Porsche 911 Carrera 4 991.2 vs Porsche 718 Cayman S: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the 911 Carrera 4 hits 100 km/h in 4.16 s versus 4.17 s for the 718 Cayman S. The 0.00 s gap is negligible: both vehicles are neck and neck.

At 200 metres, the 718 Cayman S is doing 156 km/h against 155 km/h for the 911 Carrera 4. The gap is 0.03 s. The gap remains stable from the start.

At 400 metres standing start, the 718 Cayman S crosses the line in 12.12 s versus 12.19 s. The 0.07 s gap represents roughly 4 m of track - barely a car length.

Past 400 metres, nothing changes. Same ceiling, same acceleration, same trajectory - both rivals run in formation to the line. The 0.11 s gap at 1,000 metres confirms what the specs already suggested: on track, they’re interchangeable. The real contest happens elsewhere - range, comfort, charging network reliability.

The 911 Carrera 4 features all-wheel drive (AWD) against the 718 Cayman S’s RWD. At low speeds (0-30, 0-50, 0-80 km/h), AWD doubles the driven contact area: all four wheels transmit torque to the road, virtually eliminating wheelspin at launch. This traction advantage is decisive in the range where the motor delivers peak torque, before power and aerodynamics take over.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the 911 Carrera 4 is capped at 291 km/h, the 718 Cayman S at 285 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

With two combustion powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (3.95 kg/hp vs 3.87 kg/hp) and transmission (Automatic vs Automatic).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 6.10 seconds. The 0.00 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.