I was due to take delivery of my Cayman on Wednesday afternoon. After flying overnight from my job offshore India, quick shower and then driving 20 miles to my OPC, I couldn't believe it when I realized I didn't know the PIN number of my debit card. Rushed back home, got the number, back to dealer - still no go as the number of attempts had expired. Bl**dy hell. Eventually did a transfer and picked up the Cayman the next day.
I've only got a couple of days with the car as I am off on holiday for a week so no pics yet but my first (mainly irrelevant & irreverent) impressions are as follows.
The good:
Wonderful handling, build quality and finish.
Turbine like, smooth power. The 2.7 is powerful enough for my circumstances, down in the overcrowded SE, I am now convinced.
Great gear knob, love the shiny bit when changing gear.
Simple and well laid out CD/Radio (no satnav) - like all things that are well designed, it seems so obvious. My Merc was a programming nightmare.
Rear wiper, glad I had it, proved a real boon in light rain and traffic.
Auto climate control - again it just does what it says on the tin. The Merc was always too hot, cold or drafty.
Wiper controls and computer - yet again, simple and instinctive (I feel a Porsche theme running through here!).
The not so good:
Slightly clunky change from 1st into 2nd. Don't know if it will "bed in" as I have yet to cover 100 miles. If it persists, I might ask the dealer to check it or try another car - anyone have this problem?
I miss not having radio volume controls on the steering wheel/stalk (like even on my Clio).
The sticky out key, I liked the folding Merc one for convenience.
A little bit noisier than I thought, and slightly harsher ride than I'm used to - but I'm going to check the tyre pressures after reading some comments on this forum.
Paying for it .

Hope to get my son to take some pics soon, but for now its got to be garaged for a week while I'm on holiday!
Cheers
Dave

Dave,

Thanks for the write up. I love reading those things. My guess is that many of your negatives will vanish once you get a little more accustomed to the raw nature of an undiluted sports car. Coming from a Mercedes, your feelings are to be expected.

Funny story. After my test drive I commented to my salesperson that the interior noise level would take some getting used to. He told me that this is the most common complaint he hears about Porsches, the road, engine and tire noise. Then he explained to me that these noises were not a flaw, but a matter of design. He explained how any serious track driver would be handicapped without them because they allow them to better hear and feel when the car is losing adhesion, when the engine is ready for a shift, etc....

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Gator Bite
(View My Articles : Blogs : Car : Profile)

Dave, thanks for sharing the impressions. Keep 'em coming!

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2006 Cayman S
2007 Triumph Daytona 675
2007 Mazda 3 (daily driver and soon to be sold)
2007 Kawasaki Ninja 650R (everyday bike)

Dave:

Congrats! You and Mr. Croc will settle into a long term relationship where everything is totally cool!

Color? Interior? Inquiring minds want to know.

Be sure to register.

Again, I'll lift one for you. Have Fun and Be Safe!

Ole Joe

Don't worry about the gear shift being clunky, mine was too but it beds in quickly. Likewise the engine will get much more free revving, and will develop better low end torque with a few thousand miles under its belt.

Enjoy!

JH

I've had my 2.7 since monday and done 550 miles, so i've tried to answer some of the questions you have;

I'd be interested in what economy you (or any other 2.7 owners) are getting as 36 miles after picking it up I was getting 32 mpg and yesterday got 38mpg whilst crusing with 60mph traffic. I think those figures are amazing for this type of engine.

I regularly get 32 or slightly better on motorways, mostly at around 80 mph.
Even in mixed useage it does about 28 mpg which is amazing.

I did blat it across a few miles of moorland recently though, and it was doing 14 mpg.

Fuel consumption in my Cayman 2.7 is typically 9.0 litres/100 km... translated to mpg (imperial) that's 32 mpg, and to US gallons, 26.5 mpg. even in hard, spirited driving on twisty roads the consumption doesn't go up much... I was surprised. In city driving it goes up to about 12.0 litres/100 km... a 33% increase in consumption.

So, driving hard on mountainous roads at speeds up to 180 km/hr (112 mph), with lots of braking and accelerating, seems to give better fuel economy than driving around town. Sounds like a good excuse to me to go on a long fast drive.

The notchy 1st to 2nd shift is also something I've noted in my 5-speed... it seems to be related to cold operation. When the car's warm, and in warmer weather, it goes away. I was going to ask the dealer to check the linkage and lube if necessary.

Don't know if this helps, but I've got 23000 miles on the clock on my six-speed and when cold it is still baulky. Once it warms up its' sweet as a nut.

Jack

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Cayman S - Since December '05

Notchiness from 2nd to 1st is only due to cold transmission oil, no problem when oil is warm- just done over 1000km and averaging 12.4 l/100km
edit: congrats on new car!

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2007 Porsche Cayman 2.7