The reworked 3.4-liter engine delivers four horsepower more but the same level of torque as the old unit, with 321 horsepower and 273 pound-feet. This is enough to endow the 2,910-pound Cayman S with an official 0-to-62-mph time of five seconds flat with the six-speed manual and 4.7 seconds with the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

Top speed is 176 mph with the manual and 175 mph with the dual clutch, while fuel economy is put at 26.7 mpg and 29.4 mpg.

The Cayman S gets a reworked 3.4-liter boxer 6 that's been upped to 321 horsepower. (Photo: Porsche)

The standard steel brakes are 12.4 inches in diameter at the front for the Cayman and 13 inches for the Cayman S, with the two sharing the same 11.8-inch rotors at the rear. Carbon ceramic brakes with 13.8-inch discs up front and 12.4-inch at the rear are an option.

Underpinning the new Cayman is the same aluminum-intensive chassis used for the Boxster. It receives a 2.4-inch increase in wheelbase over the platform used by the first-generation Cayman at 97.4 inches. The tracks have also been extended, by 1.4 inches to 60.1 inches at the front and 0.2 inch to 60.6 inches at the rear.

As with the Boxster, the Cayman adopts an electro-mechanical steering system in two different states of tune and comes with the option of the Porsche Active Suspension Management system that offers differing damping, throttle and steering characteristics.

Nothing is official just yet, but insiders suggest the new car is up to 10 seconds per lap faster around the Nurburgring than the old model in Cayman S guise with the dual-clutch gearbox and Porsche's Chrono Sport Plus package.

This story originally appeared at Autoweek.com.