Re: My Cayman S review
I just wanted to add my subjective thoughts about the Cayman after driving it today. And I should thank Ron for waiting patiently while I made my way around an accident while driving to the dealer.
As for my point of reference, and potential source of bias; I've put 8200 miles on my 987S since July '05.
Getting into the Cayman from the 987S felt like sitting in a slightly more cramped version of my car. This feeling is purely psychological due to the closed roof, as everything in the interior from the seats forward is identical with a few exceptions: the instrument surround has a small, arched cutout at its peak and there is no top opening mechanism or associated switches. But otherwise everything you see and touch is the same as the 987S. And this is a good thing, because the layout is logical and unobtrusive. My point is Porsche did very little to distinguish the two vehicles on the inside.
What about the hatchback? And the small deck behind the seats? Well, it's there, and theoretically it does add a few cubic feet of storage space. But I doubt that many drivers would use much of it. The area is defined by a metal brace at its front, and a mesh netting secured at each of its corners. One could very safely carry an attache or something a little larger here. But objects which could not be held under the netting would partially obstruct your view rearward and possibly pose a safety risk in the event of an accident. I think if the Cayman S were my daily driver, I would still be stuffing groceries into its two trunks, and not get much use out of the hatchback.
Anyway, what about the exterior? When looking at Cayman photos, I had always been irritated by the Audi-like foglamps. But I had really liked the Cayman's standard wheels and spoiler. In person, the foglamps are integrated quite well into the front fascia. I think most photos are taken from an angle that accentuates them far too much. But when standing near the car, or looking at it from nearby, they are not nearly as obtrusive. In fact, I think the foglmaps provide some balance to the Cayman front fascia's more aggressive center cutout. So that at least, was nice to see. The wheels however, were a little bit of a disappointment. They look good, but not quite as good as I had hoped. The flat surface profile of the spokes came away as a little boring to me, but then I really enjoy the complex curvs of my Carrera Classics...what can I say? I still think the Cayman has the best 18" wheels Porsche offers right now, and if I needed winter tires in Houston(uh, no!), that's what I'd order them on.
Without a doubt, the best view of this car is the rear 3/4. The compound curve of the rear fenders, and the spoiler are very well done. Combined they make the rear of this car a sight to behold. It is simultaneously aggressive and sexy. When you see it you will understand, if this hasn't come across in photos already.
By this time, the car was idling and we were ready to drive. Outside the car at idle, the Cayman has a slightly more throaty exhaust note than the 987S. I think it has been purposefully tuned to sound much like the 911; even here Porsche is careful with their product placement. Inside the car, the exhaust note at idle is quite muted, but later, with full throttle acceleration it had a raspy metallic edge that comes through the cabin very well. At less than 3000rpm, if you're just cruising on the highway, the engine noise is a pleasant background sound. Get on the throttle, and you're rewarded with an insistent, metallic rasp all the way to the redline. It sounds good. Compared to my 987S?...well, as a driver my favorite will still be the 987S with the top down. That way I get to hear everything, with no intervening glass or top. But I think the Cayman has the more aggressive sound at idle, and sounds at leat as good as my car with its top up.
As for driving...well no one comes to Houston for the technical challenges of our roads. I mean, the land is flat, there's a lot of traffic and the scenery is frankly boring. But we weren't gonig to pass up an opportunity to drive the car either. Ron graciously let me drive first, so I gently pulled out of the parking lot. The pedal placement, pedal effort (including the clutch) and "depth" of the clutch were absolutely the same as in my car. And although we didn't have any way of objectively measuring, the acceleration seemed no different than my 987S either. I'm aware of the issue of the Cayman's gearing supposedly being adapted to the the 3.4l engine. But I wonder how many drivers would spontaneously report a difference between the Cayman and the 987S if they didn't know about this already? I really couldn't detect any difference between the two.
I can't really comment on cornering because we didn't have an opportunity to get anywhere close to the car's potential during our drive. But I will say this. The hardtop really does make a difference in terms of body flex and rigidity. My 987S always feels stable, but under some conditions (like turning in, where you have both braking and steering) the flex in the body is detectable. You never see or hear anything moving, but you sense the suspension reacting to the slight body position changes as the accelerative forces on the car change. The Cayman does a much better job of controlling this; even in the small amount of time we had it was noticeable.
Braking was more than adequate for our driving conditions, and I never had an opportunity to see whether the Cayman behaves any differently than the 987S under severe braking.
I pulled over to let Ron drive, and with him at the wheel, my initial perception of the Cayman was reinforced. Driving on public roads, it will be nearly impossible to separate the driving experience of the 987S and Cayman S. I know that will seem logical to many, but it needs to be said. The track may be a different matter, as the increase in body rigidity makes a real difference in one's perception of stability, even if there is little objective difference in skidpad figures or track times.
Which would I buy today? Well, I would certainly get more use out of the convertible top than I would out of the hatchback or diminished body flexion, especially for the 5-6K price difference. But that's just me. You may feel differently. After driving the Cayman, I think a lot of the discussion we've had on rennteam is kind of unnecessary. If the 987S had been created second, and was called the Cayman cabriolet, I think many of the rants would have not existed. Or at least no more than they do for "911 coupe vs 911 cab" The cars are really that similar. Only the backwards price differential and different name encourages this.
Overall the Cayman is a fine car. And if you want a relatively affordable mid engine vehicle that you can drive to work and take to the track 1 or 2 weekends a month this is probably the right car for you. But if like me, you spend a lot of your weekends with a significant other enjoying nice weather, then the 987S is the better choice.
Visually the Cayman looks better in person than in photos, as it is a nicely integrated package. And it seems to be selling well, at least in this early pohase of production. Ordered today, we couldn't have one until May.
When would I buy one? Well, Ron and I chatted about this some. My hope is that this is Porsche's first salvo at Ferrari and Lamborghini's dominance of the mid engine performance car market. When a Cayman is avilable that has the same power as the 997S or 997TT, even if it is priced similarly, then I'll be interested. Until then I will be a Boxster S customer.
Ron: I had a good time today, thanks for letting me tag along!
mcdelaug