Porsche Cayman Video Reviews

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Traditionally a car company will build a hard top sports car and then leverage that by knocking off the top and charging a lump extra for the privilege of having the convertible version of whatever that car may be.Porsche — as is their wont — did it differently. Not only did they build the soft-top version first but when they stuck the roof on they charged a lump extra for that. Also, true to form, Porsche did a damn fine job of building that hard-top car.Starting with the Boxster's sweet chassis and mid-engine layout Porsche's stylists went to work to produce a car that was different enough to look at that some casual observers still believe it to be a model in its own right, and took it to the market as the Cayman.PricingFor the privilege of having a solid roof the Cayman S — the upper tier of the range — starts some $15,000 above the equivalent Boxster and at $155,300 there is some debate over whether this two-door sporty is any sort of bargain at all. The popular defence to that is that while it may be more expensive than the drop-top Boxster it is far less so than the hard-top 911 against which it has claims for handling and performance. Not sure where I stand on that debate, I just know that if the readies weren't a problem there would be a Cayman S in the garage.Drivetrain The 3.4-litre engine has the distinctive busy sound of the flat-six. There is no gentle rumbling of a big-bore engine waiting to be ignited but rather an impression of noise that quickly becomes a crackling howl when the whips are produced.Punch the throttle and the Cayman comes to life, happy to put the horizon behind at a rapidly increasing rate or throw itself at the next corner with an inspiring surety. The Cayman is not a selfish car, happy to share its dynamism with drivers of many and varied abilities.The test car came with Porsche's sublime 7-speed PDK double-clutch automatic, a $5500 option. So sharp are the changes and so intelligent the programming that you are going to quickly forget how deeply you were gouged to have this gearbox. The beauty of the PDK is that it really is a set-and-forget performance hero. The shifts are razor sharp and there is rarely a time when urge is not in the meat of the 370Nm available across a very usable rev range.Vary the throttle agression and vary the shift agression ... it's that simple. If all you want to do is shift quietly through traffic then the PDK is there make it as seamless as possible. Attack the road and there is a whole new character to the box as it skips gears to get to the most effect ratio for maximum torque — and then holds hard like a hungry dog to a bone.If you really must you can self-select the changes but its is going to be a happier relationship if you sooner rather than later come to terms with the fact that left to its own devices the PDK in full auto can do a better job than you can.DrivingIt is a masterclass in automotive engineering. Packaging feel, balance, excitement, a goodly degree of refinement and within the bounds of what it is a surprising amount of space and comfort into a low-slung two-door sportscar is no small feat.Whether trundling through city traffic or attacking the open road the Cayman cabin is a lovely place to be. Around town the Cayman is docile, with the light yet precise steering seemingly immune from tramlining over road imperfections and a ride compliant enough to take the very worst out of Sydney's awful road surfaces.The cargo space — split front to rear — is not generous but there is enough to get away for a weekend or get the (small) family shopping in. Still, load carrying and domestic duties are not what the Cayman S is about. This is a thoroughbred sportscar and given the chance it will behave as such. Accelerate strongly, stop positively and turn in with the balance of a dancer. What more can you ask of a car.Bottom line: Yes please!Porsche Cayman S Price: as tested $174,250 ($155,300 base)Engine: 3.4L/flat 6, 235kW/370NmTransmission: 7-speed PDK auto, rear-wheel driveEconomy: 9.2L/100km (supplied), 9.8L/100km (as tested)Rating: 92/100Rivals BMW Z4 35i from $116,900 87/100Nissan 370Z from $67,990 82/100Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 from $115,637 86/100Audi S5 from $138,600 88/100

When the Cayman was first revealed by Porsche in 2005, it was to a mixed reception. There were those who loved the idea of a mid-engined model to sit just above the Boxster, and there were those who saw it as ... well, just another Boxster.But, despite the detractors, it was a good little car — attractive, dynamic and powerful enough to attract a lot of new buyers into the brand.Now it’s an even better little car, with new engines and suspension set-up, tweaked jewellery, better economy and the option of Porsche’s twin-clutch transmission to really sweeten the deal.DrivetrainsPorsche has put a lot of effort into reducing the weight and friction levels of both new engines to boost power while reducing fuel consumption.The base model Cayman gets a 195kW/300Nm 2.9-litre six-cylinder boxer engine (up 200cc and 15kW). Mated to a new manual transmission with six slots over the previous five, this gives a 0-100 speed of 5.8 seconds, which is shaved by 0.1 if you option the PDK box – the downside being 2km/h also being shaved off the manual’s top speed of 265km/h due to weight gain. But while the manual uses 9.2L of fuel per 100km, the new transmission manages 8.9 — an improvement of 11 per cent on the outgoing model with its sequential Tiptronic.The Cayman S carries a direct fuel-injected 3.4-litre six-cylinder that develops 235kW (up 18kW). With the six-speed manual you get a 0-100 speed of 5.2 seconds, but getting the PDK here gets you down to 5.1 – and with the optional Sports Chrono Pack drops down to a blistering 4.9 — but again cuts 2km/h off the manual’s top speed of 277km/h. And again the PDK offers fuel savings on the previous Cayman S, using 16 per cent less at 9.2L/100km, while the base model comes in at 9.6L/100km.Appearance and equipmentThere has been little change to the body styling of the Cayman, but it has been freshened at nose and tail with light clusters featuring twin tube halogens at the front and LED strips at the back that accentuate the swelling curves of the haunches, a new wind deflector plate and foglights. To dress up further, there’s an optional lighting pack with bi-xenon lamps and LED daytime running lights.Porsche says these changes have been made while maintaining the Cayman's aerodynamic drag figure of 0.29 and downforce — increased by the split wing spoiler moving up 80mm when the car hits 120km/h.The interior gets some facelifted touches, the main one being a revised centre control stack with larger screen for nav, info and entertainment. And ventilation has been added to the heating for the perforated-leather covered seats. And you could almost claim it’s practical too, with a 410-litre luggage capacity, although there’s little in the way of cabin storage to augment that for smaller items, and the cupholders that spring out of the dash are a nightmare.UnderpinningsThe Caymans roll on new wheels — 17” and 12mm wider on the base model, which now gets the larger 318mm front and 299mm rear brakes of its big brother — and 18” on the S, with the chance to upgrade to 19” and also nab the awesome 350mm ceramic brake package plus a locking rear diff. But in Porsche tradition, there's no spare wheel, simply a can of tyre sealant and a compressor — and perhaps a prayer for our councils to sweep the streets more often.Meanwhile, new mapping has given the steering a sharper response, while the suspension has been adjusted to account for the engines’ extra power.Porsche’s electronically controlled Active Suspension management is available for both models, lowering the body by 10mm over the standard suspension. It has been enhanced with brake assistance that includes a pre-loading function that comes into play if you lift off the accelerator quickly – even before your foot touches the brake pedal.The Sports Chrono Package adds a Sport Plus function that further sharpens steering, quickens gearchanges and throttle response and hardens the suspension. And if you’ve got the PDK box, the Chrono addition tosses in a Launch Start function — where you can look like Lewis Hamilton by plunging your feet onto both pedals, revving up and then wiping your foot off the brake and letting the car slingshot you into the horizon — as well as a handy auto kick-down if you stab the accelerator.There have been some weight losses and gains overall, with the Cayman tipping the scales at 1330kg with the manual box and 1360kg with the PDK, while the S is 1350kg with the manual and 1375 with the PDK.This means the S with PDK comes in at 15kg lighter than the previous model with the Tiptronic, but the base model has gained about the same mainly because of the extra gear and larger brakes.PricingFinal Australian spec and the price tags are yet to be revealed, and we should have more information close to the car’s local launch in March 2009.DrivingOn the road the Cayman S we tested was a joy. The engine is keen to let you dip into its extra sauce, and just keep pouring it on, delivering it in a smooth progressive stream with no sign of it letting up as it swings the needle up to the 7500rpm redline.And it sounds better too – with Porsche saying they retuned the exhaust specifically for that effect. But it still falls short of the kind of guttural growl that vibrates through your stomach lining when you’re in something like the 911 Carrera.On the noise side, there’s quite a bit of wind rush, and a lot of tyre noise over rougher surfaces.But those same bits of bad road revealed the remarkable qualities of the new suspension set-up. Patchy bitumen, gaping potholes – no matter what the semi-rural roads on the southern Spain launch threw at it – the Cayman S simply snubbed its nose at the challenge. You could hear it all passing under the wheels, but there was little in the way of jarring or jumping that upset the handling – or the occupants.One question we always have of suspensions designed with European markets in mind is whether or not they will handle our poor Aussie blacktop well enough. In the case of the Cayman, the answer is a resounding `yes’.It tracks confidently and the wide stance helps keep it glued to the road.Pressing the Sports Plus button sharpened everything up to near-race track standards – but in this case the car became almost too responsive to joust with oncoming farmers on the narrow winding mountain roads.With the PDK predicting which gear you want to be in next and getting it set up for you, once you get used to thumbing the forward-back paddles wrapped around the spokes of the steering wheel, this car is simply a bundle of fun that makes the most of its power-to-weight ratio.No, it’s not a 911. But then, only a 911 is a 911. But what it is – especially in the current economy – is a fantastic drive-to-dollar ratio.