Thanks John for sharing this article with us. I too have been appreciating my 5-spd gearbox, so I'm glad to see a similar opinion from a knowledgable auto journalist. I love the long legs of the 5-spd, and it combines nicely with the 2.7 H6's relatively broad power band and willingness to rev. I certainly don't mean to slag the 6-spd, or those owners who love them (to each his own), but I've always felt that 6 speeds were really only necessary in cars with either small displacement engines or narrow power bands. For road driving in powerful sports cars, I prefer longer gears, and fewer. I test drove both the 6-spd and the 5-spd before buying, and the Cayman with the 5-spd fills my needs and wants perfectly.

I did however get 18" wheels and tires rather than the standard 17's. I think it was more of a visual preference rather than performance-related, but since wheels and tires are always a series of trade-offs, my opinion is that the 18's do the job best.

As the author of the article says, a lightly-optioned Cayman is a bargain, and a beautifully balanced package.

Paul