The final naturally aspirated Porsche Cayman sings one last verse—this time within the rain-soaked streets of Singapore.
There’s one thing cinematic about driving a naturally aspirated Porsche within the rain: damp roads, moody skies and slick parking garages echoing with the reverberation of a flat-six. The 2025 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 isn’t only a precision-built sports activities coupe — it’s an announcement. A last nod to the form of driving expertise that’s changing into more and more uncommon.
For our Check Drive, Porsche Singapore gave us a supply mileage, GT Silver Metallic spec, sitting low on black 20-inch wheels, pink calipers peeking via and “GTS 4.0” script subtly marking the aspect. Over the course of a weekend in Singapore — via downpours, slender metropolis lanes, rooftop carparks and empty highways — it made one factor clear: the Cayman GTS 4.0 isn’t a send-off; it’s a celebration.
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
The Engine: Naturally Aspirated, Naturally Rewarding
On the coronary heart of the GTS 4.0 is similar 4L flat-six used within the Cayman GT4, detuned barely to 394 hp and 309 lb-ft of torque. However numbers don’t do it justice. The actual story right here is the way it delivers its energy. In a world dominated by turbocharged urgency and electrical immediacy, the GTS delivers its energy the “old style” means — clear, linear and higher the more durable you push. Beneath 4,000 rpm, it’s composed and usable in a day by day drive setting. Above that, it turns into one thing else fully — responsive, keen and stuffed with soul. Redline arrives at 7,800 rpm and also you’ll need to contact it as usually as you’ll be able to.
We drove the PDK model — maybe the extra cheap selection for Singapore’s site visitors — and it was sensible. The shifts are fast and completely timed when left to its personal units, however pull the paddles your self and it’s much more rewarding. In Sport Plus mode, downshifts crack with intent, whereas upshifts below load are clear and decisive. On moist roads, the engine by no means felt intimidating, simply exact, assured and managed. Porsche’s traction administration programs do their job seamlessly within the background, however what impressed us most was how naturally the ability may very well be utilized even on slick roads.
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
Dealing with: Mid-Engine at Its Best
The Cayman’s chassis is the gold customary for mid-engine stability, and the GTS 4.0 represents its most polished road-going type. In Singapore’s tight city confines — ramp-style exits, uneven manhole covers, sharp U-turns — it feels gentle on its toes and deeply composed. The steering is sharp and intuitive, with simply sufficient suggestions to maintain you absolutely in tune with the entrance axle. There’s no sense of extra or overkill — it’s a automobile that responds on to your enter, nothing extra, nothing much less.
It’s value noting that the GTS carried out excellently in poor situations. Even in heavy rain, it didn’t appear to fluster. Mid-corner confidence stayed intact, credit score to the PASM adaptive dampers, which permit the GTS to drift over tough patches and tighten up immediately while you dial in a bit of extra tempo. Even over enlargement joints and slick painted traces, the chassis stayed communicative. This can be a automobile constructed for extra than simply Sunday drives, it’s comfortable to string site visitors and to carry its personal in a downpour. When the highway opens up, it rewards with grace and athleticism in equal measure.
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
Cabin: Driver-Centric
Step into the Cayman GTS and it feels precisely because it ought to — driver-focused, low-slung and purposeful. The inside of our check automobile got here trimmed in black leather-based and Race-Tex, with a suede-wrapped steering wheel and minimalist silver accents throughout the sprint. It’s not a tech-laden expertise. There’s a small central touchscreen (with Apple CarPlay), analog gauges and an array of bodily buttons for every thing from suspension settings to the game exhaust. Some may name it dated, we name it distilled — pared right down to solely what’s important, the place each button and gauge serves a goal and nothing will get between you and the drive.
The seats are glorious — supportive in all the fitting locations, even throughout extra aggressive driving, but comfy sufficient for longer stretches. Ergonomics are second nature, and the view out over the entrance fenders makes putting the automobile on the highway virtually easy. In sensible phrases, the Cayman’s twin cargo areas provide a stunning quantity of usability. The entrance trunk swallowed a full weekend bag and digicam equipment with ease, and the rear hatch has simply sufficient area for groceries and day by day errands. Is it flashy? Under no circumstances. It feels sincere, and in a automobile like this, that issues.
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
The Spec: Delicate, Intentional, Timeless
There’s one thing quietly excellent about this specific Cayman’s configuration. It got here completed in GT Silver Metallic with satin black wheels, pink calipers and a clear, unembellished silhouette that suited its character completely. This spec didn’t shout for consideration in the best way a Lava Orange or Python Inexperienced may. As an alternative, it checked out dwelling within the metropolis — clear, assured and understated — regardless of beginning at $473,768 SGD (roughly $354,599 USD) within the area, notably greater than thrice the U.S. base value of $99,700 USD earlier than choices.
In opposition to the reflective blacktop of a Chinatown carpark or below the golden glow of temple lanterns, the colour shifted simply barely — cool in daylight, heat below synthetic gentle. The visuals matched the ethos of the automobile: basic Porsche, nothing extreme, nothing pressured. Even the delicate “GTS 4.0” script on the decrease doorways felt much less like a badge and extra like a signature — one last autograph earlier than the curtain drops.
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
William Tan/Yip Feng/Hypedrive
The Signal-Off: One Final Chapter Earlier than the Swap
This GTS 4.0 isn’t simply the final naturally aspirated Cayman — it’s anticipated to be the final naturally aspirated mid-engine Porsche coupe, full cease. That makes it important — traditionally, emotionally and experientially.
The subsequent Cayman shall be electrical, and that’s not essentially a foul factor—Porsche’s EV efforts are already spectacular. Nonetheless, this automobile reminds you why combustion, revs, ratios and acoustics nonetheless matter. Driving this automobile in Singapore — between sudden rainstorms, late-night expressways and rooftop garages — we couldn’t assist however really feel like we have been witnessing one thing near an epilogue. It’s not an ending within the tragic sense however reasonably a punctuation mark on an unimaginable run.
Whereas future Caymans may be faster or extra environment friendly, we’re undecided they’ll ever sound or really feel this particular. The 2025 Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0 is a uncommon form of sports activities automobile, not as a result of it’s the quickest however as a result of it feels thought-about. The automobile is analog in the fitting methods, balanced in each sense and profoundly rewarding. This one shall be remembered — not for chasing supercar stats however for reminding us what driver engagement means.
For those who get the possibility, take the keys, drive it within the rain and let it echo off the partitions of a metropolis at night time, as a result of this is among the nice ones.
