The Cayman was already widely seen as the best car in its segment, but with the recent addition of the GTS model, some said Porsche managed to make it even better, while others argued that it is just a marketing strategy to squeeze more money from customers and that the Cayman S is a better choice.

Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe belongs to the first category, with the reviewer praising the Cayman GTS as the best sports car that sensible money can buy. As a matter of fact, you won’t find any criticism at all in the following review, as Sutcliffe was completely blown away with the Cayman’s performance.

As a reminder, the Porsche Cayman GTS gets an additional 15hp from the 3.4-liter six-cylinder boxer engine, which now delivers 335 hp (340PS), while torque has also increased by 10 Nm (7 lb-ft).

With the optional PDK double-clutch gearbox, the Cayman GTS sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 285 km/h (177 mph). However, Sutcliffe drove a car with a manual transmission that proved to be so good that he says it made him reconsider his excellent opinion about the PDK transmission.

Narrowing the gap until the 911

The Porsche Cayman has been envisioned in the flagship GT4 specification which is expected to arrive within the next three years.

Even though the Cayman GTS came out only a couple of months ago, Porsche is already working on a more menacing version to sit on top of the range. The version is expected to receive the GT4 / GT3 / R moniker and based on spy shots it will come with a more aggressive body that will include a large rear wing.

Wildspeed decided to illustrate a potential look of the hot Cayman destined to narrow the gap even further until the 911. Matching the bolder looks will be either a detuned 911 S-sourced flat-six 3.8-liter motor or a turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine working with an electric motor. Regardless of engine, the Cayman GT4 will likely be offered with a PDK gearbox borrowed from the 911 GT3.

It is believed the model will be out in the next three years and will carry a starting price of approximately 125,000 USD.

They have already ventured into a number of previously taboo segments like SUVs, sedans and diesel-powered models, so what's stopping the people controlling the fates of Porsche from continuing down this path and expanding their reach into new sub-segments?

If they're growth- and profit-driven, then nothing, though, we do suspect / hope that there are some lines not meant to be crossed…

Whether this includes blurring the lines between their purely sports offerings and more fashion- and mainstream-orientated products to create cars like the Cayman Safari crossover proposed here by X-Tomi, remains unknown.

For what it's worth, there had been a rumor floating around recently about Porsche developing a 911 Safari Off Road concept for the Beijing Auto Show in April, which never came true.

Cayman Safari crossover

Will reportedly be turbocharged & feature direct injection

Porsche recently introduced a Macan with a Volkswagen-sourced four-cylinder engine but new details are starting to emerge about the company's four-cylinder boxer engines.

According to Car Magazine, the company's new engine will come in three displacements and all of them will be turbocharged and feature direct injection.

The entry-level engine will reportedly displace 1.6-liters and have an output of 210 bhp (156 kW). The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine will kicks things up a notch as it is slated to produce 286 bhp (213 kW) and 295 lb-ft (399 Nm) of torque. Last but not least, we can expect a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 360 bhp (268 kW) and 347 lb-ft (470 lb-ft) of torque.

The four-cylinder engines are expected to debut in the Boxster and Cayman before being added to additional models.

Porsche fans who fondly recall the marque's first mid-engine sports car, the 914 (1969 - 1976), will be glad to know the German automaker will soon have a mid-engine sports car powered by a horizontally-opposed ‘boxer’ engine once again. Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller recently confirmed the automaker was working on a new four-cylinder boxer engine to power its next generation of sports cars, starting with the next Boxster and Cayman due towards the end of the decade, and now we have a few more details on the engine, including displacement and power figures.

According to CAR, Porsche has developed three versions of the engine, displacing 1.6, 2.0 and 2.5 liters respectively. The 1.6-liter is said to deliver 210 horsepower while the 2.0-liter is said to be good for 286 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The 2.5-liter should muster up 360 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque, according to the report. To achieve these figures, the engines are said to feature turbocharging and direct-injection technologies.

While all three engines have been designed, only the 2.0- and 2.5-liter units are expected to be utilized by Porsche. The 1.6-liter mill is said to have been designed for the entry-level roadster Porsche was considering launching, but has since canceled.

Look for the larger units to first appear in the next Boxster and Cayman. We could also see the engines used in Porsche’s SUVs like the Macan and Cayenne, possibly integrated with hybrid technology. Eventually, we’re likely to see the engine fitted to the 911, especially if Porsche achieves success with its four-cylinder (V-4) 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car. Note, Porsche already has a four-cylinder model in its lineup, the Macan, but the engine in this model is a straight-four design borrowed from Audi.

The 2.5-liter should muster up 360 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque, according to the report. To achieve these figures, the engines are said to feature turbocharging and direct-injection technologies.

For years, no, scratch that, decades, Porsche has tried to keep even the base version of its legendary 911 series above all of its entry-level sports cars, but times change and companies mature. If what we hear is true, then the next addition to the Cayman's lineup, thought to be named the GT4, will break that unspoken rule.

Currently, we've heard of two scenarios – the first being that the Cayman GT4 will get a 3.6-liter flat-six, and the second, the 911 Carrera S' 3.8-liter boxer unit, possibly de-tuned.

Given that, the new Cayman GTS' 3.4-liter engine has 340PS (335hp) and the 911 Carrera S 400PS (395hp), the GT4 should produce somewhere between those two output figures.

Power will likely be transferred to the rear wheels through Porsche's PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission, unless the Germans surprise us and offer a manual gearbox as well – fingers crossed.

It's not only about the power, though, as the Cayman GT4 will undergo a diet and shed some weight, while also obtaining a more focused chassis and, as you can see in the pictures of the prototype model, an aggressive aerodynamic kit with new bumpers, front splitter and a huge, fixed rear wing.

We should see what Porsche comes up with for their top Cayman model within the next year.

In addition to the all-new Boxster and Cayman GTS trim, the 2015 model year brings a handful of equipment updates. Individually, each is fairly minor, but taken together, it makes for a substantially upgraded package—at least on some variants.

New individual options available for 2015 include ParkAssist with front and rear reversing camera; PDLS+ high-beam assistant when Bi-Xenon headlamps are selected; 20-inch 911 Turbo wheels are available; a new optimized sport system exhaust; leather interior models get leather door handles with Galvano Silver trim; Caymans get all-black-only Alcantara headliner that extends to the A-pillars; and the light design package is now available without the leather package or leather interior.

A wind deflector is now standard on all Boxsters, and Caymans no longer get footwell lighting or a rear luggage net standard. A power window button surround on the passenger’s side is now all black on all models and equipment packages, as is the rear loudspeaker cover for Boxsters.

A new Basalt Black metallic paint replaces Jet Black metallic, while Carrera White metallic is now available. Cognac metallic and Amaranth Red metallic are no longer offered. Inside, two-tone Black and Garnet Red leather is available.

But the real news for 2015 is, of course, the arrival of the GTS models. Packing an upgraded version of the 3.4-liter flat-six engine found in the Boxster S and Cayman S, the GTS models gain 15 horsepower and 7 pound-feet of torque. The six-speed manual transmission is standard equipment, but both Boxster GTS and Cayman GTS can opt for the PDK dual-clutch seven-speed. With the PDK, the Boxster jets to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds, while the Cayman does the deed in 4.3.

Porsche is already working on a minor facelift for its Boxster model.

AutoGuide.com‘s spy photographers caught the facelifted Boxster testing and similar to the 911 facelift, the Boxster will get a revised front end with new LED daytime running lights and new headlights.

The most interesting addition to the facelifted Boxster model might not be anything aesthetic. The German automaker could utilize a new four-cylinder turbo engine in the facelifted Boxster rather than waiting for the next-generation model to arrive. Previously, Porsche confirmed that a four-cylinder turbo powerplant will find its way in the next-generation Boxster and Cayman models.