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Porsche Cayman GT4 (981, 2015-2019) review – performance and 0-60mph time

The Cayman we've all been waiting for

Evo rating
RRP
from £64,451
  • Looks; attitude; exquisite chassis balance; price; 'that' manual gearbox
  • Gear ratios still feel too long; they've all been sold

With a 3.8-litre engine rather than the Cayman GTS’s 3.4 litres, and a few kilos shed from its kerb weight, the GT4 is predictably a shade faster than the previous quickest Cayman.

The benchmark 0-62mph sprint now passes in 4.4 seconds, rather than the 4.9sec of the GTS, while its top speed has risen by 6mph to 183mph. More important than the quantity of the GT4’s performance is its quality – with extra engine capacity the Cayman now pulls its long gearing more convincingly than ever.

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In isolation this 3.8-litre flat-six sounds exciting and seems to have a top end full of fireworks, but when compared to a 911 GT3 or RS power unit it does fall short for drama. 

The serrated, hard-edged bark that those cars emit with a fully open throttle is worthy of a competition car, while both rev out to their redlines with such ferocity that you wonder if they’re about to explode. The GT4’s engine is never as exciting as that, but you’d be hard-pressed to criticise it if you hadn’t experienced a GT3 or RS at full lick.

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