Brand Spanking All New Cayman Gen 2
- Thread starter daro911
- Start date
Black80XSA
New member
Front looks even more like a Boxster now 
Alex Postan
New member
It is not a great incentive to crystallise the depreciation that I'd see on my 33 month old version. I find it slightly srprising that the styling office still maintains the central grille - and which remains a dummy.
InnerSphere
New member
I agree - it's hardly like keeping similar looks is helping the existing cars keep their value.....[8D]ORIGINAL: daro911I find it quite surprising that Porsche maintains a styling office who remain dummies if this is the best they can come up [
Dave Wilkinson
New member
I quite like it. Moving the fog lights out to the extremes of the front bumper makes it look a little wider and more aggressive. All the other cosmetic changes - mostly enforced by the EU - make little difference, but the REALLY good stuff is yet to be revealed. Direct Injection engines (along with the loss of the RMS and intermediate shaft issues) and PDK gearbox have just got to be the significant issues of this facelift. It's these that will cane the prices of the pre-facelift cars. If the new engines really do solve the RMS issues (and the intermediate shaft has gone completely anyway) I would imagine it will become difficult to shift the pre-facelift models on the secondhand market - especially with the cost of the warranty having been increased. I guess the big question is whether they really HAVE sorted the RMS issue. Regards Dave
dereksharpuk
New member
I totally agree. My hi spec Cayman S went for £36.8K in July. Now worth less than £30K. With the big improvements coming (DI & PDK), prices will still be in freefall.
dereksharpuk
New member
Probably true Dyllan, but that does not apply to my 997. It will obviously appreciate in value cos it is owned by me [ORIGINAL: dyllanbut not as much as new cars.,derek!!![
] Anyway, you know that I will never sell it
any car that has the rare provenance of your name in the logbook is priceless derek.no arguments glad youre enjoying it.am still trying to persuade linda of the pdk!! maybe on the gen 2 cayman as linda prefers the luggage space[] but as you say the value of mine will drop more by then ,which is why i will give it to james p(son)rather than lose on depreciation
] but as you say the value of mine will drop more by then ,which is why i will give it to james p(son)rather than lose on depreciation
Well I guess Derek and the like will keep us updated of any faults that occur, long before we will experience them!..... ...as per my mention in last PP..still waiting for the details from Porsche, for when the offcial launch date is...Marketing dont know, nor does my OPC...and still no brochure for the spec! As I'm on the list of interested parties....I guess something will arrive in the post eventually.[][]
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Alex Postan
New member
The prospect of PDK, a small increase in power and a small improvement in fuel consumption is insufficient to tempt me into buying a large dose of depreciation. I expect to be on the Cayman register in 2018.[]
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dereksharpuk
New member
Alan et al, I can highly recommend PDK as a sole reason to change. It is so involving, efficient, economical and in short simply great [] I was never a fan of automatics, but this retains the best of both manual and auto. You can change gear when you want, keep the gear you want, wizz round roundabouts and let it select the right gear if you allow it to (it's so quick the balance of the car is not upset), and finally, just shove it into auto when you feel tired []. In conclusion, you lose nothing, gain heaps. Finally, being a cheapskate, I am jolly pleased that it is more economical that my Cayman S, despite having the power and performance of my 997S. Mind you, I have forgotten to add that it is an expensive option []
] I was never a fan of automatics, but this retains the best of both manual and auto. You can change gear when you want, keep the gear you want, wizz round roundabouts and let it select the right gear if you allow it to (it's so quick the balance of the car is not upset), and finally, just shove it into auto when you feel tired []. In conclusion, you lose nothing, gain heaps. Finally, being a cheapskate, I am jolly pleased that it is more economical that my Cayman S, despite having the power and performance of my 997S. Mind you, I have forgotten to add that it is an expensive option []
[link=http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/RoadTestsHistory/Porsche-911-3.6-Carrera/234424/]http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/RoadTestsHistory/Porsche-911-3.6-Carrera/234424/[/link] No car today has benefited from such consistent and dogged improvement as the Porsche 911. It is nearly four years since the latest 997 iteration emerged, and although still a hugely competitive car with few direct challengers, these latest improvements amount to more than light titivation. But that’s what you might initially think; only LED running lights, larger front air intakes, redesigned door mirrors, bi-xenon headlamps and new wheel designs identify the exterior of this latest iteration. The big change lies beneath the bootlid, where a new direct-injection flat six delivers sharper performance and usefully improved economy. Carbon dioxide emissions fall too, as Porsche tackles one of the biggest challenges facing it today (its model range is nowhere near the 130g/km CO2 corporate fleet average demanded by the EU for 2012). There are detail improvements besides, but the other big news is the availability of a seven-speed double-clutch transmission in place of the five-speed Tiptronic; it’s this model we test here. This latest 911 is a mid-life evolution of the 997 series launched in 2004. Unrelenting development has been the key to the 911’s success; it’s a major reason why this 45-year-old design continues to be such a successful sports car. It might have gained a reputation as the favoured mount of the newly monied, but this is a car with more engineering substance than virtually any other. Order your Carrera with the PDK transmission (for Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, or dual-clutch gearbox) and you get a 911 with an almost entirely new driveline. Not only is this seven-speed transmission new but the flat six is too, an extensive redesign introducing direct injection. The ’09 911’s brakes are improved too, but the rest of its mechanicals are unchanged. Direct injection brings performance, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions improvements, power rising to 341bhp from the previous 321bhp, while torque increases by 20lb ft. CO2 output falls by 15 per cent to 225g/km, while fuel consumption drops by more than six per cent for the manual and 12.5 per cent for the PDK version. The paddle-shift ’box scores a bigger improvement with its seventh speed and because of its greater mechanical efficiency. That 25 years have passed since Porsche first used a double-clutch gearbox in the 956 and 962 racers is down to the non-availability of software advanced enough for a road car, says Weissach, and the challenge of engineering a compact, light ’box that’s up to the torque. This can be enhanced with the Sport Chrono package (good value at £729 on PDK versions), which not only includes launch control but also Sport and Sport Plus settings that provide more urgent gearshifts as well as firming up the Porsche Active Suspension Management (a £1030 option on the Carrera), although this can be overridden. The transmission is adaptive, harvesting vehicle speed, engine speed, throttle movement and longitudinal and lateral acceleration data, as well as deducing the road’s profile to influence its self-shifting strategy. In Sport the gearshift times are shortened, downshifts occur more readily under braking and it kicks down more eagerly. In Sport Plus, suggested only for track use, its responses are further sharpened and seventh gear closed off. This car is hugely fast, but the real surprise is the performance you get for the pound, particularly with the Sport Chrono pack, which provides launch control. This allows a 0-60mph rip in 4.4sec, 100mph in 10.4sec and a claimed 178mph – enough performance to outsprint the more powerful Aston Vantage V8 and Audi R8. It’s a shame, though, that the engine’s distinctive sound has almost disappeared below 4000rpm. Quite often its music will be swamped by road noise, which was a real issue in the test car fitted with stiffer PASM sports suspension. The PDK transmission, however, is mostly superb. Its gearchanges are often best detected by glancing at the gear indicator, its subtle throttle blips serving seamless downchanges. But you can catch it out. Launching from a junction at which you have just stopped can induce a pause, and re-applying the throttle when the transmission’s brain must choose a ratio can do the same. But the PDK’s intuition is generally excellent. Porsche has made few changes to the 911’s chassis beyond upgrading the brakes and further refining the optional PASM for a smoother ride. The further uprated PASM sports suspension is an option to be avoided, the 20mm reduction in ride height and bigger wheels stiffening the car to the extent that it skittered across the top of a tight, badly surfaced corner. The standard set-up is vastly better. But the steering certainly scores for not being over-sensitive at high speeds; the larger, more measured inputs you must make produce deeply entertaining interaction when the pace is hard and the road demanding. The PDK transmission’s user-friendliness makes it easier to concentrate on the niceties of 911 handling, besides making the 911 a quicker car. Whether you’ll miss a clutch pedal only you can decide, but this is a far better transmission than Tiptronic ever was, and the best dual-clutch ’box to date. This time around the 911’s cabin has received little attention, and in places the lack of development is starting to show. The dashboard is not the most elegant structure, but more disappointing are the fake aluminium door handles and steering wheel spokes. The eccentric markings of the 200mph speedo fail to highlight the UK-critical speeds of 30, 60 and 70mph, making the additional digital speedo vital, and the plastic used for much of the centre console is sub-standard. The Sport Chrono pack’s Sport buttons, designed to line up with the transmission stick in manual, are consequently further away too. Porsche’s insistence on a paddle-shift logic consistent with the old Tiptronic gearbox means that both can be used for up and downshifts, running counter to the ‘left for down, right for up’ used by everyone else, and the transmission lever functions in the opposite sense too. But so many essentials are right. The driving position is excellent, visibility good and the car less intimidating than many because it’s smaller. The upgraded infotainment system is clear and intuitive to use too. Less impressive were the squeaks and creaks from the cabin of one of a pair of test cars we tried. This car is excellent value. It is also legendarily tough – creaks and squeaks notwithstanding – and holds its value fairly well. Many option prices, including the £2338 for the PDK transmission and the £729 for the Sport Chrono/launch control pack, are strong value too. Servicing costs are slightly reduced (intervals are at 18,600 miles or two years) and oil consumption is down; in combination with strong economy for a car so potent, these factors make 911 ownership less pricey than it might be. Equipped with sports suspension, the 911 gets only three and a half stars, its general excellence seriously undermined by a crashing ride and sometimes thunderous road noise. With the standard suspension it’s much better, even if road roar remains too intrusive. Some areas of cabin quality are below par, but the new PDK gearbox is excellent, spoiled only by the peculiarities of its paddle layout. It very rarely falls short of a swift response and shows commendable versatility in its shift strategy when combined with the Sport Chrono pack. Then there’s the excellence of the direct-injection flat six. It may lack aural drama, but its sharper throttle and heightened efficiency combine with the PDK transmission to produce remarkable economy. This is a usefully better 911, at last with a two-pedal transmission worthy of the rest of the car.ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk Alan et al, I can highly recommend PDK as a sole reason to change. It is so involving, efficient, economical and in short simply great [
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