Cayman v Cayman
- Thread starter John H
- Start date
Nice write-up John. A lot of sense spoken. Looks stunning in white, doesn't it?
Many thanks for posting that John and look forward to seeing the article in a future PP. An interesting comparison between the new and old Cayman from someone with quite a few years' experience of the latter under their belt. And some really excellent photos to boot. Incidentally, I don't think that your adverse comments about the steering wheel apply only to the Sports wheel. I'm sure that the "chunky" rim features on the standard wheel too. Good to hear someone having a blast at the PDK 'box too after all the adulation.! Well, some of us have to stand up for the manual 'box. Looking forward to checking out the new model myself and posting my own comments. Jeff
Chris_in_the_UK
New member
Many thanks John - love my Cayman and this just reinforces why it was my choice of Porsche. I love my 1st Generation for it's simplicity and the connection when driving it and it's nice to see this continue through the evolution.
Fascinating review. I saw your car at Edinburgh parked up when I visited on Thursday! My Spyder had a couple of trips to my OPC over the last couple of weeks. I therefore spent some time in 2 loan cars - a simple 981 Boxster with 19 inch wheels, standard suspension, manual gears. The second was a 981 Boxster S with 20 inch wheels, PASM and PDK. The difference between the two was remarkable and I suspect that the new Cayman will be a very similar steer. I don't agree with you regarding PDK, the steering wheel or the steering! Obviously I respect your opinion which is as valid as mine! If you get the chance, you must try a manual, the new position of the gear lever helps make the manual box absolutely sublime. PDK in sports mode in the S is telepathic, way quicker than me and suits the hi-tec nature of the new car. The way it blips the throttle as it changes down the box is hilarious. As you say, the ride quality is a whole new world as is cabin quality. Bring on the Spyder 981!!
I think you're right. The "basic" car is a very nice drive.
Just to add that I admire your "minimalist" approach to Porsche option selection John - although (sadly) something to which I didn't subscribe when making my own selection.! The majority of the chassis development will have been conducted on the standard wheel set-up of course, so you could say that that will give the purest Cayman driving experience. The popularity of the larger wheel option with buyers (80%??) has forced Porsche to reinforce hubs, bearings, suspension bushes and steering components to cope with the additional forces imposed by the heavier wheel-tyre combination. I believe that some ride improvements were gained with the Gen 2 cars and, although my 987.2 is fitted with 19" wheels, specifying the PASM option has given me a more than acceptable ride quality for a high-performance sportscar. From what you and others have said, significant additional improvements have been achieved with the PASM-equipped 981 Cayman. Jeff
John H
New member
I was advised very earnestly at the time that I was making a huge mistake, as I would never be able to re-sell the car without lots of fol-de-rols. I politely replied that I was spending MY money on a car to suit ME ... not the next owner. Besides, I always intended to keep the car, if not quite for ever, then certainly for longer than the two years most people manage, so resale was a non issue.
You are correct, it was really only the early cars that suffered quite so badly from a crashy ride. By the time I drove a Gen 2 car it was much improved. I always felt the big wheels spoiled the feel of the earlier cars too, the delicacy of the chassis was somehow smothered by too much grip. I was always pleased to note that one of the few journalists who appreciated this was Chris Harris, who actually bought a 2.7 Cayman on 17" wheels, and raved about it. There is little doubt that part of the re-engineering of the steering is to make the car more compatible with the fashion for oversized wheels and tyres ... regrettably.
John H
New member
Aah, just twigged (from the Spyder thread) that you were party to collecting that utterly delicious white 997 Carrera that was awaiting delivery. I spent some time admiring that. What a truly lovely car that was, great spec too, all the stuff you need, none of the baggage you don't! Now that's my sort of 911! [
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Yes - that's why we went. We had a cracking drive along the A702 both on the way there and on the way back in convoy. The 997 was a remarkable find for Jamie, beautiful condition and great spec too. Your Cayman looked nice enough parked outside the showroom anyway! Dyllan - Spyders keep cropping up all the time and they will continue to do so as they reach their 3rd birthdays and those on GFV finance deals get handed back. They are certainly not as rounded a car as the new Cayman. Whether that is a good thing or not is a different question!
Great review John. I too used to want the latest and greatest until I got into Porsches and now i'm different as every generation has something unique to offer. I'm in the camp that more power can be a good thing. I've driven a 2.9 Cayman and could see the appeal as you can get on with driving flat out without as much worry of reaching the limits of straight line traction or getting to unwieldy speeds when you want to mash the accelerator into the floor and enter a corner. However, having more power and trying to learn to harness and exploit that power is a nice challenge to have as you can try to develop yourself with each drive, to translate that power into getting more performance out of the car. (fortunately our cars are built from the ground up to embrace it, unlike, say, a Merc AMG S Class saloon). I rarely will have my foot to the floor in the Spyder, but on a long straight on a track, the car is pretty tame and proves that it could benefit from more power. On a twisty B road though, it has plenty and it's the chassis that increases the performance. So I take your point. I'm looking forward to driving a 981 Cayman but would be in a better position to comment if I still had my Cayman. The steering feedback on the Spyder is on another level but comes at a price as the car isn't set up for maximum comfort. But, as I found when I drove a 981 Boxster S, I agree with you that the steering feel is light and feels little disconnected, a bit like a Honda. I'm not going to conclude that as a bad thing as I wasn't able to push the car as the weather conditions were terrible. Perhaps steering feel is the unique trait the 987 will be remembered for compared to later generations. But the newer car was a much much better daily drive and feels very relaxed and un-sporty when you don't need it to be. I've no doubt it's the better driver's car as well compared to the standard 987 (non Cayman R) but as I say, I wasn't comparing apples with apples.
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