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We've all talked about it before, but as time goes by it really is harder to find true competitors (outside of Porsche) for the Cayman S ?
I bring this up as I originallythought the 350Z / G35somewhat belonged in this group.......after yesterday I'm not so sure. I had the opportunity to extensively drive a G35 coupe. I see them everywhere and they seem to get good reviews and are nice to look at, so I was rather anxious to put one to the test. I was not able to fling one around the track, but did a bit of spirited city driving. I came away pretty dissappointed......
First of all it was noisy......way more than I would have thought.......we're talking bad noise here, lots of wind, tire, and suspension noise. Tires were OEMwith plenty of tread left so I don't know what the deal was. Seemed like the last Boxster S I took out for a spin had none of this........just a great exhaust note entering the cabin, but little else. Really surprised at this one......I thought the G35 felt very 'unrefined' compared to the Boxster......but then again maybe I'm not surprised. This car had the factory upgraded wheels and tires, but I don't think it had sport suspension.
Engine? If this is supposed to be the V6 that everyone raves about.......I just don't see it. It does have a decent amount of power......but still doesn't feel like theadvertised specs. From the outside it sounds nice, from the inside is sounds horrible......more of a droan/groan than anything nice. It got very old after a few minutes.
Interior was decent, but not great. The front seats are huge!.......like someone stuck side bolsters on a Lay-Z-Boy and stuffed 'em in the car. Decent support, but man did they feel weird......a stock Porsche seat puts them to shame.....and you can't even compare them to a Porsche sport seat. The rest of the interior was starting to look a bit worn after only 19K miles. The A-Pilars are a hard plasticand look likethey have fuzzy texture sprayed on them as does a lot of interior panels.......in many places is was starting to rub or flake off. It haslots of gadgets, bins, pockets, etc.......but nothing that I really found truly useful.
Handling and brakes?.......the brakes were not the upgraded Brembos so I don't think it would really be fair to comment......but I found the stock brakesto be average for street driving. Handling was decent, but it felt like a much bigger car than it really is.......for some reason it just felt 'big'. Nice grip and steering, but plenty of body lean in curves. Nothing steller by any means, but better than average.
My point here is to not bash the G35 by any means.......for the money it would be agood car to own but cannot even come close to even a base Boxster (or future base Cayman)when talking about the whole package.......I just don't see it. Now maybe a 350Z with better handling and Bremboswould be a little more sporty and offer slightly better performance......but I still don't see it being on the same level as a Cayman.
I'm havinga harder and harder time finding true competitors for this car.
I owned a G35 for 6 months between my 1st Boxster S and my 911 C4S and I would echo some of the same things. Nice luxury some great features, but there was some 'cheapness' to the interior and the entire package. The suspension on the G35 suffers from the same problems as the 350Z and I don't know if Nissan has it fixed yet or will simply scrap it all together and go with a new suspension at some point. For the money the G35 is a great car, hard to find something better in its class, but by no means is it a competitor for the Cayman IMHO.
In my mind the true competitors, in terms of driving,for the Cayman are the Lamborghini Gallardo and upcoming Ferrari Dino. These are the mid engine cars thata Cayman S can be legitimately compared to. Having said that, you can assure yourself that the so-called premium price for a Cayman S is actually a terrific bargain. The Gallardo benefits from Audi's expertise with four-wheel drive and the Ferrari, well, it's a Ferrari, although to Ferraristas, the Dino will be like a Boxster is to a 911 owner. Hey, perception is reality.
In my mind the true competitors, in terms of driving,for the Cayman are the Lamborghini Gallardo and upcoming Ferrari Dino. These are the mid engine cars thata Cayman S can be legitimately compared to. Having said that, you can assure yourself that the so-called premium price for a Cayman S is actually a terrific bargain. The Gallardo benefits from Audi's expertise with four-wheel drive and the Ferrari, well, it's a Ferrari, although to Ferraristas, the Dino will be like a Boxster is to a 911. Hey, perception is reality.
See any similarities?
Yes indeed!! Brought that up with the gang at breakfast last Saturday. The Dino is an excellent comparison as well as the Acura NSX (the Japanese Dino).
While Porsche does an incredible job in tuning journalists into the vision they want to get acros - the press this car is getting goes beyond that. This car is striking home at some fundemental levels for folks that get to see and play with almost every car available for public consumption.
I have never really looked at a 911 as something I've wanted, but I've been smitten by mid-engined cars since the MB C-111 came onto the scene.
[img]/UserFiles/c111.jpg[/img]
Now I have to sell the boss on why a car that costs significantly more than her first house is a value. Wish me luck, I'll need it! ; -)
Well I came close to the Corvette Z06 until I drove the base 'vette'. The total package just doesn't compare to what Porsche offers in my view. Nice car but a bit on the rough side and I felt a bit like a boy racer driving it.
I lusted after the 246 when I was in college in the mid 1970s and actually got to drive a used 74' in the early 80's before moving to LA. In LA, a friend had a 914/6 and it was a blast to drive. I now live in a neighborhood where at the corner coffee shop every Sunday at lunch, the local Ferrari club gets together. Other than the Modenas, there is still not much else that grabs my soul as much as the Dino, until I saw the Cayman.
If I wanted straight line fast I would have gotten the Z06. One of my cousins is the No.2 on that design team at GM and I recently spoke to him about the fit and finish quality issues with the C6, including the Z06 variant. I drove a 2004 40th Anniversary 911 that was loaded that I could have purchased for the price of the Cayman the way I wanted to equip it, but the *** end just hangs out and the finish quality, while better than the Vette, is not up to the standards of the 2005 Porsches, and the Turbo front end on the narrow body is just not right. That 911 at about 350 bhp is fast by the way. I drove a 2006 Carrera and that weird back end feeling just did not go away.
If you want a very quick car with mid-engine balance, and you do not like convertibles, along with looks that grab the soul like a Dino, there currently is no competition. Yes, at a good bit over $100k there will be competiton in the future, but it will be Italian and the service intervals will not be at 20k miles.
As I've said before, I am an ex-NSX owner, which was the best all-round car I've owned. I am hoping very much that the Cayman will have the same package effect: good performance, excellent handling, and unique good looks. At the price point where a fully optioned Cayman lands, (I hope) it's an apt comparison.[img]/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/drive.gif[/img]
Does anyone see the Ford GT as Cayman competition? Too far above in performance and price? I'm talking about market competition and/or performance competition. My Dad has ordered one, so of course I need to compare them....
Great that you brought up the Dino 246GT! I mentioned some time ago elsewhere that the Cayman has some styling features reminiscent of the Dino. My wife has a G35 sedan which frankly was an improvement over her 330ci but I would not put any Infiniti up against any Porsche. I think the G35 is better as a sedan than the G35 coupe is as a sports car. There really isn't any competition for the Cayman because it's somewhat alone in its price point (I would include other new Porsches as well). One also have to possess enough "sophistication" as a buyer to understand that the total package (not just HP alone) is where the money is. When you start talking big money (90-100K and up) I don't think the Cayman is really competitive (nor should it be) because these cars are going to offer a measure of performance/exclusivity/customization that reaches beyond the scope of the Cayman's "envelope". That's not a detraction, it's just the way the pyramid is built. By the way, as a former 99 986 owner, I believe the best all around sports car value today is the base Boxster at $45K. From 1997 to 2005 the base car has increased in price from 39K to 45K but the improvement in power (201 to 240), interior design and quality, top quality (lined w/ glass), and exterior fascia make it an incredible bargain. I have purposely avoided driving a totally "base" 987 for fear that I might be able to acquire the car for around $40K ($30K less than my anticipated CaymanS specs) at which point my wife would tell me to just leave the top up all the time!!
