Most people will tell you the 911 is Porsche’s best sports car. Last week, we would have agreed with them 100 percent. But we’ve just driven the new 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0, and now we’re not so sure of the 911’s superiority.
A long list of Porsches — including the 911, Cayenne, Panamera, and Macan — have worn GTS badges since 2007. It stands for Gran Turismo Sport. Porsche says it “traditionally signifies thoroughbred performance combined with a high degree of everyday usability.” In other words, they offer more power and performance than the company’s S models, but aren’t as extreme as its line of GTs, which include the 911 GT3 and the Cayman GT4. The first Cayman GTS was introduced in 2014, while its successor arrived three years later. The new Cayman GTS 4.0, however, is far superior to its predecessors, thanks to a new naturally aspirated 4.0-liter engine. It competes with the BMW Z4 M40i, the Mercedes-AMG SLK43, the new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, the Jaguar F-TYPE, and the Lotus Evora.