Nov 20, 2010 11:24:52 PM
dreamcar:
At the moment I have it set in "sport" mode which is just right. Seems to suit the car very well, and a thousand light years better than the dreadful old tiptronic. Yes, I miss the mechanical interaction of the manual sport shift I had in the last Boxster a little bit, but the super quick response more than makes up for it. Maybe sport chrono helps as well, haven't had that before, the new paddle shift sports steering wheel makes a big difference also with PDK, I tried the push-me-pull-me switch arrangement several times and couldn't get on with it, so much so I wouldn't have chosen PDK without that new wheel.
Thanks for the pics DC; I will be curious to see how you like the paddle wheel with more time driving, as we are strongly considering this upgrade for our new (to us..) 911 PDK. In our case we were very close to the same purchase as you, but my wife (who is principal pilot of our sports cars...) opted for a recent-used 911S over the new Cayman for similar money. (old thread back in Oct.). Hoping southern England provides you with an extended sports car season this year....
2010 Audi S5, 2009 Porsche 911S
Nov 21, 2010 9:18:16 AM
easy_rider911:
@dreamcar: great - I'm glad you're happy with PDK
@John H: sure, I'm away on holiday from 27/11 - 12/12 but I'd be up for a get together over Xmas
I get a break in the long slog of winter refits, the Naval Base shuts down from Friday 24/12 until Tuesday 02/01 so hopefully there's a mutually convenient date in there when we could get together.......
Porsche Cayman S PDK Aqua Blue / Ocean Blue (19 November 10 delivered!!!) : Toyota Yaris D4D (Oct 10)
dreamcar:
easy_rider911:
@John H: sure, I'm away on holiday from 27/11 - 12/12 but I'd be up for a get together over XmasI get a break in the long slog of winter refits, the Naval Base shuts down from Friday 24/12 until Tuesday 02/01 so hopefully there's a mutually convenient date in there when we could get together.......
DC - Tuesday is the 4th January - you're getting a longer break than you thought..
Hopefully the GTS will arrive in time for that... will keep you posted..
"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."
John H:
DC - Tuesday is the 4th January - you're getting a longer break than you thought..
Hopefully the GTS will arrive in time for that... will keep you posted..
Ah!! Another two days off!!!
Porsche Cayman S PDK Aqua Blue / Ocean Blue (19 November 10 delivered!!!) : Toyota Yaris D4D (Oct 10)
Nov 21, 2010 6:37:14 PM
Rich C (UK):
So, when are we going to see the first comments from the true owner? ;)
I have asked SWMBO and she says she likes the colour. She found a near ideal driving position very quickly, but wishes the driver's seat had more height adjustment as she is vertically challenged. PDK is not as smooth as the auto transmission she had in her Honda Jazz, although she forgets the annoying delay when moving off which definitely doesn't happen with the Cayman. (I must admit it does "hunt and shunt" occasionally when slowing to almost stopped and then accelerating smartly, as if the electronic brain can't decide what gear to select. This is more noticeable in "sport" than in "Normal" mode). We should have had PASM as the ride is harder than the Boxster was and feels firmer than the Cayman 2.9 demonstrator we drove.
She anticipates getting a speeding ticket shortly as it doesn't drive slow enough.
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Porsche Cayman S PDK Aqua Blue / Ocean Blue (19 November 10 delivered!!!) : Toyota Yaris D4D (Oct 10)
Nov 22, 2010 6:01:48 PM
dreamcar:
Rich C (UK):
So, when are we going to see the first comments from the true owner? ;)I have asked SWMBO and she says she likes the colour. She found a near ideal driving position very quickly, but wishes the driver's seat had more height adjustment as she is vertically challenged. PDK is not as smooth as the auto transmission she had in her Honda Jazz, although she forgets the annoying delay when moving off which definitely doesn't happen with the Cayman. (I must admit it does "hunt and shunt" occasionally when slowing to almost stopped and then accelerating smartly, as if the electronic brain can't decide what gear to select. This is more noticeable in "sport" than in "Normal" mode). We should have had PASM as the ride is harder than the Boxster was and feels firmer than the Cayman 2.9 demonstrator we drove.
She anticipates getting a speeding ticket shortly as it doesn't drive slow enough.
--Porsche Cayman S PDK Aqua Blue / Ocean Blue (19 November 10 delivered!!!) : Toyota Yaris D4D (Oct 10)
Well we await her verdict on the LSD with baited breath so that we can say once and for all Tiff got it wrong ;)
dreamcar:
Rich C (UK):
So, when are we going to see the first comments from the true owner? ;)I have asked SWMBO and she says she likes the colour. She found a near ideal driving position very quickly, but wishes the driver's seat had more height adjustment as she is vertically challenged. PDK is not as smooth as the auto transmission she had in her Honda Jazz, although she forgets the annoying delay when moving off which definitely doesn't happen with the Cayman. (I must admit it does "hunt and shunt" occasionally when slowing to almost stopped and then accelerating smartly, as if the electronic brain can't decide what gear to select. This is more noticeable in "sport" than in "Normal" mode). We should have had PASM as the ride is harder than the Boxster was and feels firmer than the Cayman 2.9 demonstrator we drove.
She anticipates getting a speeding ticket shortly as it doesn't drive slow enough.
I do hope she's not going to get all us other law-abiding Porsche drivers a bad rep for speeding on public roads.
fritz
Nov 25, 2010 11:32:10 PM
Nov 26, 2010 7:24:15 AM
Well no more photo's yet, other than The Wart below, but I thought I'd post my first impressions, having had the car a week already!
Thanks for the comments re the photos; I try and get different backdrops, and working as I do in the Portsmouth Navy Base there are usually interesting subjects about that whilst I see every day may be of interest to others. I have to be a little bit careful, although I have a camera permit if I get too close to say a Type 45 destroyer questions can be asked by the ever present (and armed!) MoD Plod.
The more I drive the Cayman the more I love it, even if we've still done less than 400 miles. Maybe because of PDK, maybe because of the all new engine and maybe because of sport chrono, or maybe a combination of all three none of which I've had before, it feels much much quicker than our much beloved Boxster particularly in the mid range. I drive most of the time in "sport" mode which livens up the transmission and throttle sensitivity without the hooligan mode of "sport plus". "Normal" mode seems to labour the engine a little bit more than I'd like, dropping into high gear at low revs, almost as if it was a diesel. In "sport" at say 70 mph it doesn't take much more than a slight pressure on the pedal for the transmission to drop 2 gears instantly. It tends to hold on to 6th gear at 70mph, but a quick flick of the "up" paddle on the wheel sorts that. Changes up and down are lightening fast in "sport" and almost undetectably smooth in "normal".
The new style sports PDK paddle wheel is brilliant, rim size and thickness spot on, I love the look of it and the paddles themselves are what PDK should have had all along. I've had several drives in PDK equipped cars with the "switch" wheel, and never could get to like those confusing sliding switches. Well worth the £270 odd it cost.
@4trac - don't hesitate that paddle wheel really is a no brainer!
I thought I'd miss the mechanical interactivity of the short shift manual box I had before, but PDK is so good that hasn't been the case. I do find with PDK that when it's cold there is clutch slip when changing up on light throttle openings, the engine revs increase quite markedly for a second or two before the next gear is selected. This must be down to cold oil being more viscous and this affecting the operation of the oil operated clutches. When slowing to a stop, at junctions or roundabouts, and then suddenly accelerating when a gap in traffic appears there is sometimes quite a shunt as the 'box sorts itself out as if the brain has been caught out in deciding what gear to select. Both these traits are more noticeable in "sport" than in "normal".
The engine note is very 911 when starting up, as loud as the Boxster was with sports exhaust (which we haven't got on the Cayman) and sounds fantastic, (I've always loved the 911 engine note). When driving the sound is a bit of a blend of 911 and the turbine like wail of the Boxster. it's quieter than the Boxster, but haven't floored it or taken the revs above 5,000 yet to hear what its like at the top end. I love a vocal engine and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. I probably won't retrofit the sports exhaust on this car as the benefits of it are obviously much greater with an open top than a closed coupe.
We had the electric memory comfort seats in the last Boxster, and thought we might miss the convenience and lumbar adjustment of the standard manual seats, but this worry was groundless.
What we do miss is the greater comfort of PASM, we had this in both our Boxsters as they both had 19" wheels and from our demo drive in a 2.9 Cayman on 18" wheels (without PASM) we decided not to opt for it now, as the ride is more compliant on 18" wheels and higher profile tyres. With hindsight this was a cost saving mistake, the Cayman S rides much firmer than either the Boxster or it would seem the 2.9 Cayman. We should have realised that Cayman is a little bit more hard-core than the Boxster, with the suspension set up stiffer as a consequence. It's fine on most roads, but on the poorly surfaced roads near our home you definitely feel it more than previously. It's very nearly as firm as the Boxster's PASM in "sport" mode.
The bi-xenon dynamic lights are superb, the best lights we've had with a better spread than the previous xenons, and the turning into the corner feature really does work well.
We specified TPMS again, the latest system is much faster, when starting up the pressures are on the display within seconds, rather than in minutes on the old system. I guess the updates when driving have been similarly improved.
The new bigger door mirrors whilst not so elegant as the previous ones give much better vision.
Still getting used to the new PCM navigation; not sure if I prefer it to the old one, the map display in what Porsche call "birds eye" view I don't think is as clear as the 2D of the earlier systems, and TMS, which used to show traffic queues clearly on the map as a succession of green arrows, now only come up as an icon on the map which you then have to touch the screen to find out what the problem is. You don't get a choice between male or female voices any more, and the spoken directions sound much more synthesised in dialect and instead of saying "follow the A one two three" it now says "follow the A one hundred twenty three" quite clear, just a little strange! One advantage with the new navigation being hard disc drive is the old cubby in the front boot where the DVD drive used to be is now a useful little storeage box, handy when packing for a tour. I believe even the multi-disc player is now integrated within the PCM.
Bluetooth is a major improvement now, we went for the "infotainment package" which saved £700 over the options individually, the only compromise being that you get bluetooth preparation rather than the telephone module. The only facility the latter gains is connecting the phone to the car aerial for better reception, but the full address book is still transferred to PCM and wherever we've been so far reception has not been a problem. Both my Nokia 6300 work phone and my own iPhone 4 connected up no problem.
The full leather option is slightly different on the gen 2 cars, with stitched seams in way of the plastic mouldings on the dash top, rather than one piece as before. Not sure if this is due to "The Wart" or not. Does anybody actually use this thing? Gimmicks like this should be limited to Japanese cars!
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Porsche Cayman S PDK Aqua Blue / Ocean Blue (19 November 10 delivered!!!) : Toyota Yaris D4D (Oct 10)
Great report
After 10000 miles, the exhaust on mine has a much better and rortier sound than when it was new. The engine note has always been fantastic (better than the DFI 997 if you ask me).
PASM is good but not perfect - for brisk driving, normal can feel too soft and sport too hard for most UK roads. An intermediate setting would be quite useful.
I'm glad I specced Sport Chrono though. Mine has a manual transmission and I use the sport button on mine quite frequently becasue I like the sharper throttle response for heel and toeing, plus the relaxed PSM thresholds are fun. But I have not used the wart at all - its a ridiculous gimmick.
Gen II Cayman S
Nov 28, 2010 7:42:42 PM
Nice write up DC - and no surprises on the thoughts of SWMBO!
Interesting your thoughts on the PASM, I've never had it on either of my cars, and they've all both been equipped with 19" wheels, plus the 20mm suspension drop on the Spyder and never found it too harsh - perhaps a characteristic of the Caymen, or more a observation of our relative tolerances of the ride ;)
Got my Spyder back now after having the roll hoops colour coded - only for it to be snowing so will just have to look at it in the garage for a few days - a apreciate the truely appauling ride of the 1 series on it's runflats. Did you find the BMW better or worse than you're finding the Cayman?
Also, thought I recognised the pics location - a friend of mine has just taken on the management of the Explosion! museum of Naval Firepower just across the water - I tell him to keep an eye out for a suspicious blue Cayman ;)
Nov 29, 2010 8:40:12 AM
Rich C (UK):
Interesting your thoughts on the PASM, I've never had it on either of my cars, and they've all both been equipped with 19" wheels, plus the 20mm suspension drop on the Spyder and never found it too harsh - perhaps a characteristic of the Caymen, or more a observation of our relative tolerances of the ride ;)
We'll probably get used to the firmer ride, in fairness it's OK other than on badly surfaced roads like we have around my neck of the woods.
Got my Spyder back now after having the roll hoops colour coded - only for it to be snowing so will just have to look at it in the garage for a few days - a apreciate the truely appauling ride of the 1 series on it's runflats. Did you find the BMW better or worse than you're finding the Cayman?
I'm sure your Spyder looks fantastic - any chance of more photos? Look forward to seeing it and hope we can all meet up over the Christmas break - weather permitting! The One Series was harsher over pot holes and used to crash quite badly into them, worse than the Cayman now I come to think about it - not as bad as the ride on that awful Civic I had though. I put up with the firm ride having had two punctures on the M27 with the BMW it's a valuable safety asset not having to change a tyre on the hard shoulder! It was certainly harder than it should have been for a saloon - you can accept a harder ride on a sports coupe like the Cayman.
Also, thought I recognised the pics location - a friend of mine has just taken on the management of the Explosion! museum of Naval Firepower just across the water - I tell him to keep an eye out for a suspicious blue Cayman ;)
Is that in Gosport or in the Heritage part of the Dockyard with HMS "Victory"? The latter is on the opposite side of the Dockyard to where I'm based, about 1/2 mile walk.
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Porsche Cayman S PDK Aqua Blue / Ocean Blue (19 November 10 delivered!!!) : Toyota Yaris D4D (Oct 10)