Porsche Battle: 981 Cayman GT4 vs. uncorked 982/718 Cayman GT4: even match? | One-Mile Review 

They are both such awesome Porsches, and you truly cannot go wrong with either one! I do like the overall purity of the original 981 version, but I also have to acknowledge the refinements and improvements made between the generations. Thank you for another informative and well executed review!

Love the longer format. I recommend a longer drive as well. Maybe a five mile review would allow the reviewer to better sort out the cars. Keep up the great work!

Love the longer format and the comparison. Keep up the great work!

I like the longer format. Great video, guys. Thanks.

Love the new format! And comparing two cars is a great idea. Well done.

Excellent comparison between the two generations. The new long format is great.

Love the format...great reviews, thanks!

"the 718 has no mufflers" "let me turn PSE on, oh there seems to be no difference" .....because it's straight piped Aside from that, they are quite different in other ways. For starters the 4.0L in the 718 has a noticibily broader torque curve. Plus when you modify it with headers and a tune it really pulls like a MF. The 981 with similar mods isn't slow, but the 4.0 really comes alive. That being said the 4.0 doesn't sound as good IMO. The sound is almost a little lotus evora at times. I don't think anything can compete with the 981 flat six. Also the 4.0 has cylinder deactivation and when it's engaged, the car sounds like a washing machine on the spin cycle, it's awful. And lastly every 4.0L I've heard makes this god awful chirping noise at idle that sounds like the smoke monster from LOST. IDK if it's an injector pump or what, but the 3.8 idles quiet as a Honda. Oh and the chassis, the ride compliance in the 718 is ridiculously good. It's great if you want to cover ground but I sort of prefer the harsher ride of the 981, it provides more drama and sense of speed.

Nicely done! Your reviews are alway informative, but the new format is really first class and the production on these is better than most anything out there. I thoroughly enjoyed my 2016 GT4 and watching this makes me miss it.

I like the comparison format too...but I have to say, I disagree with your ratings. Straight exhaust on the 718 and you give it a higher rating for road tripping and daily driving? As if! Don't ignore the elephant in the refrigerator! I'd rate this particular clapped out 718 much lower than the 981 on DD and road tripping car on interior noise. Can you even play the stereo in that thing? . I daily'd a 987 CS with coil-overs, GT2 carbon buckets cat-back and a roll bar for 7 years. Great fun...but I wouldn't rate it very high on the DD scale. Another factor for daily driving in my neck of the woods is, "will it run through a good commercial car wash?" Neither of these cars pass that test. They both have wings, which is a non-starter at any car swash.. This is the test that I think about with every car I buy. I'm not going to hand wash my car all winter. I don't keep supercars around because I know I'll want to drive them all the time and that's problematic. I have 40K on my silver/black manual +10mm PASM optioned 2.5L 718 CGTS...I bought it about this time in 4 years ago. I love that car! It is so near the edge of what can be happily driven daily...and it doesn't go over the line. Would I rather drive a 6 cyl NA CGTS? Well.... maybe at a track day? Heck, maybe all the time, but I'm not willing to spend the $50K plus my car it would cost to buy one...and there aren't many around....and that extra torque of my 2.5 turbo is really nice around town. Tires larger than about 295 width are problematic in my $9, soft cloth, ride-thru, no swirl marks, 2 miles home to a cozy garage and detail spray car wash. I had a '19 Carrera T for a few months before I traded it for the 718 GTS. Great car, but 305 rear tires fail the "daily" test for me. It had enough ground clearance...just. Best colors for daily use are light metallics, not yellow and not red!. Light metallics don't show small finish flaws, hide dirt better etc....also more stealthy than Carmine Red with a wing or a Screaming Yellow with a wing. These are not the sort of cars I want to daily drive. Love going to car shows and seeing them...owned by someone else! These are both are terrific cars that I'd be thrilled flog for a weekend, but not sure I'd want to live with either one day to day. BTW, there's a new kid in town...Lotus Emira...and it passes most of the daily drive tests, skinny tires, suspension lift available, looks gorgeous and will be a hoot. For me, build quality, dealer and parts network count too. ...I might chicken out but good to have a dream, I guess.

I like the comparison format…Too bad you couldn’t find box stock examples as I feel the mods on these cars, especially the 718, may change the driving experience enough to influence your ratings. Also, car show ratings appear to me to be very generous to both cars given how often they are seen. Finally, I’m not sure why you would give the 718 a better rating on fun to drive due to its super loud aftermarket exhaust but not lower its daily driving and road trip ratings.

so much misunderstanding about the alcantara wheel. It does not deteriorate any more than leather, it just does it in a different way. Leather will lose that factory matt finish and appear shiny. Alcantara will lose the fluffy feel and appear flat. Both are caused by grease from your hands. Both can be sorted or avoided by intermittent cleaning.

I too like the comparison format. Keeo it up!

Great comparison video.

Thanks for the comparison. But I guess I'll keep my 981 GT4 (until I win the raffle...)

Loving the new format

Really enjoyed this. Was interesting to see two similar cars in different gens compared. Must have been difficult to source these two cars on the same day.

Thanks for the video. I strongly doubt this 718 doesn’t have a muffler. You talked about the valves on the 718 but if it doesn’t have a muffler it doesn’t have valves. The 718 power doesn’t drop off towards redline whereas the 981 does. The 981 is the better sounding car though even with exhaust mods on the 718.

981 GT4 sport mode also lowers the engine temp about 30 deg

Nice job Damon! Although a One-Mile review may not quite be long enough...it's certainly long enough for a big sh*t eating grin! I like the new format too!

Love the new long format.

the test would be relevant if it was based on two entirely original models, or add an after market exhaust to the 981 but it doesn't need it to be fun. Thanks for the test though.

Great video, excellent comparison, clearly both are great cars to drive, the 718 GT4 is a bit more fun, if you adapt at the soft clutch. I am looking forward to more videos like this.

Answer to question no one is asking. Of course the 718 is going to come out on top - it costs $20,000 more! What people would like to see is a 981 w/ headers and a tune vs. stock 718.

Damon, I love ya brother...but Carmine red is too close to maroon for me and GM forever ruined me on anything akin to maroon. Give me flashy yellow every day (and a Valentine One-LOL).

How does that pass inspection with no mufflers?

I've owned a 718 2.0 M6 since 2019, and the car never disappoints. It is an amazing chassis, regardless of the iteration. That said, the RS version makes this comparo a bit pointless. Both of these iterations were held back from their potential, as the RS demonstrates. And since you mentioned the "e-Cayman", one wonders what you will do with all the extra video time when you can no longer rave about the exhaust. Certainly, you won't dare throw it up against one of these beauties - what will you go on about, the better 0-30 times?

So, deciced to drive the 981 with closed exhaust valves - and enjoying the sound. Hmm... Well, minor thing, great comparo anyway. There is just big difference in the exhaust tone and loudness if the valves are open.

I have the sport buckets, and they are the best seats for long trips even though they are fixed. My wife also has found the same results.

I'm sorry, you are buying a spoiler from Techart. I don't know if it is a real Porsche Techart, a bit different, but a GT4 is so different. Then just have it professionally sprayed with a Gyeon glass coating and have it adjusted at Porsche Gelderland so that you get the right one. If you are busy, driving a Porsche costs money, so don't skimp on it, they can also install the good cylinders right away so that the rear hatch opens properly

I'm literally struggling with this decision right now. Which one for the garage long term. My wife is going to start a stick-shift-only, female-only, racing league.

Since cars are driven primarily after they are warmed up, would it make sense to warm the cars up before driving them? A longer drive would be nice. Two cars for the price of one is an excellent idea.

My money has always been on the 981 GT4 (raw and undiluted as opposed to the 982 GT4 - I'll let Porsche call it whatever it wants... - which had to be toned down to give way to the already planned GT4 RS... the fact that the owner of this 982 GT4 had to spend money tweaking the exhaust [on a GT Porsche!!!] just proves the point... and negative marks to your review by comparing apples with oranges in what concerns exhausts...really?! you lost the plot with this one ) and this has done nothing to change my opinion. I will take this opportunity just to state an unbeatable fact: rarity - the original GT4 production run is way shorter and therefore much rarer than the current generation still being made in 'bucket' loads as Porsche milks it till the end

I know I am late but the Valves open at 4k and it sounds similar

How was that an adequate sound comparison when the 981wasn't taken beyond 7000RPM (aka shrieking Valkyrie zone) and the 982 had a modified exhaust?

Sonax makes a great Alcantera cleanee

The NSX in red was my dreamcar for 30 years, and now I have a 718 GTS 4.0 on order a white one....😳

Seems like the exhaust valves weren't opened via the button..

Haha well of course a 718 with a full cat back is more fun, but it also didnt hurt its road trip score? Ok 😅 both are great thats for sure

The engine is from a 991 Carrera S and not a 997 generation.

Loud exhaust is loud.

Cool!

Now, is the 982 gen worth the $20-30k price difference from the 981 gen?

981 is the most desirable in the market, it’s a collector car

I wish Porsche would have got the gears right on the first one 😢

The differences between the 981 and 718 GT4s described in the video are basically true for other models too. I switched my 981 base for a 718 T last year and the extra handling sharpness, more compliant suspension, much lighter clutch (you get used to it) etc. make the 718 an overall better car, especially for daily driving and road trips. Not that you can go wrong either way...

The 981 looks better and thus is better in my opinion lol

Absolutely hate alcantara steering wheel.

What was the purpose of this review?

982 GT4 is now dead unfortunately.

I appreciate the time it takes to do reviews but it is blatantly obvious that the reviewer doesn't own and live with a GT4. I owned the original 987 Cayman S and it was my modifications that led Wolfgang to green light the GT4 so of course I scooped up a 2016 when Porsche finally made it available. Daily driver I would have rated lower if you face rush hour traffic. I don't get the car show rating for the car being reviewed as it lacks most all of the visually stunning options. My GT4 scores well at car shows but the one reviewed here would not, so perhaps that score is based on "potential". Road trip is where I also disagree although that perhaps depends on how you define road trip. One of my best recent road trips was a long weekend getaway to Hermann MO driving Highway 100 and the back roads in SE Missouri. There were 2 of us, plus luggage, we toured wineries along the way and it performed phenomenally. If a road trip means seeing the largest ball of twine, well then maybe not so much, but if twisty roads are part of your road trip along with bringing luggage for 2, the GT4 excels. Fun factor anything over 9 is good, again I might have gone 9.5 but fun is relative. Did the 981 GT4 have the transmission swap? I found the clutch feel changed when the transmission recall was performed. Sadly the 718 car seems to lack many of the nice visual enhancements. I just don't understand spec'ing out a GT4 and not including the performance parts and the visual enhancements. Otherwise you might as well buy a base Cayman and call it a day. I highly recommend seat protectors for the side bolsters on the GT4 bucket seats. I find the 3.8 revs a little faster than the 4.0 but the GT4RS seems to have fixed that with the GT3 engine. Oh, if you engage PASM in sport in the 981 GT4 you should feel it immediately and it is noticeable, so if this wasn't noticed, perhaps something was wrong. I would also suggest taking both of these cars to the track and comparing them there. I find the 718 is a bit more forgiving on the track than the 981 which I chalk up to suspension changes between the models. Keep the reviews coming but I would also suggest interviewing owners after you've driven them to address your questions or concerns. Keep in mind both of these cars are slower 0-60 than an electric family sedan. ;)

That 718 should not be legal on public roads without mufflers. The stock exhaust sounds fine, and does not make non-enthusiasts hate sports cars. Also, to me, that 718 would be awful for road tripping with all of that noise. Even my base 718 would be nicer for road trips, if it were quieter at highway speed, though the standard seats are comfortable.

These ratings seem to be for a Cayman channel. Most any 911 will grab more attention at a car show. Consider a GTS, with the same stitching, alcantara, etc. A GT3 gets WAY more attention than a GTS, so would a turbo - so the car show rating seems very generous. And, road trip in a teensy Cayman? What car would you give a lower score to? A loud small car, with stiff suspension and short wheel base and limited storage is the worst for long trips. Almost every current Porsche is better for road trips than a GT4 (911, Panamera, Taycan, Cayenne, Macan. base Cayman.) Maybe this is the GT4 review channel and of GT4s these two get the high scores? :)