FL Cayman S Test Drive
Had a short test drive of the New Cayman S yesterday: manual gearbox, standard suspension, 19" wheels and no LSD. The route was a good mixture of dual carriageway, B road and country lane, with some really broken tarmac in places.
The car was just fantastic. All the old attributes of the chassis seem to have remained intact, although I didn't get a chance to push very hard. The new engine is superb - it has noticably more oomph, much better throttle response and the noise is just glorious. There is absolutely no need for a sports exhaust. But what really impressed me was the ride. The slightly softer tyre pressures have made a noticable difference. Whilst I still think for a daily driver 18" and standard springs is probably best, I am now very keen to try 19" with PASM becasue on the pre-FL cars, I found the 19" wheels provided better steering feel.
Now here is the slight fly in the ointment. The steering is very accurate and precise but again Porsche seem to have removed a slight layer of feedback Why do they keep doing this? Its infuriating! If I wanted smooth but accurate steering I'd buy a sports saloon, not a sports car. The constant chattering and writhing is a good thing so if anyone from Porsche is reading this, BRING BACK THE 986 RACK. Hell, I'd even pay for it as a grossly overpriced option.
Rant over, the steering is still good by most standards, its just that Porsche used to do it so well. And if I'm honest, I wouldn't let it stop me buying the car. In fact I really, really want one. But before I put a deposit down, I want to have a go at the Silverstone event to push the chassis really hard and try a car equipped with the LSD. I also need to have a think about the money side becasue my car seems virtually worthless now.
I am booked in for Silverstone on 26 March - anyone else going?