Porsche Cayman Reviews

The comment came from my buddy less than a minute into taking him for a spin in this succulent beauty – "where are the prayer bars?". Call them what you like – and my mate had a whole array of suggestions throughout the short, relatively high-speed strap in the Cayman S – but there are no grab handles to assist passengers in their attempt to look as sleek and cool on the inside as this baby looks to the wide world.Fortunately, Porsche has kitted the compact cabin out with body-forming, fully adjustable leather-trimmed seats to wrap the occupants in comfort and keep them relatively well placed while putting the Cayman S through its paces. Let's face it, grab handles on this gorgeous face would look somewhat like a big, ugly pimple.And a simplistic, yet very functional, array of controls for the stereo and airconditioning systems, leaves no doubt about what the Cayman is. It screams sports car. Forget the confusing knick-knacks, just set the aircon to cool, turn up the stereo and get on with the job ... this is all about the driving experience.That experience – driven by a 3.4-litre flat-six related to the engine in the Boxster S, which gets the Variocam plus system (variable valve set up) from the 911 – involves a 0-100km sprint time of 5.4 seconds for the six-speed manual. The $7000 optional five-speed tiptronic auto, as road tested, has a claimed time of 6.1 seconds for the 0-100km sprint, and both sound brilliant getting there.Power is quoted at 217kW at 6250rpm, while the torque curve offers 340Nm between 4400rpm and 6000rpm.The numbers, quite simply, add up to a whole lot of fun, particularly given the sports coupe's wonderful balance and sharp handling. The ride quality is remarkable with only the more significant bumps and potholes serving as a reminder of the sports-tuned machine you're riding in.The Cayman S is a car you can connect with. The steering is almost instinctive ... you think where you want it to go and I swear it has read your mind and done the job itself.Delivering that almost psychic steering experience is a rack and pinion arrangement with variable ratio. Superb balance is offered by the mid-engine layout, with the engine just 300mm behind the driver's shoulder line. Cayman feels light and nimble – point it where you want to go and it gets there with next to no fuss – and the Porsche Stability Management system is always on hand to monitor and assist the over exuberant driver. It can be switched off to put the driver's skills to the test, but with such technology at hand, who would want to do that?It laps up the open road, too, offering an additional 11kW of power over its Boxster S sibling, while delivering fuel-consumption figures of 10.6 litres/100km (as quoted by Porsche). A week of CARSguide driving in the city and open-road cruises returned a figure of 14.5 litres/100km. Getting the speed up to the state limit of 110km/h won't prompt the rear spoiler up automatically – that clicks in at 120km/h – but it's handy to know you can manually raise this with a click of an interior button ... if only to woo a crowd.The rear spoiler, however nice an addition you view it as, is not needed on the Cayman to attract onlookers' attention.We now can be sure what the "S" which adorns Porsche's models stands for – "sexy". Porsche authorities may well argue and try to convince punters it means "sport", but the Cayman S at least confirms my personal thoughts. The snout is unmistakably Porsche, while a killer profile and luscious rear end keeps you on your toes deciding on just what angle is best to take in this beauty.The Cayman S can be likened to a catwalk model – plenty of front, superb curves, hips in the form of its rear wheel arches and a behind you'll be disappointed to see disappear off the runway.Unlike such models, the Cayman is not completely out of reach of those looking for a true sports car experience.Priced at $148,500 for the manual and $155,500 for the tiptronic auto, the Cayman S sits above the Boxster (baseline price $114,400) and below the 911 Carerra (starting at $203,225).The mid-$100,000 price tag for the Cayman S should create a bit of a stir for the middle-of-the-range Porsche model. About 70 are expected to take up permanent residence in Australia in the sports coupe's first year here.SMALL TORQUEPorsche Cayman SPrice: $148,500 (manual), $155,500 (tiptronic auto)Engine: 3.4-litre alloy DOHC 24-valve flat six with VariocamPower: 217kW @ 6250rpmTorque: 340Nm between 4400rpm and 6000rpmTransmission: Six-speed manual or five-speed tiptronic autoBrakes: 318mm discs (front), 299mm discs, four-piston aluminium brake calipers, cross-drilled and inner-vented (rear), Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake option $18,990Wheels: 18in alloys with 235/40 ZR tyres (front) and 265/40 ZR tyres (rear), optional 19in rims $5000

If a 911 has its engine in the wrong spot and the rag-top Boxster is just not your scene, then the Cayman offers much of both.It is a car of curves, built with its own very attractive curves – not since Ava Gardner or Jayne Mansfield have curves so seductive been seen.The Cayman S has the unmistakable snout that says Porsche, with flanks that scream performance and a killer profile.Porsche Australia boss Michael Winkler believes the 911 will retain its position as the halo car of Porsche's range, with the Cayman bringing new customers in."It's a completely new driving experience. From our point of view, it's a logical slot between the 911 and the Boxster," he says."We don't see cannibalisation. We see Boxster people moving up to the Cayman and at the same time the 911 retaining its halo position."We do see this car bringing in a lot of first-time Porsche buyers. It is for the customer who wants a Porsche coupe but doesn't have $200,000 to spend."Porsche Australia says it will not be shooting for sales records this year but, instead, is looking to consolidate its position, with the Cayman set to make a decent contribution, as will the upcoming Cayenne Turbo S, the new 911 Turbo and GT3 later in the year. Just 70 of the new sports coupes will make it here in the first half of 2006 and Porsche already holds orders for about half of that.Immediately apparent from behind the wheel is the coupe's close relationship with the Boxster, even though Porsche engineering staff suggest there's more 911 DNA than Boxster. The superb balance offered by the mid-engine layout is felt even during suburban commuting, with the engine just 300mm behind the occupant's shoulder line.Where the Boxster felt tight and taut, particularly for a drop-top, the Cayman surpasses it, feeling light on its feet and nimble.The 3.4-litre flat-six from the Boxster S gets the Variocam plus system from the 911, which bumps the power to 217kW at 6250rpm, while the torque curve offers peak torque of 340Nm between 4400rpm and 6000rpm.Porsche claims fuel-economy figures in the region of 10.6 litres/100km, although that figure climbed to about 16 litres/100km during the enthusiastic launch drive.The Cayman S manual offers a 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds for the six-speed manual – and it makes a glorious noise getting there.The Cayman S's balance is matched by a chassis package that delivers sharp handling and a decent (for a purpose-built sports coupe) ride quality, with only some of the worst Adelaide Hills roads prompting groans from occupants.The six-speed manual is by far the pick of the litter – Porsche expects early uptake to be two-thirds manual, with a shift action that takes a little time to warm to, but quickly becomes intuitive.The $7000 optional five-speed tiptronic auto might well be the thing for commuters, but the manual is easily the number one choice.Surprisingly (given the swoopy roofline) head room was not an issue, even for someone just over 190cm tall, but a little more seat adjustment range was needed to get the ideal distance from the pedals.Luggage space is scattered but not inconsiderable, with a total of 410 litres available – around 260 litres in the rear hatchback compartment, 150 litres in the nose and several handy, if small compartments within the tight cabin.Priced from $148,500, the Cayman S slots in closer to the Boxster than a 911 in pricing terms but offers a driving package that makes it worthy of consideration in the same realm as the flagship.SMALL TORQUEPorsche Cayman S Engine: 3.4-litre alloy DOHC 24-valve horizontally opposed six-cylinder enginePower: 217kW at 6250rpmTorque: 340Nm between 4400rpm and 6000rpmTransmission: Six-speed manual, or optional five-speed Tiptronic S $7000Suspension: Front and rear axle in McPherson design (optimised by Porsche)Brakes: 318mm front discs, 299mm rear discs, four-piston aluminium brake calipers, cross-drilled and inner-vented; Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake option $18,990Wheels/tyres: Front 18in with 235/40 ZR front and 265/40 ZR rear tyres (19in option for about $5000)Weight: 1340kgDimensions: Length 4341mm, width 1801mm, height 1305mm, wheelbase 2415mm, track (fr/rr) 1486/1528mmFuel consumption/capacity: Combined 10.6 litre/100km (11 litre/100km – auto), tank 64 litresPerformance: Top speed 275km/h, 0-100km/h 5.4sec (manual)

Porsche has build a beaut baby based on the Boxster, but goes far beyond that soft-edged droptop.It has its own name and will take its own special place in the sports-car company's history. It's the Cayman S.If you showed most people the Cayman and told them it was the new 911 they would believe you.If they then went for a sprint in the Cayman, working it hard and pushing the edges, they would be convinced it was a 911.Porsche purists and 911 owners will shudder at the idea that their hero has been undermined by anything else, but it is true.So it's as well that the Cayman is still going to cost $148,500. Basic. Without any extras or insurance.That price takes it nearly $50,000 beyond the Boxster, and well beyond many sports-car dream machines -- including the new Mazda MX-5 and the Nissan 350Z.But the Cayman still sits comfortably below the benchmark 911 in the Porsche line-up.Most companies rip off the roof to create a new sports car, but Porsche has gone the other way, adding a roof to the Boxster to make the Cayman.This gives it a tighter drive than any convertible and allows the car to carry a punchy mechanical package.Its name comes from a crocodile, not the Cayman Islands used by some of the super rich as a tax haven.The Cayman was developed with the basics from the Boxster, but using some of the cash that has flooded through the company thanks to the success of the four-wheel-drive Cayenne.Seventy per cent of the parts in the Cayman are new -- including the roof and signature rear guards -- and it gets a 3.4-litre six-cylinder engine with many 911 parts, and a six-speed manual gearbox.The 217kW and 340Nm give a 0-100km/h sprint of 5.4 seconds and a top of 275km/h.They are big numbers, but the Cayman also has more luggage space than a Boxster and has picked up the latest cabin overhaul work from the other Porsche sports cars.Porsche is touchy about reaction to its Cayman project, and needs people to believe that it created the car to sit between the Boxster and 911, but -- more importantly -- to give it a new hero for keen drivers.It says it is not a cut-price 911, nor an attempt to fight potential rivals."This is not a Boxster coupe. It's a different car. It drives differently and has a different performance potential," managing director of Porsche Cars Australia Michael Winkler says."Our research shows a lot of people will come out of a BMW M3 or Mercedes CLK but won't want a ragtop. There are also people who have had a Boxster but cannot jump to a 911, so they get more performance and a different character without the big price increase."ON THE ROADTHE drive in the Cayman was as memorable as the introduction to the original Mazda MX-5 in 1989.You can see and feel the return of real quality to Porsche in the Cayman, just as the latest 997-model 911 is a step change over the previous 996.But there is something else about the Cayman. You feel it when you snap the throttle open for the first time, or push a bit too briskly into an unseen corner.The car works with you. Classic Porsche 911s always demand respect. They are tough and quirky to drive. Even the latest 911 needs respect until you know the car or the road - or both.The Cayman, by contrast, encourages you to have a go and have fun.It might just be a fast blast through first and second from the traffic lights, or it could be Sunday morning fun on a favourite road, but you can feel the car is wrapped around you.The Cayman will turn even harder into a corner if you push down on the accelerator.Most others run wide or fail to deliver, even the 911.The Cayman is not perfect, with the chance for luggage to slide around below the rear hatch, and the driving position could benefit from a reach-adjustable wheel.But there are no problems with its powerful sports-car brakes, a ride that soaks up bumps, and a slick six-speed manual shift.Some people will complain about the Cayman's $150,000-ish price, particularly when the Boxster costs far less.But, ripping across the Italian countryside on a quiet Saturday morning, it was hard to complain.