Search: more on the Porsche Cayman
Is the Cayman the best car that Porsche makes? Newly face-lifted, more powerful engines and all with the latest technology; it's a compelling package.Face-lift changes?
The Cayman's design dates from 2005 and still looks really fresh, so you'd be hard pressed to notice any differences over the outgoing car. Look closer however, and at the front you'll spot the new headlamps and smoother front airdam with LED driving lights. At the side there are more choices of optional alloy wheels and smoother wing mirrors. At the back, like the front there are new LED rear light clusters, a smoother rear airdam and revised exhaust tips. Neatest parts of the styling? Well, the front is smart enough and the new lights (reminiscent of the Carrera GT) are well integrated and the LED sidelights look really smart. The rear changes are harder to spot, but the bright rear lights with LEDs mark the face-lifted Cayman out. The Cayman and Cayman S are available to order now and priced from £36,101 - £44,107, and stand out from rivals with improvements underneath the smooth exterior.
High-tech highlights
Porsche seems to have achieved the unachievable with the new Cayman, as it's more powerful, more economical and is less polluting. All models now fall under the 225g/km threshold, and VED reductions are the result. Biggest news has to be the optional dual-clutch PDK gearbox. It debuted in the 911 last year, has seven-speeds and offers near seamless changes. Surprisingly, PDK has the most dramatic effect on fuel economy when compared to the previous Tiptronic S auto. Previously capable of 28mpg on the Cayman, this is improved to 31mpg, with figures for the S improving from 25.7 to 30.1mpg.
The inside story
Inside, like the outside, changes for the latest Cayman are hard to spot. As far as we could tell, there was just an improved touch-screen version of the optional Porsche Communication Management (PCM)system. The cabin remains driver focused and there's an air of quality you'd expect of a car at this price. The seats themselves are really comfortable, supportive and the driving position is excellent. Front and rear luggage compartments mean that the Cayman S is reasonably practical too.
Which engine?
I drove the 265bhp 2.9-litre Cayman with the PDK transmission and the 320bhp six-speed manual Cayman S. We suspect that the Cayman S will be the top seller, but the standard Cayman with the PDK transmission makes an excellent case for itself. The engines make a great noise and the power is smoothly and briskly delivered especially with the almost seamless PDK seven-speed transmission.
What's it like to drive?
The Cayman is a very special car to drive. It's wonderfully balanced mid-engined chassis gives you a feeling of being connected to the road like few other cars. The precise gearchange is one of the best I've tried and the steering is wonderfully weighted needing the smallest of inputs to place on the road or track.
Throw it around (like we did at Porsche's excellent new Silverstone driving centre) and the Cayman surprises with just what a neutral handler it is. There's no scary understeer or oversteer, just bags of grip. To make the most of the exceptional handling I'd suggest you go for the optional Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system which you can run in normal or sports mode. In sports mode it lowers the car by 10mm. Most drivers will find the sport mode too stiff for motorway or city driving but it's great for B-road blasts and track days. The optional PDK transmission takes a little while to get used to, as the steering wheel-mounted buttons are not as intuitive as you might expect. However, when you do, you're amazed by how quick you can go through the gears.
Summing up:
The Porsche Cayman is the most accomplished sports car we've ever driven, we cannot think of a better alternative.
Want to see more? Check out our Porsche Cayman gallery
