Among Porsche’s recent new models, one has really caught my attention: the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. I even placed an order, but production slots seem to be extremely limited, so I’ve more or less given up hope of getting one (laughs).

I recently had the chance to drive a 718 Cayman GT4 RS, so here’s my review.

718 Cayman GT4 RS

This is the range-topping Cayman, taking the performance of the GT4 to an even higher level.

It’s in a different league from the half-hearted, sport-styled models you’ll find from other manufacturers. Rather than the 4.0-liter engine found in the GTS 4.0 and GT4, it gets the same 4.0-liter racing engine as the GT3, mounted in the middle of the car.

The hood is genuine carbon fiber

The engine produces an impressive 500 PS. The suspension’s spring rates and damping setup also follow the design philosophy of the 911 GT3 RS (991.2). PASM lowers the car by a full 30 mm compared with the standard setup. There’s a NACA duct in the front hood to cool the brakes, a swan-neck rear wing, and the engine’s air intake box has been relocated into the cabin. Combined with a newly developed air filter, this gives the interior a distinctive, deep, resonant sound.

The GT4 is already equipped to hold its own as a race car, yet Porsche has added even more hardware—enough to make you think, “Just how far did they go?” The result is a race car that’s road-legal.

Getting Underway

When you start the engine, its deep, throaty note fills the cabin. With the same engine, the startup sound is almost identical to the GT3’s. The difference is that the engine sits right behind you, making it feel even more dramatic.

I select D using the PDK selector, which looks like a manual transmission’s gear lever, and set off. But the GT4 RS doesn’t move just because I’ve selected Drive. Like the GT3 and other models, it uses a PDK without creep. To get moving, you need to give it a little throttle.

GT3-derived suspension peeks through the gap in the wheel arch

As I pull out of the parking lot, the car feels almost surprisingly ordinary. It doesn’t have the intense sense of tire contact you get in a 992 Carrera or 992 GT3; if anything, the ride feels a little more forgiving. Even so, the GT4 RS quickly builds speed.

I cruise at town speeds of around 30 to 50 km/h. My first thought is, “This is surprisingly easy to drive normally.”

You can tell the suspension is a little firmer than the GT4’s, but the difference in feel isn’t dramatic. On smooth roads, it’s perfectly comfortable.

The engine’s low-rev soundtrack comes through clearly in the cabin. Unlike some modern cars, which suddenly go quiet once you pull away because of noise regulations, this one keeps the sound present. In fact, it feels louder and more dramatic with the windows closed. I suspect that’s because the engine is right behind you, and its intake is inside the cabin too.

How Does It Handle?

Once I’ve settled in, I pick up the pace a little and explore the car’s cornering ability, leaving PASM in Normal mode.

The initial steering response is surprisingly gentle. It’s certainly sharper than a standard Cayman, but compared with a 991 or 992 GT3, the response feels almost a little underwhelming. The engine’s different location may play a part, but on the same day, I found the 992 Carrera S Cabriolet with PASM Sport Suspension felt sharper.

That makes it easy to drive, in a good way. You could think of it as a high-performance extension of the standard Cayman. It doesn’t demand that you tense up behind the wheel; you can relax and enjoy a flowing drive on a twisty road.

That said, the RS badge is no empty boast. Its stability and grip through corners are astonishing. There’s no way to explore its limits on public roads; it sweeps through every corner with enormous reserves of composure.

It likely comes into its own at much higher speeds, where its downforce can really work.

On Japan’s so-called “touge”—winding mountain roads—the car seems to rely simply on its suspension setup and capabilities to get around the corners. It’s clear that the GT4 RS is nowhere near reaching its full potential.

Switching PASM to Sport makes the suspension noticeably firmer. You feel more of the road’s bumps and surface changes, while response and turn-in sharpen further. Many Porsche models have only a subtle difference between PASM Normal and Sport, but on the GT4 RS, the change is quite pronounced.

To put it bluntly, in Japan, its performance is largely wasted unless you take it to a race circuit. It’s a serious case of having more capability than you can use. I’m not exaggerating—I really mean it. If you’re lucky enough to buy a GT4 RS, I hope you’ll take it to the track. I think that’s where this car will be happiest.

Lightning-Fast PDK

One of the car’s standout features is the remarkable performance of its PDK.

Porsche’s PDK transmission has always been exceptionally quick, with very little shift shock. I’ve driven all kinds of cars, and in my view, it’s unquestionably the best transmission in the world.

In the GT4 RS, Porsche has made that PDK even better.

In automatic mode, it downshifts with such perfect timing that you’d almost think the car could see the corner ahead. Then it snaps through the gears with incredible precision. The way it changes gear—bam, bam—is straight out of a racing video game.

The experience gets even more exciting when you switch to manual mode and use the paddles. Porsche says it has further refined the downshift control in the GT4 RS, and the speed of the shifts is genuinely thrilling.

Pull the left paddle twice in quick succession, shifting from fourth to third and then second, and the flat-six barks out two quick “vroom, vroom” blips as it completes the downshifts in the blink of an eye. I’ve never experienced anything this fast. I’ll go so far as to say that no matter how expensive the supercar, its shift control can’t match this.

The PDK is so good, you could happily eat three bowls of rice just thinking about it. Some people lament that the GT4 RS isn’t available with a manual transmission, but I’d urge them to try this PDK first. You’ll quickly realize that no human can shift manually with the speed and precision needed to unlock this car’s full potential.

Next page → The GT4 RS engine and sound, plus my verdict