I must humbly admit that after spending several hours in the rolling twisties this weekend, I believe my wife's new Cayman S just might be easier and more fun to drive than my 996TT.

Obviously the Turbo is a faster beast, but there are so many things that the Cayman does better. Steering, cornering, shifting, braking, ergonomics, seating...ahhhnathema it cannot be so.

 

Same here. My wife's Cayman S made me realize just how heavy that turbo is. Sold it for a Carrera S X51 but I still miss the explosive power and torque of the turbo.

 

I drove one for about 1,500 miles and agree with you two - it is awesome. I spent a day on the Tail of the Dragon with it and was in heaven.

 

I have to disagree. I just sold my CaymanS that I had for a year and picked up an '03 tt. The only thing I will miss about the CaymanS is the balance of the car. There is no denying the midengine car feels like it is on rails. However, it is underpowered by at least 50HP probably closer to 75-80 and really needs much more low end torque. The brakes, shifting, steering are all on par with the 996TT to me. Which is to say they are excellent. I was much more cramped in the CaymanS than I am in the 996TT. At times it felt like I was "shoehorned" in the Cayman. Even though the 996TT is a rear engine car I have just as much confidence in its cornering ability due to the AWD. This will only get better after my JIC coil over suspension is installed next Monday.

I am not saying the CaymanS is not a good car. As a matter of fact, I am saying quite the contrary... it is a helluva car....just underpowered for my taste. Even though it is underpowered (to me), it is a blast in the twisties. I had an '05 C6 Vette just before the CaymanS and will tell you the CaymanS was just as fast if not faster than the Vette through the twisties. CaymanS is great fun....just not as much fun as the 996TT.

 

My wife has a Dually and a Tahoe ... So no issue here ...

We are not big on Mini Trucks or Big Station Wagons... whatever you want to call those SUVs...

 

huh?

 

Heh...glh may have hit the wrong reply button.


amerlemans, your previous post started with "I have to disagree", however, I do not see where we are in disagreement except maybe regarding the "fun to drive aspect".

Most certainly the Cayman is cramped inside as compared to the TT, but once shoe-horned in, it is like you stated "the midengine car feels like it is on rails"

IMO the TT has two very annoying issues:

1. Variocam surge between 2800 and 3200 rpms (this is 55-65mph freeway speed and in town driving rpms)
2. Notchy shifting that requires a full hand on the shifter

The Cayman power rolls on nicely and seems to revs effortlessly. Shifting is light and nimble requiring only a gentle push or pull to engage the next gear.

Obviously the car had less power than the TT, but at this point I cannot comment on what it feels like when approaching redline...maybe it's disappointing, maybe it's not too far off from the TT.

 

interesting points coming from a c6 owner... my BoxsterS only has 250HP and I didn't find the CaymanS to be worlds faster through the turns. DEFINITELY stiffer but, but no kick in pants fast like TT or GT3.
WAY WAY over priced me thinks...
If only they made a dry sump Cayman Turbo with a 02-04 996 front end..

 

drh,

Took me one testdrive while the turbo was getting serviced to decide to switch over. I like the steering feel better than the turbo's, and enjoy the RWD rather than AWD "sensation" (or at least I've convinced myself I can feel a difference, let my self-delusion stand pat). I do occasionally miss the torque thump of stomping on the go pedal and having my head slammed into the headrest, but not often enough to consider going back. My daughters (7 and 2) may push me in a few years to consider back seats again, as the older one loves riding in my car, and the younger one hasn't graduated to a booster seat yet. But for my day-to-day driving enjoyment, I'm happy where I am.

 

your words:
Obviously the Turbo is a faster beast, but there are so many things that the Cayman does better. Steering, cornering, shifting, braking, ergonomics, seating...ahhhnathema it cannot be so.

You say the Cayman has BETTER steering, cornering, shifting, and braking,....I say it isn't BETTER it is on PAR with the 996TT. And the shifting in the 996TT is worlds better (than normal 996TT shifter) with a B&M short shifter. The clutch is also better in the 996TT to me although I do like the early engagement of the clutch in the CaymanS.

The power of the CaymanS is not even close to the 996TT. From a standstill the 996TT would be 2-3 cars ahead in a sprint if not more and above 75mph it would get real ugly.

What I am saying is the CaymanS is a great car but it is no twin turbo.

 

Drove one, felt cramped inside, almost claustrophobic.
Yes, it's underpowered, by design, so as not to encroach on '911 territory'.

Given a choice, I'd still prefer a 914-6 over a Cayman S.

 

love it.. ok so the motor isn't the best but we have a shop car as a result of just liking it... It's hard to explain but the balance/handling is unreal out of the box. Everyone we know that has one is actually faster in that car than any other one they own

 

Thanks for setting me straight...

I confused Cayman and Cayenne... In my world not much else than 911's are Porsches...

 

Cayman and TT are two differeant animals and in my opinion is like comparing apples to oranges. A better comparison moght be with the Boxter. I love my TT and 930. (addicted to boost)

 

Well, I'm comparing my TT to my wife's Cayman. I like her steering, clutch, shifting and braking better.

As far as shifters go, my TT has the Porsche SSK, so maybe the B&M has a better feel?

With the TT on the same roads I find myself using 2nd and 3rd gear and much lower rpms due to the available torque and boost. In the Cayman I find myself working thru the gears 2nd thru 4th and while keeping it rolling along at about 4k rpm. I used to race MotoCross, both 125 and Open class at the same event with two different bikes. I guess a good comparison for someone familiar with such things is that the TT is like an open class bike and the Cayman is like a 125. Both have their place and the 125 is much easier to flick around, turn and brake. Something else...I used to ride my 125 in the open class before they changed the rules and I usually won. My guess is that given certain conditions, the Cayman would beat a TT on the track.

Not sure if that makes sense to everyone...just my perspective.