Porsche 718 Cayman S: The Almost Car - Carfection 

Drove a 2018 Cayman S at a Porsche dealership recently. I don’t know what this guy is smoking but the sound I experienced was absolutely fantastic. Sounded exactly like what it is: a stunning race car for the street. I am convinced that all these people complaining about the 718s supposedly inadequate exhaust sound are just fools. This car will the take your breath away unless you are a jaded 911 or other supercar owner.

I love the sound of it and I heard many other people say that aswell

Actually sounds pretty good for a 4 cylinder.

That colour is absolutely more than perfect for this car, it gets very charming in this colour.

Awful noise? just went down to my local porsche dealer and revved the balls off a 718 Boxster S. Has almost a deep v8 burble and has amazing overrun crackles. sound is subjective, but you can't call it awful.

The more I look at this car, the more I fall in love with it. Personally I think it's gorgeous. Certainly not the best sounding car in the world, but I'd definitely go for one if I could afford it. Hope this generation also spawns a hardcore flat-6 version like the previous one.

If you are going to complain about noise, you need to change the outro music. It's awful.

this car looks just amazing

Still getting one! I think it sounds great and will be my first Porsche. The new motor is partly why I and my woman decided this over very little else that fits the bill. The problem is Porsche "fans" not the car itself. Same crowd that hates water-cooled motors.

i own a 987.1 Cayman S and its a pretty awesome car, i drove the 718 Cayman GTS when it was still a 4 cylinder and i had no complaints and it was hella fast!

The color on this is just carfect :D

I think you are pretty harsh on the sound. It's throaghty and quite racy if you ask mee. Nice crackles too.

they are left no option but to put more efficient engines in their cars. it's the way the world is going. were just going to have to live with it.

Just sold my 718 Boxster auto for a 718 gts manual. Bout as good as it gets for me. 5 stars!

Ironically the sound comparison didn't make me dislike the 718s noise. I will say one of the best sounding cars I've ever driven was a 986 Boxster S, so I can only imagine the 981 Cayman S would've been the ultimate of that engine and position. 996/997/991 engines may've each sounded better than their Boxster/Cayman counterparts, but closeness helps too.

Am I the only one who doesn't see what the big deal is with the sound?

I own this car and absolutely love the sound! The performance is also amazing. After 6 years, 30k miles, I still get compliments on the car and even more on the sound. This is a subjective perception. To each their own.....I'm extremely satisfied.

Have the same Porsche cayman s and it sounds awesome especially on 5k rpm! Super fast car!!

Dear Carfection, Thank you for stating an actual opinion besides a car being "brilliant"!

Brilliant reviewer I always look forward to hearing his reviews

I have the 991 4 GTS and my wife drives the Boxster GTS and both have the amazing sounding engine note, we almost put an order down on a new 718 Cayman but couldn't live with the engine sound either.. Keep up the great posts

Carfection. Bravo. Your review is always so honest, on the mark and passionate. Well done. I am a Cayman S, as in naturally aspirated flat 6, driver and agree with your conclusions. Again, well done.

Alex's narration is awesome!!

The last generation was and still is perfect. The is a new interpretation of a perfect car and the engine is perfect. A tuned 4 cylinder, pure performance and the sound of a race engine. Modern and efficient. I like the sound. I liked the old better, but it is again a perfect car. I kind of started to like the new name. I makes me think about perfection and affection and cars. Great job guys.

Production value of this video is awesome.

realy enjoyed the video! Thanks!!!

beautiful color.

I'm just waiting to see what the aftermarket is going to do with this car, aftermarket exhaust (never going to sound as good as the old one but it probably will sound bloody good) and a ecu tune and this is going to be a rocket!

Best looking Cayman yet. Love the rear styling.

Seems hard to complain, its faster, better handling, better breaking, and better gas mileage. So it doesn't sound the same.

Looks fantastic

Excellent review!

I like the name and I'm happy Porsche changed it because they wanted to show the cars are different from their respective predecessors. The change in name fits the change in engine type.

My favorite review of the 718 thus far.

I'm in love with this color.

i have seen it live, its absolutely stunning

Thanks. Good review. Frankly I do not mind the sound.

great review as always, I love this channel. Side note, does anybody know what kind of jacket he's wearing?

What I would like to see is a review of the base model (the non 's'). Like engine response, power delivery, differences to the s model and stuff

Hello, I really love your reviews (far better than French ones (but hey ! we've got the roads)). This is the second time I hear you wondering how "they" measure the 10% more direct direction. First : they do not measure it, "they" engineer and build it that way. Second : basically, that works exactly as a gear, or the final transmission on a motorbike (or on a bicycle : pick the one you want). You change the number of teeth on the sprockets, and you get a more or less direct direction kinematics. 10% more direct should mean than you'll turn your steering wheel 10% less to get the full swing of your front wheels. Or maybe I misunderstood you (still working on my English). Keep on the good work 👍

Thank you for saying what you think about the noise. I cut short my test drive in a Boxster because I was offended that they would screw up the car. If I wanted a Beetle from the 1960s I'd have bought one. Also they've used some dubious plastics in it. The Sport steering wheel has gone from an alloy one to plastic, and it feels cheap. I also agree about the black rear trim with the Porsche badge on it - looks awful. Do you think they will be popular?

WOW!!! STUNNING REVIEW!

Finally - the review about the 718 cayman, that I was looking for. Whenever Alex does a review of a car, that I had a chance to drive, I found his reviews spot on. However, this time, I was expecting more depth, to be honest. Yes, it's a 4-cyl. Yes, the sound is at least "different". Everybody who is interested in the 718 has taken the opportunity to listen to the sound the 718 makes, and made up his mind. Having driven naturally aspirated BMW i6 for the last 20 years, I normally hate Turbos. I hate the lag at low revs and I hate the unpredicted amount of power you get out of Turbos, once you lifted the throttle and get back on it within seconds (like lifting throttle while cornering). But I DO recon, that if there is any car company on this planet capable of getting Turbos right, it has got to be Porsche. Ever since they put that VTG Turbo on the 997, they pretty much got the best Turbo cars available. Now, we got the 718 cayman S. It is reported to do 0-200km/h in LESS than 14 seconds and shrugs a full 16 seconds off the outgoing cayman 981c's laptime around Nuernburg ring. That is a seriously fast car. Add to that the fact, that much of the outgoing cayman GT4's rear suspension found it's way to the 718 and parts of the 911 Turbo's steering went into the 718 as well, I ask myself "How much better does it drive?". With 4 cyls, I expect the engine to be shorter and thus it can be placed favourably closer to the center. Can this be felt in real life? How much more of the rev band is accessible and usable, given peak torque kicks in so much earlier? Simply put, I was expecting much more about driving, than about sound. Nevertheless, one of the best reviews of the 718 series at all. And I do expect Porsche doing a Cayman R or so with flat-6 and manual to follow up on the perfect 911R. How about a back-to-back comparison review of the first 987 cayman, the 981c follower and this 982 generation? That would be awesome. Not only, because I am considering replacing my BMW Z4 Coupe with a Cayman and I cannot make up my mind which of the three to choose :) Ah, and by the way, feel free to review the 911R in-depth. I'd really like to hear your take on the - IMHO - best sports car ever build ;)

I like the new sound. It's less bark, more bite. It sounds like more of the power is going to the wheels, rather than the muffler.

Great job Alex. Exactly the reason I won't even consider the idea of buying one of these, despite being a huge Porsche fan. I'd choose the old model even if it cost the same in today's money.

One of the very few reviews of the 718 cars, that seems honest. i bet the car reviewers who make Porsche happy by saying nice things about the horrible engine sound, wouldn't dream of actually putting their money into one. Not many car lovers would. Great review. I love the looks of it, and everyone goes one about how great it handles and all that. SO sad they decided to put a Subaru sounding thing in it. It's fine for a Subaru, and i rea,lly like Subarus (the older, not the EXTREMELY ugly newer ones), but this is a Porsche.

Love the colour

drove one last week. The 4 cylinder at idle sounds like a lawn mower engine, but when the turbo kicks in, the acceleration is terrific.

People pay too much attention to details you probably ain`t gonna see and hear in normal driving (city). And of course, there`s gonna be aftermarket exhaust that`s gonna sound meaner than previous Cayman ever sounded. To me, this Porsche is spot on, good looks, great handling and a price that finally looks and feels fair asked for sports car !!!

Next trend: swapping older engines into newer cars

It's like a rich man'd BRZ... Nice color though.

Great review Zcar

I love the way it looks. Especially that tail. The sound however sounds a bit after market-y for me.

wonderful presentation. perhaps if I were to own one I guess I would turn up the stereo so loud that I wouldn't hear the exhaust note. then again I might just replace the exhaust

Speaking from a guy who has a 2015 Cayman flat 6, I think that Porsche roar is wonderful, but not a dealbreaker by any stretch. At 6am with no one on the road, it's a joy to behold. But with normal traffic and life, you rarely think about it. If you get a better car all around minus the sound, wouldn't you make that choice?

Sounds great, love the growl and rumble and not whine…

I actually like the sound of the 4 cyl caymen. Its unique.

when you are a proud swede and love malmö, you feel so proud when a porsche video is made here!

I always enjoy the videos Alex, but can I ask one thing? Turbo-lag isn't being below the boost threshold, turbo-lag is the time it takes for the turbo to come on boost when you're within range, so in this case above 2000rpm.

If Porsche wanted to put a four-cylinder turbo to market, why not just revive a 924/944 style car? Putting four-cylinder turbos in cars that are heralded for flat-sixes seems daft

I'm buying this in a few years, can't wait to own a porsche. Don't care if this is the entry level model, to me this looks much better than any other prosche model out right now in terms of design.

i love that color

How's the gear ratio on the manual? The GT4 had the long gear ratio problem. How is it in the new cayman?

This guy is SPOT ON!!!

superb design

Was wondering, is it physically impossible to recreate or synthesise the signature flat six howling in the newer 4 cylinder iterations? Is it due to technical issues or more like a marketing strategy to shift the focus over to the 911s if you're after that beautiful roar?

Can someone explain what he means by the noise being the only downside? Sounds pretty good to me

I love the songs at the beginning and the end. Could someone tell me which songs they are, please? Thanks!

I am so glad Carfection shared their HONEST OPINION instead of just trying to make Porsche happy with this review. The sound is just terrible and also totally ruins the car for me. It surely drives better, but the noise is missing.

Im sure there will be some pretty decent aftermarket exhausts for these if the sound bothers you that much.

Excellent review! ...And four a few hundred pounds you can change the muffler out to something more to your liking.

I LIKE THE BLACK BAR... AND THE SOUND

The new Cayman is possibly the best looking Porsche yet, IMO, but not nice enough to overlook the 4-cylinder motor. What a shame. Love your reviews, Alex. Spot on, and slyly & subtly entertaining. *thumbsup!*

Finally a someone in the car journalism world had the guts to call out this petty attempt from Porsche to make people less angry about the engine configuration and justify the downgrade in sound by sticking the name of race car from a ages ago. The intention is so obvious to the point of being downright ridiculous. The driving experience is as important or more than the spec sheet and numbers and sound plays a quite big part in it

I want that car. but I also like your jacket! where did you buy it?

I saw one of these in this color with black wheels. It looked sexy. The color looks better in person I think however.

I also like the noise from what I could hear from this video. Side thought; aftermarket parts are cheap these days..

You didn't seem to complain as much about the sound of the M3/M4 which has a similar exhaust note.

that was a pretty solid review. well done. that noise really disturbs him tho lol

It's about time someone actually speaks their true opinion on these cars. These cars need a 6 cylinder. Porsche did a good job with their turbo 911's but it's just hard to make a I4 sound as good as a straight 6

I agree noise is very important when it comes to sports cars

It would be a perfect car, if it had six cylinders. On Matt Farrah's One Take video of the Boxster, I asked in the comment section why they car didn't come with a very small, let's say two liter turbocharged six. He answered that they tried to, but apparently there wasn't enough space ...

That color is bomb

If I hadn't purchased my 911 GTS back in March, this is a car I would have seriously considered. Sure, it doesn't have as nice a sound out the back as my flat 6 has, but for the money it's still a great looking car. Being a bit of an old guy, I'll take mine with a PDK.

No spare tire on these cars ? is the replacement by technicians included in the buying price ?

I agree it doesn't sound as good as the last gen, but I don't think it's bad. It's a turbo 4, and as far as turbo 4s go, it's actually pretty high on the list of ones that sound good in my opinion. It gets a benefit from being a boxer style 4 than an inline and while that kinda makes it sound like an STI, I'd take STI over GTI tonally (and I own a Mk7 GTI, trust me the sound is my least favorite part. The car otherwise makes it worth it though). But maybe an aftermarket exhaust would let it howl a bit more. Regardless, I think the damnation of the exhaust note for this is a bit harsh, but it's all subjective. I don't think any Porsches besides the GT series cars sound good, at least compared to their competition, but they'd all still be my first choice if I were in that market. I really like this Cayman, and I could easily live with that still decent exhaust note to get an overall package that's improved in literally every single other way.

When you revved the the 718 I thought the pops & bangs sounds like the Focus RS

I think it has quite a muscular deep tone to it, something that's hard to do with a four cylinder motor. Don't get me wrong, the previous flat six was amazing, however emissions laws are taking hold, and sadly turbos are the way of the future.

I kinda like how it sounds.

Thing is that the latest Boxster and Cayman are a massive improvement over the old cars. Far faster, better handling, better riding and considerably quieter. You only hear the engine if you’re flat out and then there’s an aggressive rasp and immense acceleration. They’re really fast and make the old cars noisy, feel sluggish and as though you’re travelling faster than you are, which is the opposite of the new car. These enormous benefits are lost in a forest of exhaust sound twerps, who need to get out more. I’ve just been thrashing my 718 up and down mountain passes in Spain in my 718 which replaced a much lover 987.

absolutely stunning car, yes engine is downsized but that is just the way of the world at mo, can't wait to get mine!!!!

I definitely understand the disappointment and anger resulting from the deviation of the flat 6. It sounded utterly amazing. However, as 4 cylinders go, this new engine sounds great; easily one of the best sounding stock four bangers IMO.

3:03 I love this shot

After trying to order a new Cayman GTS 4.0 and being told that I basically have no chance of getting one new, and being unwilling to pay $130k for a slightly used (msrp $108k) one, I've decided I'll be more than happy with a Cayman S, despite the 4 banger. Doesn't sound terrible to me, and I like the crackling snarl. Though I love the sound of a good exhaust note, the driving experience is by far the more important aspect. Just paid the shipping cost for a 2017 Cayman S, and am very much looking forward to realizing a childhood dream of owning a Porsche. That first drive is going to be splendid...

it sounds great ....

I think many people don't understand why they dropped the 6 cylinder motor from Cayman and Boxster. The BIGGEST reason is very simple, it's to make the 911 more exclusive. Half of a sports car's worth is valued in the engine it has. If a Cayman and 911 has the same amount of cylinders, most customers will not see the value in the 911. With the Cayman/Boxster not having 6 cylinders anymore, there's a clear distinction between a Cayman, and a 911.

This guy would rather have the noise than the performance. He actually said that.

Good lil Porsche

That sounds very good for a car

As the proud owner of a 718 Boxster S, don't let this guy convince you to buy the pre-2017 model. I understand nostalgia but it's almost like he's trying to protect the feelings of those that missed out on these new 718's. Here are the facts. The "S" boxster/cayman is now as fast as a new base 911 Carrera (a first for Porsche). The interior and exterior changes are a big visual improvement. The technology updates like Apple CarPlay bring these cars into the modern era. Lastly, shockingly, the exhaust sounds JUST FINE to me. It's deep and full, yet quiet and subdued when you want it to be. The torque you get means you don't have to wind the engine up as much. Think 3K RPM's vs 6K to get that "punch". Choose wisely!