How the Porsche Cayman Has Surpassed the 911

Porsche keeps improving its Cayman model and for 2014 the new GTS trim has surpassed even the performance of the 911; that is, if the 911 you’re talking about is a few years old.

When Porsche debuted the new Cayman GTS the performance numbers being claimed were good, very good. In fact, they were so impressive we had to compare them to the rest of Porsche’s sports car range to see how they stacked up. As it turns out, the Cayman GTS has brought Porsche’s mid-engined sportscar up to the level of a 2011 Carrera… and in some cases even further.

Powered by a 3.4-liter flat-six engine, Porsche has managed to churn out 340 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, allowing it to accelerate to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds with its PDK transmission. Its top speed is electronically limited to 175 mph and the Cayman GTS tips the scales at 3,031 lbs. Comparing that with the 2011 Carrera, you might be surprised to see just how competitive the Cayman GTS is.

The 2011 Carrera packs slightly more of a punch with the 3.6-liter flat-six engine offering 345 hp and 288 lb-ft of torque. But weighing over 100 lbs more at 3,164 lbs it takes longer to hit 60 mph, with an official 4.5 seconds with the PDK transmission. If you add on the optional Sport Chrono package the 2011 Carrera can hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, but it costs several thousand dollars more.

Speaking of dollars, the Cayman GTS has a lower starting price of $79,160 compared to $83,080 for a Carrera back in 2011.

The Cayman GTS also comes out on top when you compare the power to weight ratio of each car, with 8.9 lbs/hp, compared to 9.2 lbs/hp in the Carrera.

Comparing the 2014 Cayman GTS to some other high-performance Porsches in recent history and it outperforms the 2012 Cayman R in nearly all categories. The 2012 Cayman R was rated at 330 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque while its 0-60 time clocked in at 4.4 seconds in Sport Plus mode. The top speed is identical to the new Cayman GTS at 175 mph, but the Cayman R does weigh less at 2,910 lbs. delivering a power-to-weight ratio just ahead of the GTS at 8.8 lbs/hp. That, by the way, is identical to the new 991 Carrera.

The GTS isn’t just superior to a last-gen 911 either. Compare it to the 2014 version and sure it’s down on power, but its power-to-weight ratio is only a tenth of a pound off and it’ll actually it 60 mph two-tenths of a second faster (though a Sport Chrono equipped Carrera is faster at 4.2 seconds). The GTS is considerably less expensive, costing $9,000 less and that number will jump to $13,000 with that Sport Chrono package.

Has the Porsche Cayman finally out-done the 911? In some ways, yes. Check out all the stats below and draw your own conclusions.