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Porsche Cayman Coupe 3.4 S 2dr
Test Date 24/01/2006 09:45:00
Price when new £43,930</td>
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Porsche Cayman (05-) 3.4 S 2dr Coupe</td>
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<span class="news12px">Porsche’s ever-expanding model range has been built around creative component sharing and, in the case of the Cayenne off-roader, engineering partnerships. Few people were surprised, therefore, when Porsche announced that it would be making a coupé version of the Boxster.
What did raise a few eyebrows was just how close to the final specification of an entry-level 911 Carrera the Cayman S actually is. At £53,061 as tested, the Cayman is just £5319 cheaper, 26bhp weaker and two seats smaller. Is this a niche too far for Porsche?
You can imagine that the temptation to ask ‘will there be a convertible?’ was too much for some people when the Cayman was revealed. Sniggers aside, it would take a liar to deny that the fundamentals of the Cayman are anything other than pure Boxster.
From the waist down it is structurally identical, sharing track width and wheelbase but not overall length; the Cayman’s longer nose adds 12mm to that dimension. Market positioning and identity were always going to be the most difficult aspect of Porsche’s job with this car: the company insists that the 911 must always be the performance flagship, so the Cayman can’t offer more performance than a base 911 does. But it also needs to offer something tangible over a Boxster S.
The difficulty is that the performance difference between these two cars is relatively small. Finding a slot between them was never going to be easy, but Porsche insists it has found one.[/quote]</td>
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<td class="news12px" colspan="3">Powering the Cayman is an engine with links to both the 911’s and Boxster’s. The 3387cc flat six is an enlarged version of the Boxster S’s 3.2-litre motor, but with the VarioCam Plus variable-valve timing from the 911 applied for good measure. The result is 295bhp at 6250rpm and 251lb ft of torque between 4400rpm and 6000rpm. This sits ideally between the 321bhp 911 Carrera and the 276bhp Boxster S.
A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, but Porsche still hasn’t finished its long-awaited dual-clutch transmission, so the only self-shifting option is the disappointing Tiptronic.
Adding a roof to the Boxster platform has obviously created extra stiffness, but the key to this car’s handling balance should be the basic positioning of the engine. This is the first mid-engined Porsche coupé since the 914 of 1969 and, as the company is keen to point out, there aren’t many direct rivals currently available.
Typically, Porsche is coy on specific numbers, simply stating that the 911 and Cayman bodyshells offer near identical torsional stiffness, and that the Cayman is 100 per cent stiffer than the roadster on which it is based.
It is a platform that has allowed firmer springs and dampers all round, a thicker anti-roll bar at the front and, interestingly, a smaller bar at the rear compared to a Boxster S. An adaptive damping system (
PASM –
Porsche Active Suspension Management) is an £1030 option and was fitted to the test car.
Styling is a contentious issue. The car looks unquestionably better in the metal than it does on the page, but there are confusing elements around the rear arches and those front fog lights aren’t integrated with quite the subtlety we might have expected. Surprisingly, on the road the Cayman looks like no other Porsche. The differences are small, but it has a stance all of its own.</td>
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<td colspan="3"><span class="news12px">On the road the Cayman’s powertrain borders on perfection. It offers just about everything you’d expect: speed, response, flexibility and, most important, character.
The inlet noise has been tuned to yelp a touch earlier in the rev range and there’s a hint of coarseness over the last 1500rpm which adds a rawness that goads you into using all the available revs more often. A fine gearshift action and six well-judged ratios enhance the feeling even more.
We shouldn’t be surprised by this –the Cayman has an engine ideally placed for roadholding and agility, and Porsche wrote the damper handbook – but the aspect that exceeds expectations is just how accessible the car’s treats are to the average driver.
Where a 911 can feel intimidating, the Cayman doesn’t. Both cars have Porsche’s delicate stability system (
PSM), but the intervention comes much later on the Cayman because it doesn’t suffer the same extremes of over- or understeer.
You can take liberties with the Cayman. It is a car willing to allow a driver a second chance. It is so agile, so keen to change direction that adding steering inputs through the middle of a turn is entirely acceptable. This isn’t possible in a 911.
Where mid-engined cars can prove less satisfactory is on the fringes of grip levels. But not so the Cayman: it hasn’t the power (or limited-slip differential) to slide at will, but it’s a mid-engined sports car that can be driven with a degree of predictable, enjoyable slip previously only familiar to Noble owners.
Braking has long been a Porsche obsession and the 318mm/299mm drilled and ventilated discs, gripped by four-piston calipers front and rear, do everything that could possibly be asked of them on the road. That the Cayman will stop from 60-0mph in 2.7sec means nothing compared to the manner in which these brakes will handle sustained abuse.[/quote]</td>
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<td colspan="3"><span class="news12px">You only realise how useful a 911’s rear seats are after using a Cayman for a week. The two-seat Cayman hasn’t anything like the storage space. Still, the tailgate works well and the misty-eyed will agree that there’s a certain 928-style-clunk to the way it opens and closes. Neither front or rear boot is especially large and owners would be well advised to buy the Porsche luggage set because it makes very efficient use of the space available.
The cabin is familiar Boxster. That means high-quality materials, excellent seats (ours were optional sports items, but the standard chairs are equally good) and driving position, pitted against a confusing array of buttons and switches. The optional PCM (Porsche Communication Management) unit for hi-fi, sat-nav and telephone becomes less intimidating over time and works very well, but other manufacturers integrate these functions more efficiently than this.
However, there isn’t another mid-engined coupé with an exotic badge that is as unobtrusive to use on a daily basis. Graduate to the Cayman from a Nissan 350Z and you will find its accommodation and storage space no better or worse, while the ownership and driving experience will be far more appealing.
There are only two niggles with the Cayman’s performance and handling. A small question mark hangs over its outright pace, with the knowledge that both the Audi RS4 and BMW M3 are faster in a straight line. Is the Cayman quick enough? We think it is. Just.
Off the record, all Porsche engineers agree that, in the basic disciplines that combine under the blanket term ‘handling’, the Cayman is the best sports car Porsche currently makes. And that includes any 911. Having driven the Cayman on road and track, wet and dry, snow and ice, we agree.[/quote]
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<span class="news12px">The Cayman is an everyday sports car that will teach the novice and reward the experienced driver. The chassis is accessible and competent, the engine enticing and powerful and the interior is practical, if short on standard equipment. The Cayman deserves a space in the Porsche model range.[/quote]
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PASM - Porsche Active Suspension Management
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This active damping system offers continuous adjustment of individual damping forces based on current road conditions and driving style.
The driver can choose from two setup modes, ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’, using a separate ‘damper’ button on the center console. ‘Normal’ mode is designed for general road driving and circuits with uneven tarmac. ‘Sport’ mode is intended for smoother track surfaces, where the harder settings help eliminate pitch and roll.
In either mode, PASM continuously evaluates the current conditions while automatically selecting the corresponding damper rates from the respective set of mapped values.
A range of sensors are used to monitor the movement of the body under acceleration, braking and cornering maneuvers, as well as on poor road surfaces. The PASM control unit then evaluates this data and modifies the damping force on each individual wheel in accordance with the selected mode. The result is a significant reduction in body movement as well as a better grip on the road.
For example: if ‘Sport’ mode is selected, the suspension is automatically set to a harder damper rating. If the quality of the track surface falls below a certain threshold, the system immediately changes to a softer rating within the ‘Sport’ setup range. When the quality of the tarmac improves once more, PASM automatically returns to the original, harder rating.
Need more information about PASM? Click this link: FAQ for PASM |
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PSM - Porsche Stability Management
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While it can’t overcome the laws of physics, the revolutionary Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system does lend an added degree of balance and control to the Cayman’s mid-engine driving dynamics, inspiring surefooted confidence in corners and extreme situations.
A standard feature on the Cayman and Cayman S, PSM continuously monitors steering input, road speed, yaw velocity and lateral acceleration to calculate the actual direction of travel. If the car begins to steer off line, PSM instantly intervenes with precision brake inputs on individual wheels to help bring the car back onto the driver’s intended path.
If braking alone isn’t enough to correct the vehicle’s cornering line, PSM then calls on the Cayman’s engine management system, adjusting engine output as needed to help stabilize handling. PSM can also compensate in an instant for mid-corner changes in load resulting from deceleration or braking. When Sport mode is selected with the optional Sport Chrono Package, PSM’s threshold for intervention is raised, allowing for greater driver involvement. If you prefer driving without automatic PSM assistance, the system can be set to standby at any time. In this case, it will only intervene under heavy braking, where both front wheels exceed the ABS threshold.
For all of its technical ability, PSM goes virtually unnoticed in everyday driving situations, preserving the Cayman’s natural agility. |
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