Porsche Cayman 2013 Review

Porsche Cayman

What we liked:
>> Greater stability, grip and balance
>> More luxury, comfort and equipment 
>> Price cuts mean it’s still half the cost of a 911

OVERVIEW

But Porsche introduced two generations of its modern-day boxer-roadster (the first in 1997) before it summoned the courage to release a hard-top coupe version (2006 in Australia) because it feared undermining the popularity of its rear-engined 911 flagship.

That didn’t happen, thanks in part because the Cayman has always been more expensive than the Boxster, despite the fact the convertible is more expensive to produce and that open-top cars (including the 911 Cabriolet) usually cost more than the coupe upon which they’re based.

That hasn’t changed with the second-generation Cayman, which like its MkIII Boxster sister model is bigger, bolder, stiffer, better equipped, quicker and more efficient -- yet cheaper than before, maintaining the status quo between Porsche’s entry-level coupe and the cheaper new 911 flagship.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

At the same time, Porsche set the price of range-topping 3.4-litre Cayman S at $139,900 (down $10,500), with seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic versions of both models costing $5300 extra.

That makes the Cayman closer in price to both the Boxster and 911, given roadster prices were cut by less sizeable $5500 and $6800 (S) margins and 911 prices were slashed by a more generous $22,900 and $19,500 (S).

Porsche expects the keener pricing to attract more customers than the old Cayman, which found anywhere between 150 and 200 buyers annually, making it less popular than the Boxster, but says increased sales of its entry-level coupe won’t come at the expense of the 911.

Together, the Boxster and Cayman should again rival the 911 model family for sales, and Porsche expects the top-shelf Cayman S to again comprise more than half of all mid-engined coupes, with PDK dual-clutch automatic versions to account for 80 per cent.

Among a myriad of new standard specifications are a larger seven-inch colour touch-screen, new 14-way power-adjustable seats, electric steering wheel adjustment, an electric park brake, LED daytime running lights, LED tail-lights, front and rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control and automatic headlights.

Options for the MkII Cayman include a multi-function steering wheel ($629), Sportdesign steering wheel ($950), two-tone partial leather seat trim ($1350), BOSE surround sound system ($1450), metallic paint (a whopping $1850) and, for the first time, Porsche Active Suspension Management ($3390).

Both Caymans ride on larger (18- and 19-inch) wheels as standard, but the entry model can be had with 19-inch Cayman S alloy wheels ($3390), 20-inch Carrera S wheels ($3390) and 20-inch Carrera Classic wheels ($4715), while other new extras include the Sport Chrono package with launch control ($2428) and Sport Chrono package with dynamic engine mounts ($4790).

Further new options include adaptive cruise control with braking, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, a Burmester surround sound system and keyless engine starting.

MECHANICAL

It features a variation of the MkIII Boxster’s new steel/aluminium chassis, which ups torsional rigidity by 40 per cent (to double that of the Boxster) and features all-alloy panels except the roof and front wings.

Equally importantly, it’s also 60mm longer in wheelbase and 33mm longer overall, delivering higher levels of stability and a shorter front overhang, while a 10mm-lower roof lowers the centre of gravity.

To deliver the same agility as before, however, Porsche increased the wheel tracks by 36mm at the front and 40mm at the rear, made the rear of the body 18mm wider and fitted larger 18-inch (Cayman) and 19-inch (Cayman S) wheels with wider 235- (front) and 265-section (rear) tyres, with even larger 20s also now available.

As well as being longer, wider, lower and stiffer, the new Cayman’s also 30kg lighter than before at 1310kg (plus 30kg for the Cayman S) -- 5kg less than the Boxster and presenting a 54 per cent rear weight bias, as well as less body roll and pitch.

The 911’s Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which continuously adjusts the dampers for optimum ride comfort and reacts to braking and cornering in real time, can now be had in the Cayman, while further traction is generated by a locking rear differential and optional Porsche Torque Vectoring, which brakes the inside rear wheel in corners.

Meeting the marketing department’s request for broader appeal is a more masculine, Carrera GT-style frontal design and more interior space including an extra 28mm of seat travel, plus a new aluminium tailgate that at just 6.6kg weighs half as much as its predecessor’s, yet is 146 per cent stiffer.

Rounding out the new Cayman upgrades are fresh engines from the Boxster, including a downsized 2.7-litre (from 2.9) flat-six engine in the standard Cayman, which delivers slightly less peak torque (290 v 300Nm at the same 4500rpm) but the same power as before, making it quicker, faster and 15 per cent more efficient.

Thanks to a 200rpm-higher (7400rpm) rev limit, it’s also 7kW more powerful than the base Boxster engine at 202kW, while the 3.4-litre Cayman S ups that figure to 239kW. Like the base Cayman, the S offers 10Nm more torque than the equivalent Boxster, at 370Nm.

All Caymans (and Boxsters) miss out on the 911’s world-first seven-speed manual transmission, making do with just six speeds, although the vast majority sold will feature the 911’s seven-speed PDK auto.

Porsche claims a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds for the base manual Cayman and a top speed of 266km/h. The PDK-equipped Cayman is 0.1 seconds quicker to 100km/h and the optional Sport Chrono package reduces that a further 0.2 seconds.

Porsche claims a 0-100km/h time of five seconds for the manual Cayman S and a top speed of 283km/h. The PDK-equipped Cayman S is 0.1 seconds quicker to 100km/h and the optional Sport Chrono package reduces that a further 0.2 seconds, to a best of 4.7 seconds.

The base Cayman’s fuel economy is 8.2L/100km (the PDK version is more frugal at 7.7L/100km), rising to 8.0L/100km for the Cayman S PDK and 8.8L/100km (manual).

This is aided by idle stop-start, now fitted as standard on all Caymans, while a coasting function decouples engine and gearbox on the overrun on PDK-equipped Caymans. The watercooled Boxer sixes also reprise the 911's new thermal management system for faster warm-up which in turn reduces wear and emissions.

Cayman offers a Sport mode as standard. In manual cars this changes engine mapping and disables the idle stop-start, while PDK cars also get a transmission program tweak. This is separate to the optional Sport Chrono pack that comprise dynamic engines mounts, new (introduced in Carrera 4) downshift engine rev matching in manual versions (from MY14), launch control on PDK cars and a dashtop-mounted clock.

Completing the upgraded chassis package are upgraded brakes across the board and, like the 991-series 911 and Boxster, electrically assisted power steering.

Just to top it off, the Cayman now offers 15 litres more luggage space too, including 150 litres up front and behind the engine at the rear, bringing a total of 425 litres for just two people.

ON THE ROAD

Arguably, in fact, it’s even more of a quantum leap than the latest 911, which remains the benchmark for outright racetrack performance and those for whom only the best will do.

But there’s something about having an engine just over your left shoulder inside the cabin and, for the vast majority of drivers, the aural appeal of its mid-mounted flat six will be a winning formula.

There’s a lot more to the new Cayman than that though. For starters it’s much less effeminate than before, with more pronounced ‘gun sight’ front quarter guards punctuated by Carrera GT-like headlights, a faster windscreen, more aggressively sculpted door cut-outs leading to the side air inlets and more differentiation from the Boxster.

Of course there are still only two seats but both occupants get extra seat travel and more luxury features like a bigger colour touch-screen and an electric park brake and steering column, although it’d be nice if a steering wheel with gearshift paddles (not toggles) was standard. Not to mention metallic paint, which at $1850 extra is a big gouge.

On the move, the more blokey new Cayman feels a lot like a 911 to drive (albeit one without rear seats), such is its new-found straightline stability and roomier, better equipped cabin.

Hit some corners at speed, however, and the mid-engined coupe shows it has lost none of its agility, feeling more willing to change direction, easier to adjust at the limit of adhesion and more forgiving of ham-fisted driver inputs than the 911.

With its engine much further forward, the Cayman doesn’t ‘porpoise’ into and out of corners like the 911, in which braking and acceleration inputs need to be more precisely modulated to maximise the prodigious grip of its rear-engined chassis.

The big new Cayman, the wheelbase of which is actually longer than the latest 911’s, may not generate the corner exit grip of its more expensive sibling, but it makes up for that with on-the-limit handling and mid-corner grip few sports cars can match.

While some front-engined sports cars like the BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK understeer at the limit, and the rear-engined 911 can easily be provoked into oversteer, the Cayman bites hard into bends, offers superbly neutral mid-corner grip and then slingshots out of turns with the sort of efficiency and balance a 911 driver could only dream of.

Like the 911, the Cayman’s new steering is better than any other electric system we’ve sampled and is as precise and responsive as before, but lacks the level of feedback its predecessor offered.

Minor complaints could also be levelled at the firm ride in base guise, which given the degree of body control and road holding available here could easily forgiven, even on a daily basis. However, if you’re going for the base model, pay extra for PASM, which softens the otherwise firm ride considerably with no detriment to handling.

And choose the standard Cayman we would, because for just over $5000 more than a base Boxster and around half the price of the cheapest 911 it offers undiluted sportscar performance with more than enough power and the finest manual gearshift of any car.

It’s so effective it makes us wonder how good the new Cayman would be with the 911’s 3.8-litre flat six and seven-speed manual.

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