Porsche 718 Cayman review – interior and tech

Always surprisingly practical for a mid-engined sports car, the Cayman’s front and rear load areas are plenty big enough to swallow everything two people might need on a weekend away. The rear deck above the engine and behind the occupants’ heads provides extra useful space for small items, too.

This being a Porsche, ergonomics are spot-on, with all the controls perfectly positioned and weighted with a quality feel. The driving position is suitably low and from behind the 918-inspired steering wheel the dash layout has plenty of traditional Porsche touches such as the high-mounted gear lever, and a rev counter right in the centre of the dials.

Materials and build quality are top-notch, but with an infotainment system and switchgear inherited from older generation Porsches, rivals such as the BMW M2 make the tech feel distinctly last generation. In typical Porsche style most of the truly desirable features reside on the options list, but there’s enough to customise to turn even a basic Cayman into pretty much your perfect car.

Don’t even get us started on Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur and its range of interior options and endless paint-to-sample shades. It’s expensive, and perhaps something buyers of standard Caymans might shy away from, but could you resist on a GT4?

One or two models in the Cayman range do forge their own path anyway, the aforementioned GT4 getting standard bucket seats and Clubsport Package options such as a bolt-in cage and a fire extinguisher, and the Style Edition gaining grey interior stitching and illuminated sill plates.