Comparing the GT with Porsche Cayman 718

[2019fordmustang]

Hello brothers,

I want to share my thoughts on my recent driving experience of the 2020 Porsche Cayman S 718. I believe this one is the turbo flat 4 with around 350 hp. It belongs to one of my colleagues who had it for about 2 years and is very happy with his experience. Objectively this car does 0-60 in about 4.4 seconds.

I don't know if you can really compare my 19 mustang Gt to a Cayman given the size difference but again since both are in similar sports car category and it is fair to compare the two. Also there is no way you can drive any other sports car and not compare it to what you own.

My first impression the moment I sat in the car, It was small and cramped. The pedals were placed well and the clutch was very light. Interior was clean design with good quality of materials and workmanship was second to none. Ignition is on the left side of the steering wheel and yes you don't have push start on this model. The engine cranked, the sound from behind me was disappointing. I felt like I was in a 4 cylinder care with aftermarket exhaust. It did have a manual transmission so I was able to get a good feel of shifting action. The acceleration and handling were not impressive at all. What I mean by that is the feel of the car did not impress me. The shifter action was very rubbery and the surge of acceleration was not exciting. I took it on some back roads to get a good understanding of the handling of the car. It handled very well but the steering being electronic did not have much weight to it, very similar to the mustang. I was thinking of my 15 yr old 350z which I was thinking handles better( Im sure it does not but again that is what I was thinking). Maybe it was because even in sport mode the steering was very light. Overall it was not an impressive experience. I was hoping that I would enjoy it but I didn't. It lacked soul. It did everything right but again didn't feel special. I am sure people will say I am crazy.

My point is that, the stuff we may not like about our mustang is the stuff we enjoy. I missed the long hard clutch action and tough shifting action of MT 82. I missed the v8 sound of coyote and the bigger heavier feeling of the the mustang. I never thought an American car will have so much soul compared to a German.

Mustang feels equally as fun and exciting when you are driving it fast or you are driving it slow. Matter of fact I enjoy my GT more on slower roads when I am just cruising around town. The Porsche was not fun at all on the slower roads. Again I may be biased but I was trying to be very objective in my assessment. This is rather similar to my previous impression of 2018 M3 I drove. Man Mustang really did something to make you feel special and it costs fraction of many of these German cars.

Thanks for reading. Be safe.

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[Weyland-Yutani]

If I could have bought and maintained a Cayman for Mustang money, I probably would have because I love the cars. I just didn't want to pay for it. That said, I love my GT, so who cares. It looks great, sounds great, and drives great.

I also have a thing about cars that is basically : I'm only going to get to own so many kinds of cars before I die. I've never owned a pony car before, so the GT lets me check that off the list.

 

[Hack]

I think Porsche makes amazing sports cars, but they are too good for the street. Also they are very expensive. The good ones are closer to a cheap house price than a typical car price. Street driving obeying the law is boring in most new Porsches because they are just too capable. I don't quite fit into the Cayman, so it would have to be a 911 for me.

The right way to go in my opinion if you really want a Porsche is either buy a 60s or 70s Porsche that's less capable and more fun on the street, or buy a new GT4 / GT3 and use it for track days only.

On the other hand, Mustangs are inexpensive and fun. Ford puts smallish tires on most of them, so they are fairly easy to hoon a little without getting in a lot of trouble. The V8 sounds good most of the time compared to the flat 6 that only sounds good when you wind it out (and Porsche gearing tends to be set up in such a way that you are going to jail if you wind out that flat 6).

 

[dpAtlanta]

Interesting take OP... good write up & thanks for sharing!
Everybody's Seat-O-The-Pants meter is different. My Seat-O-The-Pants meter has the 718 handling better than my Shelby. I also feel as though turning at slow speeds still feels better in the 718... maybe due to the mid-engine weight distribution and the lightness of the vehicle.
But like I said, everyone's Seat-O-The-Pants meter is different.

 

[Balr14]

I have owned several 911 (997.2S) models and a Boxster S (the 6 cylinder version). The Boxster was a lot of fun to toss around, acceleration is adequate but nothing outstanding. I never cared for the Cayman, either. But, it just isn't my kind of car. The last 997.2S I had made my Mustang GT feel like a fat pig, although the Mustang has a much more comfortable ride.

I believe many of you are influenced by sound a lot more than you think. Your perception of acceleration changes quite a lot if you can't hear it.

 

[dpAtlanta]

The Boxster was a lot of fun to toss around, acceleration is adequate but nothing outstanding. I never cared for the Cayman, either.

It's the same car.... it just has a fixed roof.

???

 

[XS]

From what I hear the 2021 718s are very different cars, especially the GTS, which gets the flat six from the GT4. I think if you were able to bump up to that price range it would be worth it.

 

[Martin Schacht]

Sold a 2015 Cayman GTS after acquiring a 2020 Mustang GT Deluxe with PPI. The Cayman had the 3.4 motor out of the 2015 911, down 10 HP to 340. The Mustang sounds so much better, handles like a race car...and the 10 speed automatic is awesome...adding the PowerPack 2, want that extra 21 HP, this way I'll have one more HP than the 2021 Mach 1. No regrets on the car swap.

 

[UserName]

I put my name down to order a 718 GT4. Hope there’s an allocation left for me. I’ve had a few 914s over the years and just plain loved em. Lately, the only Porsche I’ve had access to is a ‘14 911 turbo S and it’s such an amazing car, dated at this point, but still amazing.

I’ll still keep my Mustang as it’s a great ride too!

 

[Hack]

Interesting take OP... good write up & thanks for sharing!
Everybody's Seat-O-The-Pants meter is different. My Seat-O-The-Pants meter has the 718 handling better than my Shelby. I also feel as though turning at slow speeds still feels better in the 718... maybe due to the mid-engine weight distribution and the lightness of the vehicle.
But like I said, everyone's Seat-O-The-Pants meter is different.

The 718 sure should handle better than a GT350. It's tiny and really expensive. Heck, my 80s 944 handles better than a GT350.

But the GT350 is a lot more fun to drive around in.

 

[ice445]

There is no comparison really. Even a 4cyl 718 will run circles around us on track. On the street though, apart from the attention factor it's a much lamer experience IMO.

 

[dpAtlanta]

But the GT350 is a lot more fun to drive around in.

As I've posted before... if I had to pick between the 718 and the GT350.............. the Porsche would be leaving the stable.
The exhaust of the flat-planed crank is just to addictive.

 

[thunderstrike]

Good write up, OP. My wife has a 718 Cayman 2 liter turbo. It can boogy and will accelerate fast when turbo is winding up. GT and 718 are totally different cars. GT is all muscle, with a sound to go with it. Of course, I enjoy driving my GT stick more than anything -- well almost as good as rock crawling in my Jeep Rubicon.

 

[Weyland-Yutani]

There is no comparison really. Even a 4cyl 718 will run circles around us on track. On the street though, apart from the attention factor it's a much lamer experience IMO.

I'm not even so sure about the attention part. At least in my area anyway.

I agree otherwise. I don't do track days anymore, but if I did I'm sure I'd crank out better lap times in the Cayman. The Mustang is still cooler though. It just is.

 

[ice445]

Good write up, OP. My wife has a 718 Cayman 2 liter turbo. It can boogy and will accelerate fast when turbo is winding up. GT and 718 are totally different cars. GT is all muscle, with a sound to go with it. Of course, I enjoy driving my GT stick more than anything -- well almost as good as rock crawling in my Jeep Rubicon.

That climb looks awfully familiar lol

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