Porsche Cayman S 2006 Review - International

What we liked
>> Sounds awesome
>> Fast and controllable
>> Driver controls are sublime

Not so much
>> Cabin is all Boxster
>> Five-speed automatic
>> Front-end too 911/Boxster

OVERVIEW
Porsche salesmen will tell you the Cayman is an amphibious South American reptile that's quick off the mark, attacks ferociously and has a very nasty bite. They're all attributes possessed by the latest addition to Porsche's model line-up, the Cayman S coupe.

Cayman is about the size of the Boxster and has two-seats, but wears a hard hat like a 911. Like the Boxster it is mid-engined and drives through the rear wheels. Like both the Boxster and the 911 it is unparalleled by any other brand for the price. Sure, some may be faster in a straight line, and some may even be quicker through the bends, but there can be no mistaking the experience of driving a Porsche

FEATURES
As the story goes Porsche identified a market demand for a model smaller than the 911. Boxster fits that mould, but apparently the market demanded a hard top. Fair enough. Now, you'd be right in thinking these are some pretty tight parameters, after all a Boxster can be as much fun as a 911 on the right road.

So how to build a coupe that sits below the 911 on price and -- crucially -- performance?

Which is when Porsche turned to the spare parts shelves in its Weissach R&D centre and cobbled together a prototype melding Boxster and 911 bits. The result is the Cayman, and it achieves exactly what Porsche set out to achieve.

For the record, Cayman is 51 per cent 911, 29 per cent Boxster and 20 per cent bespoke. Some have pigeon-holed it as a hard-top Boxster (Porsche among them), others deem it a 911-lite. Whichever you choose, the Cayman offers the on-road thrills to equal a 911 but costs nearly $50,000 less.

Here's a hypothetical: can you think of another model where the convertible is cheaper than the coupe version?

Physically the Cayman is Boxster size, which means 4.34m bumper to bumper, 1.3m tall and a muscular 1.8m wide. From every angle it exudes power -- and Porsche. It's not hard to confuse it for the 911 or the Boxster from the front, though different fog lights and silver rub strips under the bumper are the telltales.

One model makes up the current Cayman range, the Cayman S, and it's priced at $148,500 with manual transmission. A second, less powerful model will follow, though it's not officially confirmed at this stage.

COMFORT
To sit in the Cayman S is to sit in a Boxster and a 911; they are practically identical from the driver's seat. Commonality of parts is a great money-saving device for carmakers, but should it be so evident on six-figure performance coupes?

The Cayman's driver's seat is beautifully contoured to hold your body against the G forces, and is adjustable for height, rake and travel. Likewise the steering wheel adjusts for reach and tilt, making the perfect driving position a matter of moments.

Headroom is good for a low-slung coupe, and our 190cm test pilot had no troubles sitting tall. There's no sunroof option to impinge on headroom -- apparently there's something called a Boxster for that.

Cayman comes with more cargo space than the Boxster thanks to a split-level arrangement under the hatch. Porsche claims 260lt capacity plus another 150 under the bonnet for a very respectable 410lt all up. That's roughly the same as a Toyota Corolla.

Cayman S comes well equipped with cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, remote central locking, CD stereo, trip computer and climate control. Electric seats, however, are extra.

SAFETY
Cayman's safety credentials are well in hand. It's got a safety cell twice as rigid as the Boxster, enough airbags to host a teenagers' slumber party and a battalion of electronic generals monitoring everything from wheel speed to slip angle and beyond to keep your $148,500 purchase on the blacktop at all times.

Four wheel, ABS-equipped disc brakes are among the best in the business, and pull the 1340kg coupe up without fade time after time. One thing's clear, the Cayman S won't crash unless you tell it to.

MECHANICAL
Porsche is pretty much alone in the world as a builder of rear-engine, rear-drive performance coupes. It's a configuration the Zuffenhausen company has perfected over 40 years, yet decided not to employ on the Boxster or the Cayman. Instead, these two place the engine ahead of the rear axle behind the driver making them mid-engine cars.

The Cayman's engine is a 3.4-litre, six-cylinder hybrid of 911 and Boxster bits. Like its close relatives the cylinders are arranged in two banks of three laid flat, with four valves per cylinder and two camshafts per bank. What this means is that plenty of air gets where it needs to, and gets out just as quick.

The needs of low-speed driving are different to high-speed driving, and to this end the Cayman's engine uses a trick valve system which is effectively able to change the breathing pattern on the go. Variocam-Plus is a hand-me-down from the highly strung 911 Carrera S, and goes a long way to helping the Cayman S produce a scalding 217kW of power and 340Nm of torque.

Add in one of the best six-speed manual transmissions in the game (with taller 1st and 2nd gears than Boxster) and the result is a 0-100km/h time in 5.4sec, exactly half way between Wheels magazine's test times of 5.9 for the Boxster S and 4.9 for the 911 Carrera. See how accurate Porsche engineers have been at targeting that niche?

Continuing the hybrid theme, the Cayman's suspension is the same as the Boxster. A stiffer body means it can manage stiffer springs and shock absorbers, which pay off in the handling stakes. But we'll get to that shortly.

COMPETITORS
Just like Boxster, Cayman has no natural rivals despite what BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz might say. Quite frankly the Cayman S is in a class of its own, and why you'd decide to buy a BMW Z4, Benz SLK or Audi TT is beyond me. But hey, it's your money. Spend it how you like.

ON THE ROAD
Cayman is a revelation tinged with disappointment to drive. First the fun bits. How does a carefully crafted 3.4-litre flat six screaming like a banshee 30cm behind you head sound? Pardon? What?

Like heaven, that's what. The beauty of having the engine inside the cabin with you -- and under a steel roof -- is there's no wind noise to dull the excitement. Picture yourself inches from the speaker stack at a Led Zep concert as Jimmy Page breaks into a frantic guitar solo. Now capture all that energy and package it into a car. Voila, Cayman S.

Cayman's engine gets particularly aggressive above 5200rpm when all the valve gear wizardry goes into maximum overdrive. There's a noticeable step up in noise and acceleration as Cayman shifts into hyper-drive. Lucky, then, the brakes possess intimate feel and ferocious bite to haul in the hard charging coupe.

Anyone who's ever driven a Porsche knows about their unique front-end feel. Having the engine out the back adds a lightness to the front which manifests as a reluctance to turn in. Initially. Barely an eye-blink later the front grips and scythes through the bend, using every inch of grip the 18inch Michelins can muster.

Get picky and you'll notice a modicum more understeer initially, but it's adjustable and preferable to the flappy rear end which besieged Porsches of old. Porsche was rightly concerned about the Cayman overtaking the 911 in performance, because it comes oh so close. Even Porsche's own internal testing around the famed Nurburgring in the hands of rally legend Walter Rorhl separates the two by just 4sec -- over an eight-minute lap.

Driving the Cayman S is a wonderful experience, no buts. Unreserved seal of approval. Go out and buy one, you won't regret it.

Well, one but... I can't help feeling Cayman S could have been even better. And here's where the tinge of disappointment comes in. It feels like the Cayman's abilities were deliberately reined in to avoid damaging the 911's reputation.

Here's one example: 911 buyers have a choice of two optional PASM sports suspension packages. One's a mild modification which lowers the car and firms up the ride, the second goes further and offers a mechanical limited slip differential to maximise acceleration out of corners.

Cayman S buyers aren't allowed that one... Why? It's apparently worth more than 4sec around the Nurburgring...