It makes for a pretty jerky driving experience at street speeds.

In the 718 in Normal mode the PDK stays in about the same gear as the 987 would at low throttle but it’s more willing to shift to a lower gear as you ease into the throttle. In Sport and Sport+ it stays in a lower gear and is much more responsive, shifting down quickly proportional to throttle response. At the same time the clutch is much smoother. I ran most of the day in Sport+ and never felt like was harsh.

Steering – The 718’s electric steering is really good. You don’t feel every little bump in the road like you do with the 987.2’s hydraulic steering but it is quick and linear.

Chassis – The 718 felt more refined and smoother pretty much everywhere. Once in a while when I started pushing the car the rear springs felt a little too soft. When I got back into my 987.2 I immediately noticed how much rougher it rode, even around town. I could feel every little bump and crack in the pavement.

Interior – I like the interior in the 718. It feels very similar to the 987.2. it looks like they did away with the soft touch paint. That’s good because it doesn’t’ peel but it does feel a little more plasticky. The base 2-way seats were a lot more comfortable than the base seats in my 987.2.

are you going to pull the trigger?  From looking at a popular auction site the price delta between a 2.9L PDK automatic 987.2 and a 718S /w PDK is around $30k is that right?  Is it worth the upgrade?  

Thank you for that review! Sooner or later Mrs J wants a Cayman and we've been trying to figure out which generation. 

ClearWaterMS said:

are you going to pull the trigger?  From looking at a popular auction site the price delta between a 2.9L PDK automatic 987.2 and a 718S /w PDK is around $30k is that right?  Is it worth the upgrade?  

 

I'm really close. This test drive was probably the final nail in the coffin for me. I think my wife might want a C8 but she also wants to pay Camry prices. LOL!  I showed her a couple 718 GTS that were in the same price range as the C8s and she just about fainted. 

The price delta is about right. The 987.2 was a compromise when I bought it. I really wanted a 981 S but they were a bit out of my comfort zone. My company's stock has gone up about 4x in the last 2 years so my comfort zone has grown about 2-3x. 

If money were no object I'd get a 4.0 GTS. 981 S/GTS are basically the same money as the 718S/GTS and usually have higher milage.

I don't have a lot of experience in the 987.2, but have a butt ton of seat time in all varieties of 718.  As much as I hate to say it, I struggle to truly love the standard 718 or the S.  The S is definitely better than standard, but the turbo 4 just feels like it lets the chassis down a bit.  It's got some turbo lag, though not as much as the standard.  That makes it a bit difficult to modulate the throttle.  Everything else is spectacular.  The PDK is just about capable of reading your mind.  The chassis balance is superb up to 100% of its grip level and easy to get there.  At 101%, good luck.  Interior is well laid out, easy to use and driver focused.  So for me the S is a "damn good" car but just a hair shy of great. 

The 718 GTS is oh-my-berkeleying God amazing!!! 

Javelin said:

Thank you for that review! Sooner or later Mrs J wants a Cayman and we've been trying to figure out which generation. 

Selling my 987.1 this spring...

CAinCA said:

ClearWaterMS said:

are you going to pull the trigger?  From looking at a popular auction site the price delta between a 2.9L PDK automatic 987.2 and a 718S /w PDK is around $30k is that right?  Is it worth the upgrade?  

 

I'm really close. This test drive was probably the final nail in the coffin for me. I think my wife might want a C8 but she also wants to pay Camry prices. LOL!  I showed her a couple 718 GTS that were in the same price range as the C8s and she just about fainted. 

The price delta is about right. The 987.2 was a compromise when I bought it. I really wanted a 981 S but they were a bit out of my comfort zone. My company's stock has gone up about 4x in the last 2 years so my comfort zone has grown about 2-3x. 

If money were no object I'd get a 4.0 GTS. 981 S/GTS are basically the same money as the 718S/GTS and usually have higher milage.

do you work for Microsoft too?

NVIDIA

Dang, I'm also in the Bay and shopping for a 987.2 base, I wish you car wasn't a PDK or I'd be encouraging the 718 for my own benefit 

(also wish I worked for NVIDIA but that's a whole different discussion lmao)

As a 987.1 owner, my track experiences with a borrowed 718 GTS were that the new car is an improvement over my car in nearly every category.  I wish I could afford to own one.

It isn't that the turbo 4's sound bad per se, it's just that the flat 6's sound so good.   Of course, I'm the guy that sees a riced out WRX with a fart can go by and thinks "that sounds pretty good".

I agree with you that from a pure performance standpoint, the flat 4 is objectively better than the flat 6 in the 987.2/981 Cayman S.  

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

It isn't that the turbo 4's sound bad per se, it's just that the flat 6's sound so good.   Of course, I'm the guy that sees a riced out WRX with a fart can go by and thinks "that sounds pretty good".

I owned a Subaru and can appreciate the Subaru sound in appropriate context. Coming from the rear of a luxury sports car is never the appropriate context. That said, the S and GTS are pretty tolerable, the base model is the real problem. At idle it's okay but any amount of throttle input and it's difficult to differentiate it from a twenty year old Subaru.

I think part of it is the added emissions stuff but even the gts4.0 and gt4 lost the magic a little bit and don't sound quite as good as the previous gen cars.

In reply to dps214 :

Can't say I agree there.  The GTS is a flat 6 and the engine song is utterly intoxicating.  In the Boxster it's almost too loud, in the Cayman and GT4 it's perfect.  The GT4 RS is bonkers loud. 

Nah, those 4.0s don't sing like the 9A1 based engines.

The RS 4.0(GT3 engine) is still 9A1 based.

The 3.4 in the 981 is the most musical of the lot IMO.