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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman: Face of an angel, voice of indigestion

The 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman S sure is pretty, but man does it sound bad. And it has a silly name.

Alex Goy
Alex Goy is an editor for Roadshow. He loves all things on four wheels and has a penchant for British sports cars - the more impractical the better. He also likes tea.
Alex Goy
2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Meet the new Porsche 718 Cayman. The 718 bit of the name comes from races car from the early days of Porsche.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

They, like the new Cayman, have four-cylinder engines and go rather quickly.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

That's about all the two have in common though.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

The new Cayman gets a sharper look to it. Most notably its nose.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Apparently it's almost completely new. Parts like the roof carry over from the old car, but that's about it.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Even the door handles are new.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

The rear is rather fine, save for the black strip with 'PORSCHE' written across it. That looks a touch tacky.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

The main story here is the engine - it's a four-cylinder turbo. In the S you get 2.5-liters to play with, the non-S gets 2.0.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Power is up for both models, the S getting 345bhp and 310lb-ft. 0-62mph, in a car with the PDK auto and Sport Chrono fitted, takes 4.2 seconds. That's as quick as a base 911.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Feeling brave? The S will hit 177mph if you've got the space.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

The car rides wonderfully in normal mode, but flip a switch and it turns MEAN.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

The throttle becomes more agressive, steering heavier and all-round wonderful. Apart from one thing...

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

It sounds dreadful. The old howl is gone, replaced by a din that's unpleasant at any speed.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

A shame, because one of the reasons for buying a sports car is the sound it makes.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

And because you've got a closed off roof, there's no way to escape it. You're tapped in the cabin with it. Or... is it trapped in the cabin with you?

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

The stick shift is fantastic. As they go, it's up there for fun. The PDK is, well, a Porsche double clutch auto. So... awesome!

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Inside you now get a seven-inch touch screen interface with Apple CarPlay. It's slick and works really well.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Though you don't have to use the touch screen if you don't want to. There are buttons glore to play with.

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

There's loads of luggage space as well. Both the trunk and the frunk are room enough for a surprisingly large amount of stuff.

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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

The extra power is good, the ergonimics are great, and the handling sublime...

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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

...but will the noise put people off? Will there be a spike in used Cayman values?

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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Time will tell...

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