The Base Porsche 718 Cayman Ep 8 - The 2.0 Engine, the manual, the winter and stuff I don't like 

Absolutely the best and most authentic review. Totally fed up with 1 day journalists banging on about how it doesn’t sound like a flat 6, of course it doesn’t, it has its own flat 4 charm and i personally really like it. I have an almost identical car, bought used, agate gray, manual, rear screen wiper and am absolutely loving it. This coming from a succession of 911’s, the cayman for me just represents the best of porsche, small, nimble and drippingly gorgeous to look at. Keep the videos coming mike , there’s an absence of genuine reviews that portray the ownership experience.

I absolutely want a manual base Cayman .Going to be my retirement present to myself .

This was such a refreshing change of pace in online car reviews. I actually came back a couple times to make sure I watched it thoroughly. It was so thoughtfully and intelligently put together that I didn't want to miss anything. Thank you! Subscribed.

I adore my T, best car I’ve ever owned and love it far more than my 981.

All your fault now ! After seeing your reviews I decide to order my first Porsche; base Cayman with the 6 speed (in GT silver metallic). Now the waiting game begins. Thanks for the great review.

Proper driving, and a thoughtful take on the base spec Cayman. Amazing job Forever Manual!

I've never seen such a comprehensive review before. Well done! I am a fan of the base 718 Cayman myself, and I agree that most "petrolhead" out there didn't give the 4 cylinder engine of this car enough credit. It sounds great if you ask me.

the perfect car in any config. mid engine manual will always be the goat sports car

I live in Colorado USA and I would never have considered a base 718 for winter driving. Thank you for the info: best 718 video I've seen yet.

Amazing review, this is the best take on the base 718 yet. I have a 'big engine, high number of cylinders' obsessed friend who is religiously against these new, small engined sport cars, and yet when I showed up with the 2.0 718 he was absolutely in love with it, and swore I must have done some modifications because it sounds too good for a 4 cylinder. Anyone shitting on the sound just haven't heard it in real life.

Great update - my Aventurine 6MT 2.0 is supposed to get here in March. From what you've described, I think it's going to be everything I want from it.

I have a base 718 Boxster with PDK, it's the quickest car I've ever driven. I had a 981 prior, and it was slow by comparison. The 4 cylinder doesn't sound as good, but the car is ridiculously quick.

Great control on the icy roads..

This was inspiring. In 1.5 years ill park my W205 and pick up JUST this model.

Best review of the car - period.

just arrived a Cayman T after a year of waiting, no leds in the night, no pdk (love the gt4 gear), no parking sensors, no infotaiment, pure love!

Fantastic Mike! I agree with your observations as a 718T owner I’m fine with it’s power which is more usable than my F80!

Excellent and informed review, sir. I've had both the 718 base(Boxster) 2.0 and the 718 Cayman S(both manual). Both seemed quick, neither lacked for performance, two amazing cars. As you said, people don't buy these cars for drag racing, but no one will complain about the performance, and nothing is more fun to drive.

Just found your video yesterday, really appreciated all your detailed explanations in every video sir. As you said in the comments, the exist of 718 might upset some of enthusiasts, but it’s a profitable idea for the company and makes 718 base model more reachable for Porsche fans. Sadly I’m a “poor” Chinese owner of 718, but the baby 718 with 250hp still is a great fun when driving in city flows and winding mountain roads. I enjoyed my car a lot in a year of ownership, and would definitely keep this car as a daily. Looking forward to more of your quality videos😃

such a nice car, that full leather is so beautiful.

Really great review! I have a 718 T and I absolutely love it - the 6-speed manual is engaging, and despite less bhp than my previous 911S, I love this car even more. Cheers and happy driving.

I totally agree with you on the beautiful sound the manual makes when shifting gears! I also just got my base 2.0 and built an interior that was perfect for me. It’s definitely a drivers car.

What a great production and narrative flow to describe your Porsche.

Great video, Mike - thank you! Car Wow has just released a drag race between a base Cayman, a GT4 and a V8 Mustang; you made the right choice!

I just rented one of these for three days. I fell in love with the sound of the car and all of the features. Even being the automatic model, it was still one of the best driving experiences that I have had. This was my first Porsche experience, and I'm a fan boy now.

Excellent analysis and interesting commentary on the Camyamn 2.0T. Having owned several Boxter 981 2.7 Manual cars I have recently changed to the Cayman 2.0T PDK. Like many Porsche fans I had anguished over the move away from a flat six engine but having driven the 981S and 718 2.0T back to back I chose the 718, mainly due to the flexibility and linear power delivery. Good to see someone covering the 'base' model as so much content is focussed on the 2.5 and higher end models.

Thank you for a thorough and detailed report. As a 718 Cayman owner, PDK, I was very interested in your review of manual. I understand your comments re clutch feel although I have driven many and found it very easy. The short shift is a definite improvement. Now your comments re a/c, here in Australia our heat is the main issue. I find the a/c is perfect! My advice is, try adjusting air flow via Settings/Air Conditioning/Air Flow and choose, Soft, Normal or Strong. In our present hot summer, 30+ C days, the Strong setting works well even when cabin is over 45C from sitting in sun. On cold and wet days, again, set Auto/Sync 22 and vary air flow set to suit, I will be surprised even in a Moscow cold ( admittedly I’ve never experienced!), it should not frost over. Try it. Again thank you and yes, the 2.0 300PS, is brilliant engine.

Great video. Thank you for sharing your experiences with the 718 Cayman. I picked up mine a couple of months ago and love every minute of driving

Thank you Michael. I really enjoy your videos about this car. You do a great job communicating valuable information about the car and your experiences. Cheers from Boston

Having come from a Z4 & MX5 completely agree about the clutch. Even went back to the dealership thinking there was a fault in first gear. amount of pressure left on the clutch pedal and a rev limiter kicks in, or as you say stalls. Again, as you say, made me think I was a bad driver. One year on, learnt how to drive it!

I recently purchased my 718 cayman base model with a few options, i must admit your reviews helped me greatly in making my decision, and I’m so glad i bought it. The handling is superb and its power is more than enough for me, as for the sound , its secondary to me, i think it sounds great and love the pick up about 2500rpm…..i hope to enjoy it for many years.

Great video! I also have an Aventurine Green base 718. I chickened out, and cancelled my order for winter tires. The east coast of Canada has brutal winters, but after watching this video, I might run the car next winter! It breaks my heart to see the car under a cover in my garage.

Thank you Mike. A truly excellent video. I wish I had the ability to describe my experiences with the manual base Cayman the way you can. I generally resort to, “Eeeppppiiiiiccc!……holy s1ttttte!”🙄 I hadn’t appreciated the lack of feedback from the clutch, until you pointed it out. I was stalling the engine a lot in the early days.

I got my 2022 S about a month ago. I bought it for sport touring and it's great for that and I enjoy that driving experience. I also have a Mini S coupe for daily & inclement weather driving as well as 3 airhead BMW motorcycles. The Porsche performance-wise is reminiscent of my airheads especially in the way I can move through traffic.

Watched this video a year ago then I went out and bought a 2018 Cayman S. No regrets at all, amazing car!

What a great review. Beautiful combination of information and image. Thanks for putting so much effort and creativity into this. I have an AG Cayman GTS on order but your review demonstrates how good even the base Cayman is. I’ve always been a 911 fan but it seems to me that the Cayman is a modern take on what the 911 used to be. A small fun agile sports car.

Great Video Mike. Realworld review. I have a 718 S manual and your feedback review on clutch peddle was spot on. Its the first review that detailed this. When I first got the car I did stall it a number of times and sometime it was jerky when changing gears ( mainly first ) and I could not understand why. Being a second hand car I thought it may have had a hard life and had something wrong with clutch but this is no the case. I also thin that the accelerator peddle is very extreme sensitive at tack off.

Для такого автомобілю потрібен яскравий колір

I have this exact same car, color and all. Every single thing he said was completely accurate. Id like to add a few things....if you’re particularly tall you need to be careful. I’m 6’2 and I JUST fit in comfortably. I have the manual seats. I would get the full power seats for more comfortability. The car handles like a dream and it’s fast enough. I got mine up to 140 early in the morning on a regular New York City highway. I could’ve easily got it up to 150 but I chickened out. I honestly believe pound for pound this car can rival cars 40k more expensive

Greetings from southern California! This was an absolutely phenomenal video man, idk what you do for your full time work but seriously this was impressive and I appreciate the hard work you put into it. I'm hoping to get a base cayman in bout 6 or so months when I change jobs and your explanation as to why I don't need the S was very much appreciated. Cheers bro

Mikhail, I am absolutely sure that the level of reviews that you have brought to the Russian audience is very much superior to most foreign versions. Insanely glad that you have so many positive reactions on the English version of your reviews, it also confirms my confidence that you are one of the best auto journalists of our time! Thanks and good luck!

From watching you on TV as a kid to watching you on RU-vid as an adult - absolutely love your work! Keep it up!

Great job Mike, the videos are excellent and production values are as well even if you do it yourself. Hello from Canada.

Thank you! And now I have no doubt to by one )

Really enjoying your 718 journey great videos . I took the plunge a year ago 718 cayman s in Miami Blue. Debated an earlier 6 cylinder but glad I went with the latest tech. I’ve learnt a lot from your analysis and approach to the car so thanks for that keep the videos coming

This was a fantastic (and timely) video as a new 2018 cayman gts manual owner! It’s also winter in the Washington DC area and we’ve gotten a good amount of snow. I have snow tires and hope to use the weather to safely learn some of the dynamics of the car before I get it on the track this spring. Thanks again for the great video’s on the 718 platform.

Very instructive and useful video on the Cayman.

This was a really insightful and complete review. Honestly much better than most professional auto reviewers would do. Of course a more thorough understanding of the car does come with living with it long term, but it is still quite impressive to be able to eloquently articulate all of your thoughts in such a concise manner. Bravo on that! Regarding the gearing, I think the main complaint of Cayman and Boxster owners isn't that they are geared so high in and of itself, though that does have it's merit, but rather the fact that they are deliberately geared higher than the 911 when there is no logical reason to do so. Typically a car with a smaller engine and less power would be geared LOWER, than the one with more power. This isn't done as a requirement to meet emissions standards as Porsche likes to claim, as the issue would also affect the 911 if that were the case. It's done in order to ensure that the Cayman cannot steal the 911's luster by outperforming it with less power. The first few Cayman S models sold in Europe did exactly that, with customer's besting the factory base 911 lap records at the Nurburgring in short order. Very shortly after that, Porsche changed the gearing on the Cayman, and even swapped out the gearboxes on the first few hundred Caymans sold to that higher ratio box when they came in for routine warranty services. They did that without the customer's knowledge or consent, and got sued in the process, with part of the settlement agreement demanding silence from those customers. Only a few of the original 2006 Cayman S with the lower gearing exist at this point. The "Cayman Complex" is real. If they ever gave a Cayman the full 911 GT3 RS threatment, it would outperform the 911 GT3 RS easily, so they will never do it. I would also note that the extremely tall gearing contributes quite a bit to the tendency to stall easily that you mentioned, which has been an issue since at least 2007 when my Cayman S was built. It's honestly the trickiest car to launch that I have ever driven short of cars modified with a high-force clutch for drag racing. The balance between stalling and slipping is a knife's edge every single time you take off from a dead stop, and especially so on an uphill. No other manual I have driven has this tendency, because none have a 1st gear nearly this tall. It's so bad they had to add a "anti-stall" timing retard switch, that numbs the power for a second or so after every gearchange by retarding the timing if you leave it active. I'd rather deal with tricky launches than a drop in power after every gear shift myself, so I disabled it.

I appreciate the quality content and *thank you* for providing quality voice audio with a microphone in the car. It amazes me how many car channels fail at audio and rely on a GoPro mounted in the vehicle without a microphone. Even popular semi-professional channels (eg Shmee). Great video! Thanks for your perspective.

Great video again! I love seeing 718 base view reviews!

I was hell bent on buying a 992 and I’ve been searching for a year for a manual with the spec I wanted. And after watching your videos, I’m seeing more similarities in terms of how it will fit in our life. I have other cars to move the family around and maybe a manual 718 fits the bill! Thanks for the content!

Drum and bass? I'm sold!!!

Thanks for the detailed honest review. It makes me appreciate the huge low down torque of my BMW 330D for daily driving which I've been thinking of selling. In congested cities torque is king. I would still love to own a Cayman.

really well produced video. time and effort shows through in the finished product. well done sir!

I have a 981 Boxster S manual and love it to death. Great video and perspective of your 718 very well done !

I actually love the sound of my 718 Base with Porsche Sports Exhaust. I’ve also received several comments from others asking what O’ve done to it to make it sound so good. But, I’ve done nothing, it sounds great.

Mike, what a great review!! One of the best if not the best about the 718 Cayman. A true in depth video. Loved the info about the short shifter installment Driving a Porsche is not about horsepower, quickest acceleration or showing of. It’s about having fun!

Superb video. Very much appreciate the truth - learned a bit. Keep productions more.

I'm a simple man, I see Porsche with manual stick I clike LIKE!!!!!!!!!!

Nice review, thank you.

Hope you are staying well with everything going on in your country. I also hope we still get to see your brilliant Cayman videos.

Awesome video and a great perspective of the base cayman, an amazing car!

I love how good it looks inside when the central screen is not visible

I always loved the Cayman and when Porsche decided to put a turbo 4 my heart dropped. Its mainly the sound for me..I live in Canada and you dont see many Porsche sports cars driven around in winter here people tend to keep them in the garage so seeing you driving all year in Moscow is just crazy to me but I guess you are the true enthusiasts in end..;)

You have a lovely way with words/storytelling. Nice work.

Great video. Helps make the winter better while my 718 sits on the lift in the garage. Edmonton winter is similar to Moscow and some of my Porsche buddies drive year round here as well. Your video is encouraging, but I think I’ll just stick with eracing from December to March. Keep up the great work

You mentioned that this is the first time you did video blogging about cars even though you are a car journalist. But boy your video blogs nail the concept of blogging head on. Your insight into the characteristics of the car is hugely informative and well, insightful. I keep coming back to watch this video because it is entertaining and relaxing to watch. It is like a love letter to the Porsche Cayman base model (with manual shifter)!

Great review! The base 718 Cayman is my favorite Cayman. I found it more fun and engaging to drive on the streets than the GT4.

Спасибо за видео, как будто сам купил себе такой же)

Rewatching this gem of a video again. I just now caught that you commute with traction off. Love it, haha.

After owning a 986S and a few Miatas. I really wanted to order a 718 Boxster base manual like you did, but I couldn’t find a single video about the base 718 until I found your videos which were a huge help. Ended up ultimately getting a 2022 MX-5 Grand Touring solely due to it being less than half the cost. Hope you are doing well in these trying times.

Great review! I always wondered how big the difference is with base vs S

I’ve been in the market for my first Porsche. This video is everything I ever wanted from a review. Thank you and please make more videos.

Thanks for informative video about 718 2.0 base model with manual. It’s so interesting to me

Fantastic series of videos. I knew nothing about Porsche but have learned a lot from you. I like your philosophy of keeping it simple. A sincere thank you for your videos!

Absolutely fantastic review

Nice and interesting review. My only disagreement is that I don't consider the used car market as irrelevant or off topic. It's not only a matter of affordability, but also personal preference and taste. Keep it up! 👍

Nice review on a terrific, underrated car.

This is an excellent review Mike! Well done!

When can we expect another video, great insight for future base Cayman owners.

Very impressed with your videos. They keep getting better. Would like you to do a video on what’s it like driving a Porsche in Moscow, road conditions, can you drive faster that the limit. do the police bother you. Maybe something like Nick Murray does with his question and answers. Keep up the good work and stay warm.

Good 2c the 718 4cyl versions finally getting the respect they deserve. Awesome cars. 👍🚙✅

This guy is a legend!!! He is the first “reviewer” that says all, the good and what not so good… Most of them are afraid to say negative things because then maybe they won't get any more cars to review, so it's all great… I also don’t really like the feel of the car’s clutch and the climate control defogging is not so great…

I just think the base 718 is a really great everyday sports car.. In some ways the ideal real world sports car... Enjoyed the content

Thanks for your great review, giving the full story always helps one who in interested in getting their first.

Very good video.

I love mine! Only issues that I have had are that oil changes are extremely difficult if you do them yourself, and a drooping headliner.

This is a terrific review.

The 718 in that color is amazing.

I drove the base 718 in manual right before the pandemic and I have been hooked. Although i just ordered a 718 gts with the 4.0.. it's the last of the run so i thought i would get it. I still might pick up a nice base cpo boxter when it comes up..

Excellent review, best ive seen, love the manual and the 4 cylinder , its just more practical for me, im going to take the plunge , many thanks

Thank you and please keep posting. Lots of good information and well explained. I just bought a Boxster base and love it. I will be interested to hear about more of your experiences with the car.

Mike, thank you so much for this series of very balanced, informative videos...they formed the basis of my decision to order a 2024 Base Cayman, I did opt for the PDK after watching countless videos, as I want to experience that excellent transmission. All the best to you, and keep 'em coming! M.

This was an excellent video! I'm interested in possibly getting a 718 Cayman. And your thorough review helps me a ton in regards to experience, points to consider, and the nature of the car. Thanks!

Best review speaking as a 5 year owner

Great reviews. Was on the fence but made the decision and ordered a 2022 Base manual from Porsche St. Louis. Premium package, GT Silver, rear wiper, dual color seats. Pretty base. After I own it for awhile will make a decision on short shift change. PS. Your English is excellent, when did you begin to learn the language?

I just watched your whole series, Thank you for the content, great work !

First time I see a review on this car where both turbo lag and turbo threshold are covered, thanks! I also own a base 718 (PDK in my case). I don't think turbo lag is a big deal, however, for me, being this my first turbocharged sportscar, turbo threshold is definitely the thing I dislike most about the car, especially while driving around town, when joining a roundabout or when trying to strongly pull away from a speed bump that forced you to slow down quite a lot. With the PDK in auto mode, in these situations it will try to shift down to 1st to keep the rpms above 2000, but that makes the driving around town sometimes a bit too aggressive and noisy, in my opinion (PDK gearing ratio is shorter than in the manual transmission). Anyway, just bought a pedal booster device, which will eliminate any possible throttle pedal delay. It will certainly not change the behavior of the turbo, but I hope it will provide the feeling of a more instant response whenever you press the accelerator. Still need to test it thoroughly, though. First impressions were that the car's response felt quite sharper.

Well done review Mike! Keep up the good work!

Wow what a detailed impressive review You really covered the little extras that other famous channels missed Also the editing and humour was great like the HOLD SUCKS Well done sir