2024 Porsche 718 Cayman Style Edition review

It’s no secret that the successor to Porsche’s 718 Cayman and Boxster range – due within 18 months – will be a pure electric vehicle though, unlike the Macan, this generation of 718 will likely get one last update and be sold alongside its replacement for a couple more years.

Certainly, then, the next junior Porsche sports cars will be very different beasts to the lithe and compact two-doors with horizontally opposed engines set in the middle we know now.

But the excitement and publicity for the 718 is all found at the top: Spyder RS, GT4, and flat-six GTS are the variants people remember. What of the base car? We’ve spent a week in the Cayman Style – a sticker and equipment pack added to the entry-grade 718 – to find out.

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space, and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• How much fuel does it use?
• How safe is it?
• Warranty and running costs
• VERDICT
• Specifications

How much is it, and what do you get?

The Style adds six bespoke colour options to the base Cayman PDK including Crayon (as seen here) and the iconic Ruby Star Neo, a re-release of the 964 Carrera RS hero hue for $138,325 before on-road costs.

That is a relatively modest $5460 premium over the donor car. Going for a six-speed manual saves $1625 on the price of the PDK automatic tested here.

Building on the LED headlights and black leather-upholstered 14-way power-adjustable heated seats are some visual options, such as black tailpipes, Porsche crests embossed on the headrests, Crayon grey contrast stitching for the leather and floor mats, and illuminated kick plates.

Otherwise, it gets the same Xenon PDLS active headlights, blind-spot monitoring, a heated steering wheel, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay, navigation, DAB+ digital radio, and voice control.

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How do rivals compare on value?

If you have the coin there are plenty of alternatives to the Cayman Style, for one the drop-top Boxster that sacrifices a little practicality for an extra dimension of sunshine enjoyment.

Then there’s the straight-six BMW M2 ($121,700), and below that the Toyota GR Supra and BMW M240i xDrive as well. For hyper hatches, there’s the four-door Audi RS3 sedan ($99,400) and Mercedes-AMG A45 ($119,900) – all excluding on-road costs – not to mention myriad fast SUVs in the space.

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Interior comfort, space and storage

Thing is, the Cayman is a heart buy, not one for the head. Few of those alternatives offer the sense of occasion you get slinking down into its accommodating seats with legs stretched out ahead ready to find the trickiest tarmac out there.

Broad electric adjustment of those heated seats, along with generous roof height, means almost anyone can fit into a Cayman, from lanky to stocky. That steering wheel is just right, too, with sparse yet useful controls to adjust settings. Only the tricky wheel heating button is annoying to accidentally press.

Technology is showing its age, too, and although the wireless Apple CarPlay worked faultlessly and digital radio is included, the 7.0-inch touchscreen (with optional rotary control) has aged graphics and can be a little slow to respond. The digital driver’s display gives plenty of info, though, and the eight-speaker sound system is strong.

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Porsche’s gear selector has a heft and confidence to it. The same can be said of the rest of the cabin finishes; you know it’s built to easily last 30 years without tarnish at the hands of a sympathetic owner.

Less convincing is the 718’s lack of cabin storage. The shallow glovebox, tiny door bins and espresso-sized cup holders don’t give much of a place to store contemporary phones, hydration devices, or other odds and ends. For the enthusiast’s enjoyment, the 718 Cayman’s included tyre pressure gauge can be found in the glovebox housed in its supple leather pouch – it’s the little things.

Space for luggage is better, with a generous shelf behind the seats and cavernous storage areas to the rear of the flat-four and ahead of the windscreen. Though carrying bikes and flatpack furniture would be a chore, Porsche lists comfortably more cargo space than a Volkswagen Golf, for example, at 425L.

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What is it like to drive?

Firing the 2.0-litre flat-four into life by twisting the cute car-shaped fob is refreshingly analogue, as is the chuntery noise of the Cayman Style’s cold start.

Porsche’s decision to downsize to a four-pot at the 718’s launch in 2016 drew much criticism. Flagship options have since been given back the flat-six, but the base car retains its 2.0-litre, and the S its gruntier 2.5.

It’s easy to remember why there was contempt for the flat-four. It's mundane in town without theatre in sound or power delivery. Porsche was very keen to tune an atmo-like power curve into its turbo engines for the 992 911 and 982 Cayman/Boxster and the effect is impressive – the 718’s delivery is linear and friendly.

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And while it’s fast – the 220kW and 380Nm able to fire the two-door from rest to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds – it doesn’t feel all that rapid, lacking the urgency expected of a boosted flat-four.

Not in doubt is the Teflon-smooth dual-clutch PDK transmission. Left alone, it selects gears effortlessly, yet there are always those expertly-damped aluminium shift paddles behind the wheel should you want to control your own fun.

Around town with the adaptive dampers in Normal mode, the ride is compliant with no noisy knocking. It uses a proven combination of struts for its front suspension and a multi-link rear end. At speed, the 1365kg Cayman smooths out bumps and sits beautifully flat on the motorway. The Cayman's chassis is a delight. It’s also remarkably quiet for a small sports car with 265/35 R20 rear tyres.

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Find a good winding road and the Cayman’s accurate and silky steering inspires confidence, even if it is lacking in feedback compared to a Lotus Emira’s hydraulic system.

The front end is eager but never darty. High speeds unearth a very stable platform and the firm brake pedal is connected to an excellent set of standard steel stoppers.

Filing through the four drive modes is easy thanks to the wheel-mounted selector dial. Normal is good but Sport adds useful support to the dampers and welcome extra gearbox response. The ride in Sport+ is a little firm for Australia’s nastiest back roads but would be great on a racetrack.

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The Cayman Style flatters the driver, too. You can choose smooth and measured inputs and derive slick satisfaction, or trail brake and get more aggressive with the controls to inspire a touch more rotation and dynamism. There’s never any spikiness to the 718 driving experience, which will be great for most.

All that seems to go wrong is the 235mm-wide front Pirelli P Zeros might push a little wide, the gentle understeering reminding you not to overstep the boundary. Similarly, in the absence of one of Porsche’s trick locking diffs, on-power oversteer isn’t readily available either.

So what the 718 Style lacks – and only slightly – is a sense of excitement from an otherwise composed, assured, and classically polished entry-level Porsche driving experience.

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How safe is it?

The 718 Cayman’s crash safety has not been independently evaluated by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

Australian-delivered examples feature six airbags, ESC, traction control, and blind-spot monitoring as standard. Modern safety assistants such as lane-keep assist and autonomous emergency braking are not optionally available; adaptive cruise control is a $2320 option.

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How much fuel does it use?

The ADR combined-cycle fuel efficiency figure for the 718 Cayman Style is 7.0L/100km, although driving a mix of urban, suburban and country kilometres saw our trip computer reading 10.1L/100km.

Porsche recommends 98 RON premium petrol.

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Warranty and running costs

718 Cayman maintenance is due every 12 months or 15,000km and Porsche doesn’t provide capped-price servicing plans for its vehicles.

The warranty is short compared to industry standards at three years with unlimited kilometres. However, owners can pay to extend the coverage in 12, 24, or 48-month blocks for up to 15 years.

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VERDICT

The Cayman Style Edition is a fine late-life addition to the 718 range. Like the base Cayman, its chassis capability is well ahead of the powertrain’s punch.

While that is great on an unknown road or in the rain, it very much confirms that the Style version – as its name suggests – packs little more than a few stickers on top of the basic 718.

Thrillseekers with a similar budget will be better served by BMW’s brawnier M2, or perhaps a certified pre-owned 981 Cayman S or GTS.

Yet the Style remains a fine tool tailored to the person who loves sleek coupe looks and a sharp drive but needs everyday usability and reasonable fuel economy.

Make sure you go for a bold colour, preferably that excellent Ruby Star hue, and you’ve got yourself a colourful but classic take on the everyday sports car.

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