Porsche 718 Cayman review - MPG, CO2 and running costs

While the four-cylinder turbo engines may not please the purists, those that drive their Cayman every day will be grateful for the improvements this new tech brings in the way of lower emissions and better fuel economy. However, under WLTP tests, the official economy figures are poorer than they once were, although you're more likely to hit them in real-world driving.

The benefits aren’t just evident on paper, though. During our time with an entry-level Cayman 2.0, we saw the trip readout hit 39mpg on a longer motorway run. Granted, if you push the car to its limits you won’t come close to such numbers, but if you’re careful, this new Porsche could save you several hundred pounds at the pumps.

For the basic 718 Cayman, fuel economy is 29.1-31.7mpg, while emissions of 201g/km are pretty good for a performance car. The Cayman S doesn’t fare too badly, either – returning 27.4-29.4mpg and emitting 217g/km. Predictably, the more powerful GTS version is less efficient, managing 25.9mpg with CO2 emissions from 230g/km. The track-inspired GT4 won’t be winning any awards for services to the environment, as it only makes 25.4mpg and puts out 242g/km of CO2.

The smaller-capacity 2.0-litre versions make the Cayman an extremely attractive proposition for company car owners wanting low tax bills but maximum driver enjoyment. One blot on the running costs copybook is that all versions of the 718 Cayman start in excess of £40,000, so private buyers have to pay the additional road tax premium for the first five years of ownership.

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Insurance groups

Whichever way you look at it, the 718 Cayman isn’t going to be cheap to insure. The entry-level model sits two insurance groups lower than the S (group 42 vs group 44), while the GTS is two grades higher at group 46. The latest Audi TT RS splits the Cayman and Cayman S  in group 43, and a BMW M2 falls into group 42, despite its higher list price.

Depreciation

Residual values for the Porsche 718 Cayman are predictably high, with an average of 58 per cent of its original value retained after three-years/36,000-miles of motoring.