Southern California Angeles Forest Highway over the San Gabriel Mountains is almost perfectly smooth. And although the construction crew has brought stretch of road stop for a month, they are almost finished. Get out there before 07:30 and you will enjoy uninterrupted stretch of fresh black carpet covered the mountain. Until there then and you will have a painful wait through several construction zones in one direction. We woke up one morning recently took the Porsche Cayman GT4 on this route for our desert test facility.
We do not think Porsche will ever build this car. It is a Cayman with 911 machines for the base-911 money: $ 85,595. Many have heralded this as a fratricide. But this is why Grand Cayman will not kill 911: Not much GT4s be made, GT4 is a guide only, and sell for their 911s 911s
3.8-liter flat-six from the Carrera S humming along, just inches behind us. In GT4, it makes 385 horsepower, which is 15 horses shy of what he did in the Carrera S, but 45 more than the Cayman GTS and 35 more than the base 911. Below 5,000 rpm, the engine whines and whirs; spun toward the 7600-rpm redline and pulsed turned into 10,000 conga drum jam-o-rama. The sixth placing large 90 decibels at full whack. Do not worry, though; it was a pleasant voice, never intrusive.
In the mountains, we are not at redline very often. First and second gear are high-both are good for almost 80 mph. Gearing that takes a bit around town zip of the GT4. We measured the zero-to-60 time of 4.1 seconds, identical to the Cayman GTS Our guide will be tested beforehand. Out of 60, though, GT4 who withdrew from the GTS. With 110 mph, it's in front of both. In the quarter-mile, writing GT4 12.3 seconds at 117 mph. For context, knowing that the PDK-equipped Carrera S runs through the quarter in 12.4 seconds at 116 mph with Cayman GTS arrives in 12.5 seconds at 113 mph.
But the power and performance of just two elements of the 911 GT4 kinship. The whole front suspension is lifted out of the 911 GT3. In the new asphalt, we can detect some understeer. On the skidpad, GT4 encourage more reliably than neutral daring Cayman GTS and have a little less grip, even on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires (1.01 g versus 1.04). But this GT4 desire chassis and steering feel infused with goodness GT3. At speed, almost as if the electric power steering completely without help. You are inundated with information about the surface, tires and grip available. Porsche did not spoil the trip here, either. As long as you stay away from the sport setting on the PASM damper, you will experience a firm, but friendly-mate, rose.
Some subtle tweaks strengthen the back and allows for adjustment of camber, but the biggest difference between the rear GT4 and that of the lower Cayman visible on the rear tires sized 911. An increase in the width of the front tires are not as big as that of the rear rubber and may be one reason why GT4 that understeers more than Cayman GTS.
But GT4 make a fashion statement more powerful than other Cayman. A new nasal home gaping cooling channels, the back has a small diffuser and a larger wing.
You sit low in GT4, especially with the optional ($ 4,730) single-piece seats of the 918 Spyder; they made a graceful entry or exit is not possible. Between the seats is a glorious six-speed manual, Porsche equipped with a short shifter makes snapping off quick gearchanges ridiculously easy. Press the sport button and the machine automatically blips the throttle to match revs on downshifts. It is difficult to break the habit of heel-toe downshifting, but computer rev make matching easier.
With the exception of in and out of his chair, GT4 makes everything easy. This is the first Cayman was an excellent alternative to the base 911.
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