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I just wanted to relay my impressions after twice test driving base caymans with the manual transmission. For the past 11 years I have been driving a 1995 saturn sc2 sport coupe, The stock car has 135 hp and a couple of performance mods were made that probably boost that to 150 hp. The curb weight of the car is 2,380 lbs. I have always enjoyed the way it drives and was excited to test drive the cayman to feel the differerence. On the plus side, I noticed the caymans accelerated a little better and the fit and finish of the car was superior to the saturn. I would say that both cars handled curves on country roads quite well. I did not notice much of a difference in handling. I suspect that the cayman has a superior suspension the impact on handling of which is offset by the extra weight. Both cars have a very streamlined appearance which I like with the Saturn being 1 inch lower. The windows on the saturn were larger which created better visability. I like a tan interior and the Saturn has a black steering wheel with a darker shade of tan on the dash which I found more attractive and less glare producing than the uniform interior in sand beige. All in all, I enjoyed driving the cayman but was a little surprised that driving the Saturn was equally enjoyable. The saturn has 180,000 miles on it and I know that I can't drive it forever. The cayman is really the only car out there within my financial reach that appeals to me from a styling standpoint. Other cars like the 350Z andaudi TT seem too rounded and bulbous for my taste. I guess I'll drive the saturn a little while longer and get the cayman at some point.
'I would say that both cars handled curves on country roads quite well. I did not notice much of a difference in handling.'
The handling might not be the cars fault but you have to change your driving mindset to get the most out of the Cayman. It will handle far and above any Saturn. Hope you can join the fun soon. It is the best looking car out there.
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Is that 35mph corner 45, 55 or a ..... corner?
In other forums with less mature demographics you would have gotten flamed BADLY by now for even hinting that a Saturn SC handles the same as the Cayman! This is not Porsche snobbery or any such thing. You just can't compare the two cars!
The only thing a Saturn SC2 has in common with a Cayman in handling is that when you turn the steering wheel clockwise the car turns right and vice versa! That's it!
On the test drives and in day to day driving I drive spiritedly but not recklessly. I try to pick winding back roads as much as possible versus the interstates. I try to keep my speed within five or ten miles of the speed limit and I like to take turns quickly. Driving this way I was surprised that there was no discernible difference between the saturn and the cayman. Perhaps taking it to the track and driving faster than you can safely do on the street would allow handling differences between the two cars to become more apparent. I was as surprised as anyone that after the cayman test drives I found the saturn to be comparable in the handling department, at least onthe country roads that were driven. The only thing that I can attribute it to is that despite each car having close to the same dimensions, the saturn is 500 pounds lighter. Unfortunately, this is probably due to the polymer panels that were used in place of steel back in 1995. I understand that saturn now uses steel like other automakers.
I absolutely agree that the cayman is a great looking car. It is the only car out there under $100K that appeals to me from a styling standpoint. A darker shade on the dash of the sand beige interior would be great if that were to be available in the future.
Regarding the subject of flaming, thanks for keeping your responses mature. This is one of the more civilized car discussion sites that I've had the pleasure of reading and I appreciate it. I think that the value of the forum is enhanced by the ability of commenters to offer objective comments without incurring scorn. All I'm doing is trying to give some objective feedback. Thanks for allowing me to do so.
Well, I am completely mystified. I have driven all kinds of cars over the past 50 years, including owning several Porsches, and the Boxster/Cayman is hands down the best handling car ever. I drive very much like you do on public roads. The only explanationcan bethat the Saturn isan outstanding car. I have never driven one so I don't know...or you're puting us all on.
I'm a little surprised no one has flamed on this thread as well - btw thanks for not doing so, I appreciate the maturity of the responses. I don't know what to say other than our mini-van can take corners within 5-10 miles of the posted speed limit but I would never compared its handling abilities to those of our Cayman. (Although it does kick the Cayman's butt in storage capacity! [img]/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/tounge_smile.gif[/img])
If we are going to talk mid-engine plastic panel cars we should talk Fiero vs. Cayman !
I've never driven a Saturn SC2 so I can't comment, and maybe I should go out and drive one after reading this. Frankly I don't even know any of the SC2's specifications except that I'm quite sure it costs less thanany Cayman. Saturn has never enteredmy automotive 'universe of desirability', perhaps that's my loss!My only experience with the Saturn marque was a rental car some 5-6 years ago which gave me the impression of a Japanese econobox in overall performance but not quite up tothe fit and finish of a comparable Toyota. I'm not surprised that there have been no flames. For one thing we are mature and polite as a general rule, and secondly the comparison is sufficiently far afield to catch most by surprise.
I was actually quite surprised as well after the two test drives. I do wish they still made saturns that weighed 2380 lbs since this is the only thing that I can attribute the comparable handling to. They now weigh considerably more since they are being built with steel like most cars. Based on this experience I would have to say that being 500 pounds lighter than the cayman does very good things for the saturn. I'm sorry if this is taken as an afront to the porsche mystique. I think the cayman is a great car and sooner or later if nothing better comes along in the meantime I will probably get one. In the meanwhile, the saturn is fun to drive and allows me to take my time checking out the possible cayman color combinations. I'm still searching for the elusive arctic silver with cocoa interior but dealers within one hundred miles of northern new jersey don't seem to have any in stock.
Perhaps you should save your money and buy a couple of old SC2s! I know that I could convince my 18 year old niece to sell you hers; it is an automatic, but hey, its still has that magical Saturn-ness of numb steering, body roll, poor brakes and front-wheel drive. If weight is such a concern,you should get a Lotus Elise or Exige. They can be had forless than a base Cayman, underweigh it by about 900 pounds, handle quite well and keep with your theme of composite body panels. Or, assuming that you cannot detect any difference between the handling of front-wheel and rear-wheel drive cars, get a Mini Cooper S.
Are we sure this isn't dchphoto now masquerading as a Saturn driver??
All kidding aside.....I once drove a SC2 coupe when new (early 90's??). Actually not a bad little car with a decent amount of power for the time. I do remember it being fairly quick (0-60s recorded in the high 7s) and handling fairly well. I also remember that it was very harsh in just about every detail......engine noise, shifter, interior quality, etc........opening/closing the headlights felt like they were going to crash out of the car. A decent 'enthusiast' car for the money at the time, but not even in the same ballpark as a present day Cayman.
