Photo: Carpix
Take a good look at the Porsche Cayman Facelift test car shown in the adjacent images. As always with Zuffenhausen’s mid-cycle revamps, the visuals can be overlooked, but make no mistake, this update will bring one major change in the model’s history - turbo power.
Porsche’s engineers have been working on a family of four-cylinder boxer engines for quite some time now and they’re almost ready to pick the fruits of their passion. After everybody expected Porsche to bring the facelifted 911 to the Paris Motor Show and the Germans decided to skip this one, we won’t rush to make predictions about the Cayman facelift’s debut. All we can tell you is that the prototype is in an advanced development stage.
The boosted flat-four scheme will also include the 911 and is expected to consist of three engines. It should all start with a 1.6-liter unit, which should deliver 210 hp (213 PS). However, we’re not sure this engine will shop up, as it was initially planned for the entry-level sportscar of the VW Group, a vehicle that has yet to show up.
Nonetheless, we can count on the remaining two powerplants. We’re talking about a 2.0-liter unit delivering 286 hp (290 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) and a 2.5-liter mill that will churn out 360 hp (365 PS) and 374 lb-ft (470 Nm).
As you know, Porsche is a master of models and special editions, so there’s plenty of room in the Cayman line-up for the new engines - we expect at least one of the current naturally-aspirated flat-six engines to stay.
As for the all-scary turbo lag, the “Sport Plus” driving mode keeps the engine high in the rev range, which means engineers have to come up with a solution for eliminating this in the “Normal” mode.
As far as the aural pleasures are concerned, yes, the example of the 911 Turbo shows this falls behind the NA models in terms of the soundtrack, but the characteristic Porsche engine voice is there. Of course, as cars such as the Subaru Impreza WRX (STI) have taught us, four-cylinder boxers can generate quite some beats, so it’s all a matter of choice.
The big picture
The turbo revolution is obviously a downsizing move. Yes, being a small volume automaker, Porsche doesn’t have the same emission targets as VW, for instance, but this doesn’t mean the automaker can rest on its naturally-aspirated flat-six laurels. In fact, if take a good look at the sportscar industry, it is Porsche that has the most efficient models and the Germans aren’t going to lose this crown.The boosted flat-four scheme will also include the 911 and is expected to consist of three engines. It should all start with a 1.6-liter unit, which should deliver 210 hp (213 PS). However, we’re not sure this engine will shop up, as it was initially planned for the entry-level sportscar of the VW Group, a vehicle that has yet to show up.
Nonetheless, we can count on the remaining two powerplants. We’re talking about a 2.0-liter unit delivering 286 hp (290 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) and a 2.5-liter mill that will churn out 360 hp (365 PS) and 374 lb-ft (470 Nm).
As you know, Porsche is a master of models and special editions, so there’s plenty of room in the Cayman line-up for the new engines - we expect at least one of the current naturally-aspirated flat-six engines to stay.
Keep an open mind
The new engines shouldn’t worry anybody. First of all, Porsche has built four-cylinder units before and we’re not talking about the Macan’s Chinese version here. That uses an Audi Q5 turbo L4 and has nothing to do with Porsche’s retro four-cylinder sportscars.As for the all-scary turbo lag, the “Sport Plus” driving mode keeps the engine high in the rev range, which means engineers have to come up with a solution for eliminating this in the “Normal” mode.
As far as the aural pleasures are concerned, yes, the example of the 911 Turbo shows this falls behind the NA models in terms of the soundtrack, but the characteristic Porsche engine voice is there. Of course, as cars such as the Subaru Impreza WRX (STI) have taught us, four-cylinder boxers can generate quite some beats, so it’s all a matter of choice.
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