Jim Michaels

Olav: It was my first driving experience in a mid-engine car with that much hp. I've driven a first generation Boxster with barely over 200 hp. Great in the curves, but no charge coming out. I haven't driven the 240 and 280 hp versions, but I can imagine how much improved they are. The mid-engine made the Cayman more attractive to me than the 997.

JRRSA

Jim,

I'm very glad to hear you are happy with the Cayman. For some it's about the time, for others it's about the experience. The Cayman really is a great handling car as I confirmed in my original post.

My personal complaint was the lack of drama, noise and visceral feel. If I was looking for a car to inspire confidence that would give me the best time on the track with less amount of driver intervention, the Cayman would win hands down over the RSA.

I often drive on the track as part of my job with several different cars. I'm just one that likes a very engaging driving experience. I'm not a fan of stability control and if it has AWD it needs to be rear biased.

Drive Safe and ENJOY!

mooty

My personal complaint was the lack of drama, noise and visceral feel.
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have you had a chance to wring one out?
it's has noises, as loud as my gt3. get it above 6k rpm.
it has drama, you can do very controlled 4 wheel drift right to the exit berm much more precisely than any carerra.
it does lack some visceral impact of older carerras.

If I was looking for a car to inspire confidence
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yes and no.
below 8/10, it's more confidence inspiring than carerras, at 9/10-10/10, it's much much harder to drive than 911. almost impossible to save unlike 911's you can still have a chance to plant the rear with throttle.

uncle buck

Just wrapped up the Cayman test drive at the launch event. First impressions are as you might expect - It's a great driver. Where it surprised me was the following:

It was torquier at low RPM than I expected, pully smoothly even from 35mph in 4th gear. This may a be partially a function of gearing, but it was surprising. Acceleration was linear and strong and I'm sure even the base suspension would comfortably handle 25% more HP and torque.

I could detect no chassis flex at all but granted, I did not push the car hard as conditions were wet. PA roads are not great and there were no rattles or squeaks w/ the 19" Carrera Classics.

The sound above 4K rpm was very mechanical and got better as rev's built from there. A much harder edge than I had expected even without Sport Chrono.

Visibility was extremely good out all angles - Small blind spot behind the C pillar, but not bad.

It's still $10K too expensive but it's very user friendly and would be a great daily driver, especially in the base configuration. I'd go with Xenons and red seatbelts that might be about it.

Looking forward to other comments.

jlr

I just drove the Cayman S this morning at my dealer -- 18 inch rims, no PASM, no Chrono package. I've got a 93 RS America, had other Porsches including Boxsters, done some track time, schools, etc. My impressions are that Porsche missed an important opportunity here. I'm not one to care much about big horsepower so no complaints there. What really bugs me is the driving experience, which is alright but not what I was hoping for given the rave reviews and web forum drooling. Of course, compared to other contemporary offerings by other brands it's not bad, but to me it really is missing something --engine note/exhaust not very loud, steering much too light for my taste, non-PASM suspension ridiculously soft with lots of body roll. I drove it fairly hard but to me the whole experience just seemed a little lacking. I really detect little improvement over the Boxster in the driving experience department. It's a very nice car, and as the other JR said would make a good daily driver just as the Boxster makes a nice daily driver. I was fully prepared to purchase one to complement the RSA (convinced the wife we could live without my 4 door sedan), but now I don't know. Even with the PASM, I don't think there would be enough there for me. I expected more visceral appeal, even sharper steering. If you want a hard-top Boxster you are in luck.

mooty

It was torquier at low RPM than I expected, pully smoothly even from 35mph in 4th gear.
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i felt the same here. 4th gear is a bit too tall however.

Acceleration was linear and strong
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did you get it over 6k rpm. now that's some "sound"....



I could detect no chassis flex at all but granted,
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hit a speed bump hard, you will hear the hatch tweek ever so slightly.


PA roads are not great and there were no rattles or squeaks w/ the 19" Carrera Classics.
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19" classic... hum... is the car basalt black ;-)
yes, no squeaks or rattles except when you hit a speed bump hard and the tweeking on hatch.
it's felt more solid than my 996's.



The sound above 4K rpm was very mechanical and got better as rev's built from there. A much harder edge than I had expected even without Sport Chrono.
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LOL, i see you got the the G spot ;-)
i tried cars with and without sport chrono. i like it without, parthly b/c i hate the wart on the dash.


It's still $10K too expensive but it's very user friendly and would be a great daily driver, especially in the base configuration. I'd go with Xenons and red seatbelts that might be about it.
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my is $66630. xenon, 19" ( i came that way, i am flipping to 18"), sport seat, metallic paint. butt warmer, i think that's it.

i think the price is just right, unless you option it to over 70k.

CP

So John,

What color combo? When will you take delivery?

CP

mooty

basalt black on black
xenon, 19" (not by choice, new donuts coming soon), sport seats. some small useless crap that came with the car. but as you know, i have no patience and i will never order a car either.

when do i take delivery.... hahhaaha, you obvioulsy dont' know me. it's been in my garage since tuesday. 800 miles and coujting. if mia wasn't around, it would see 2000 miles by now. the boxS just cleared 1200 miles.

JRRSA

Mooty,

Ahhhh....congratulations on the purchase. I assume that explains the spirited "test drive" steering through the side windows!

JRoss

BiggerTwin

I never drove an RS but I understand where you are coming from. The older Harley's had a more elemental feel than the new ones but such is "progress". The only car in recent memory to truly blow me away was a Ferrari 550 Maranello that excited all of my senses from the minute I depressed the clutch. It would have required me to cut back too much on my daily driver so I passed. On balance, I think the Porsches make better "cars" even if they don't have as much as much visceral stimulation as a Ferrari. The new Aston Martin DB9 has a nice overall feel and sound but the steering is a bit dull and ultimately prevents the car from being a truly great driving machine. Like you I wished the Cayman had a little more X-Factor but compared to other contemporary offerings all the new Porsches still excite me and satisfy my driving needs. I try to push their few shortcomings into the back of my mind and follow Stephen Stills' advice to Love The One You're With. In your case it is an RS. In mine, it will be the Cayman. Happy motoring.

Alan

mooty

I assume that explains the spirited "test drive" steering through the side windows!
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thanx.
after that, i thought i must have it.
day two, i went and bug the dealer to no end.

jlr

Alan,
I think I may have just been in a bad mood on the day of my test drive. Thinking I had temporarily gone insane for disliking a mid-engined Porsche, I returned to the dealership a few days later to test drive a PASM equiped Cayman and was much much more impressed with the handling. And, you know the steering isn't that bad either, and really...the exhaust note is quite nice. Anyway, I will keep the RSA, but admit to posting in haste. Whatever the car gives up in visceral feel, it makes up in laser like precision. Enjoy your laser beam.

John

ca993twin

I've always tended to disregard 0-60 times as being more a factor of gearing, traction, and of course, sufficient HP. A better measure of HP/weight is the MPH at the end of the 1/4 mile. That said, rear engine cars tend to have an advantage in the traction department for the 0-60 times.

designman

John, I have to agree with you. I finally drove a 987S a few weeks ago and Cayman yesterday, both w/19” wheels and stock suspension. The word I would use is numb in comparison to 986, 996, 993 et al. Felt like I was in some sort of cocoon, insulated from the road. My 986S with 17” wheels feels like a tighter ride. Ditto the 996 w/17s. I believe the body roll you described is a softening of the suspension which is required in order for the 19” wheels to negotiate moguls the way it does. It just sucks up bumps too easily.

Anyone drive 18s yet? I drive a lot on urban roads which means the 19s will be extremely vulnerable. In order to negotiate the situation I’m wondering if perhaps 18s with PASM in sport mode would do the trick? Can’t find that combo to test yet. I really don’t want PASM though. IMO we needed it like a hole in the head.

It’s funny how Porsche doles out crumbs of power and is trying to position Cayman as its own entity. This price difference between the Boxster S and Cayman is ridiculous. The power is totally indiscernible IMO. It’s amazing how they can attempt to flip flop the coupe/convertible price relationship. I don’t care what times were posted at the Nurburgring with the Boxster Coupe... uh, excuse me... Cayman S. You have to jump to a Carrera to feel a significant difference in power in real-world driving, particularly torque at lower speeds.

OK, I may be able to love the one I’m with, but I’m thinking how nothing can bring back the splendor in the grass, perhaps lamenting it. I don’t know, I may move forward, maybe backward, may stay the same... we’ll see. But I really don’t like this 19” wheel situation with softer stock suspension. For what, bling? The Conestoga-wagon look is bling?

On a more positive note, I did like the gearbox and think I can get to like the subtle variable steering ratio as opposed to BMW’s radical in-your-face setup. Cayman and Boxster are still great drivers but I don’t find them to be unequivocally better than their predecessors. They are just muddying the waters with all of this newfangled bull**** which I have to believe is designed mainly to extort money from us. According to all of the hype, I was expecting to find butt-kicking out-of-the box performance but was somewhat let down. It was really surprising feeling a little too good about getting back into my 986S.

Hmm, love the one you’re with. I’ll have to think about that further and try to make sense of what “remains”. Hey, anyone can quote William Wordsworth without implication, but citing a Stephen Stills lyric suggests one thing, Alan. Me thinks you’re around my age! No... did not go to Woodstock… always hated crowds

STLPCA

Based on my experience testing a 987S & a Cayman S, both w/19" wheels & PASM, I could not disagree with you more. The Cayman performed noticeably better than the 987S by any measure I applied, other than braking which was the same. The Cayman had no detectable body roll even through corners where I was aggresively trying to hang out the rear. It felt lighter, more agile, tighter & more "tossable" than either the 987S or my 993. The engine, power & gearing differences were likewise obvious to me - the Cayman pulled stronger, revved easier, & had a more useable power band than the 987S or my 993 (& that's w/LWF & G50/21 gearbox). It also sounded much better than the 987S, but not nearly as sweet as my 993.

I love my 993 on the street & on the track. I would not consider buying a 987S, a 996, nor a 997 to replace it. However, I am seriously considering a Cayman, subject to some more seat time & perhaps some track laps. So far, I'm that impressed w/its performance & feel. And did I say, I really love my 993.

BTW, IMO PASM is a great compromise for anyone (like me) desiring an urban, daily driver w/periodic DE track duty. PASM on is as stiff as I would want to drive to & then on the track. Even w/19" wheels, PASM off easily handles poorly maintained city streets. For a street only "city" Cayman, I'd get 18" w/o PASM. For mooty's level of track use, I'd get 18" & an aftermarket track biased suspension. In any case, the Cayman does need to be lowered from its school bus height. I recently read that PAG has projected that 50% of Caymans will be ordered w/PASM vs 15% of Boxsters.

Oh, I missed Woodstock (for which I had college press passes) because rain was forecast, I had a cold & it wasn't supposed to that big of a deal anyway.