GT4 vs GT4 RS is the question we get more than any other about our Porsche fleet, usually from someone deciding whether the extra $300 a day is worth it. Both cars are mid-engine. Each one runs a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six. Neither was built with a manual. On paper they look like the same car with the volume turned up.
They aren’t. One is a car you’d happily drive to Leavenworth and back. The other is a race car that happens to have plates. Here’s the honest version of the difference, including where the RS is genuinely the worse choice.
GT4 vs GT4 RS: The Short Answer
Four numbers that explain the whole gap. Every one of them is the RS compared directly against the GT4.
The Nürburgring is the 12.9-mile circuit in Germany every manufacturer uses to prove a car. A 23.6-second gap over a single lap is enormous — that’s not a trim level, that’s two different machines.
Rent the GT4 if you want a brilliant driver’s car you can enjoy for a whole weekend. It’s the more complete road car and it’s $595 a day with 200 miles included.
Rent the GT4 RS if the point is the experience itself. It’s $895 a day with 150 miles, it revs to 9,000, and it is one of the loudest production cars Porsche has ever built.
GT4 vs GT4 RS: The Numbers Side by Side
Swipe the table sideways to see the GT4 RS column →
| Spec | 718 Cayman GT4 | 718 Cayman GT4 RS |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 414 hp | 493 hp+79 over the GT4 |
| Redline | 8,000 rpm | 9,000 rpm+1,000 over the GT4 |
| Engine | 4.0L flat-six, naturally aspirated | 4.0L flat-sixderived from the 911 GT3 |
| Gearbox | PDK | PDKno manual was ever built |
| Curb weight | 3,276 lbs | 3,227 lbs49 lbs lighter |
| Nürburgring lap | 7:28.1 | 7:04.523.6 seconds quicker |
| Engine air | Small triangular windows behind the side glass | Those windows replaced by air intakesright behind your head |
| Daily rate | $595 | $895 |
| Miles included | 200 | 150 |
| Deposit | $500 | $1,000 |
Every performance figure above comes from Porsche — the GT4 RS launch release and the 718 Cayman GT4 press kit. Rates and deposits are ours.
GT4 vs GT4 RS: What 79 Horsepower Actually Feels Like
Horsepower is the least interesting number here. The revs are the story.
A GT4 pulls hard to 8,000 and feels finished. The RS keeps going for another 1,000 rpm, and that last stretch is where the whole car happens — it gets louder, sharper and more urgent exactly where a normal engine is asking you to shift. Hold it to 9,000 once and you will laugh, then do it again immediately.
The RS also picks up faster because Porsche took weight out rather than adding it. Carbon fiber front fenders and hood, thinner glass, less sound deadening. It ended up 49 lbs lighter than a PDK GT4 despite carrying more equipment.
The Intakes Behind Your Ears
This is the detail that defines the car and it’s the one nobody tells you about until you’re in it.
Look at the panel just behind the side window on any normal 718 Cayman and you’ll find a small triangular window. On the RS, Porsche took those out and put air intakes there instead. The engine breathes through openings roughly a foot from your head. You don’t listen to this car through an exhaust note behind you. You hear it inhaling next to your ear, and at 9,000 rpm it is genuinely startling.
It’s the single best thing about the RS and it’s also the reason some people get out after twenty minutes.
Our GT4 Isn’t Stock Either
Worth knowing before you assume the GT4 is the quiet one. Ours runs a JCR exhaust, bucket seats and the sound insulation pulled out. It is a long way from a standard car, and for a lot of people it hits the sweet spot the RS overshoots.
GT4 vs GT4 RS: Which One Sounds Better?
This is the wrong question, and it’s the one everybody asks. They don’t sound better or worse than each other. They sound like two different instruments.
The GT4 is an exhaust car. The noise arrives from behind you, deep and mechanical, and with the JCR system ours runs it has real bark on overrun coming down a hill. It’s the sound most people picture when they imagine a flat-six, and it’s satisfying in the way a good V8 is satisfying — you feel it in your chest.
The RS is an intake car. Because the engine breathes through those openings beside the rear window, most of what you hear isn’t exhaust at all — it’s induction, arriving from about a foot behind your left ear. Under load it’s less of a roar and more of a shriek, and above 7,000 rpm it turns into something closer to a Cup car than a road car. People film it. They can’t help themselves.
Practical consequence: the GT4 sounds best to people outside the car, and the RS sounds best to the person driving it. If you’re renting for a video or a photoshoot with someone else at the camera, that’s worth knowing. If you’re renting because you want to feel something, the RS wins and it isn’t close.
Where the GT4 RS Is Genuinely Worse
Nobody renting you a car wants to say this, so we will.
It is exhausting on a long drive. The RS is loud at every speed, including 60 mph on I-5 with the cruise set. On a two-hour run out to Leavenworth over Highway 2 you will arrive elated and slightly deaf. The GT4 does that same drive and leaves you fresh.
The ride is firmer. Seattle streets are not smooth, and the RS tells you about every one of them. Around Pioneer Square or on the way through Renton it’s busy in a way the GT4 isn’t.
Conversation is optional. If you’re taking someone out and the point is the two of you, the RS is a poor host. It dominates.
None of that is a criticism of the car. It’s a race car with a license plate and it’s honest about it. But if you’re spending $895 to sit in traffic, you’ve bought the wrong ticket.
GT4 vs GT4 RS: Which Should You Actually Rent?
The way we’d answer it on the phone:
If you’re still torn, take the GT4 first. Almost nobody regrets that order, and plenty of people come back for the RS afterwards knowing exactly what they’re getting.
GT4 vs GT4 RS on Track: The Gap Gets Enormous
Everything that makes the RS harder on the road makes it better on a circuit. The aero actually works, the cooling holds up, and that top 1,000 rpm stops being a novelty and becomes where you live.
We run both cars at Pacific Raceways, and this is the one context where we’d tell you to spend the extra money without hesitating. Novice clinics are $1,895 in the GT4 and $2,795 in the GT4 RS. Experienced lapping starts at $1,195 an hour. Instruction comes from ProFormance Racing School, insurance is included, and track drivers must be 25 or older.
We’re also the only exotic rental in the Seattle area that allows track use at all — which is less a boast than an explanation of why our fleet looks the way it does.
What Each One Costs to Rent
- 718 Cayman GT4 — $595/day, 200 miles included, $2.50 per extra mile, $500 refundable deposit
- 718 Cayman GT4 RS — $895/day, 150 miles included, $1,000 refundable deposit
- Novice track clinic — $1,895 GT4, $2,795 GT4 RS
- Experienced lapping — from $1,195/hour
Street rentals are open to drivers 18 and up with no young-driver surcharge. You’ll need comprehensive and collision on your own policy — send us the details and we check it for you. Prefer something softer? The 911 Carrera is $495 a day. Want more drama instead? Our Audi R8 V10 runs $695, the 911 GT3 sits above both Caymans at $1,195, and the Lamborghini Huracán tops the fleet at $1,295.
Where We Deliver Both Cars
We’re in Kent, about 30 minutes from Sea-Tac Airport. Pickup at the shop is free and we deliver across the Puget Sound.
GT4 vs GT4 RS: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a GT4 and a GT4 RS?
The GT4 RS makes 493 hp against the GT4’s 414, revs to 9,000 rpm instead of 8,000, weighs 49 lbs less, and uses an engine derived from the 911 GT3. It also breathes through air intakes beside your head, where a normal 718 Cayman has small triangular windows. Around the Nürburgring the RS is 23.6 seconds quicker.
Is the GT4 RS worth the extra money to rent?
For a track day or a single unforgettable drive, yes. For a full weekend of road driving, the GT4 is the better car and $300 a day cheaper. The RS is louder and firmer everywhere, which is thrilling for an hour and tiring for four.
Does the GT4 RS come with a manual transmission?
No. Porsche built the 718 Cayman GT4 RS exclusively with the seven-speed PDK. Our GT4 is also PDK, so gearbox isn’t a deciding factor between the two.
Which one is better for a first-time GT car renter?
The GT4. It delivers most of the experience with far less intensity, costs less, and includes more miles. Most people who start there come back for the RS later knowing exactly what they want from it.
Can I take either car on a racetrack near Seattle?
Yes. Both run in our program at Pacific Raceways with ProFormance Racing School. Novice clinics are $1,895 in the GT4 and $2,795 in the GT4 RS, with experienced lapping from $1,195 an hour. Insurance is included and drivers must be 25 or older.
How much does it cost to rent a GT4 or GT4 RS in Seattle?
The GT4 is $595 a day with 200 miles included and a $500 refundable deposit. The GT4 RS is $895 a day with 150 miles and a $1,000 deposit. Street rentals are open to drivers 18 and up, and we deliver across Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma.
Still deciding between the GT4 and GT4 RS?
Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll tell you honestly which one fits. Sometimes that answer is the cheaper car.
See Both Cars →or call or text 253-553-7607
Sport Driving Motors · 31210 144th Ave SE, Suite 125, Kent, WA 98042
