Is Porsche’s brand new Cayman really as good as its big brother, the 911? Or is it little more than a Boxster with a roof?

Ever since the wraps were taken off the Cayman at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, driving enthusiasts in Britain have been eagerly awaiting its arrival on our roads.

Yet now it is here, we can’t help feeling that the car looks a little disappointing in the metal. At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the new coupé for little more than a Boxster fitted with the optional hard-top, as the headlights and front wheelarches appear identical to the roadster’s. The same is true inside; the Cayman’s dashboard design is virtually identical to that found in the convertible, with only the instrument binnacle marking it out as different.

However, at the rear the variations between the two machines are much more obvious. The newcomer sports a neat tail spoiler and huge hatchback, which opens to reveal a spacious boot. In fact, with 410 litres of stowage room on offer, there’s more luggage capacity than in a Volkswagen Golf.

You can’t argue with the Cayman’s performance, either. Despite the addition of a metal roof, the coupé actually weighs 5kg less than the standard Boxster, and boasts a 0-60mph sprint time of 5.4 seconds. Aimed squarely at rivals such as the 3.2-litre BMW M3, the Porsche features a 3.4-litre engine which turns out 295bhp and 340Nm. The figures simply don’t do justice to how well the unit pulls from low revs, though - and this makes the Cayman both a quick sports car and a refined long-distance cruiser.

Ultimately, the racy newcomer feels equally at home whether on a B-road or the motorway. The optional Porsche Active Stability Management set-up - which costs £1,030 - certainly helps the car’s adaptability, by altering the dampers’ stiffness.

Offering a choice of two modes - Sport and Normal - it manages to absorb the majority of surface bumps well, and ensures that the Cayman is as comfortable as it is sporty.

The system also appears to help the Porsche’s stability when tackling challenging bends. The steering is sharp and responsive, and the car is so well balanced that it feels secure and reassuring. Crucially, it rides and handles better than the Boxster - which is due to the coupé shape making the body so much stiffer.

Our only serious criticism concerns the miserly level of equipment included as standard. Leather upholstery is an option at £1,150, while rain sensors are £353 and climate control is £308. Nevertheless, we feel the newcomer is still worth the extra money over the Boxster. We also think that, pound-for-pound, it even has the measure of the standard 911 Carrera 2.

If you really have to have the top Porsche, for similar money you can get a second-hand 911. However, if you’re not interested in the status afforded by driving the bigger coupé, the Cayman S is the machine for you.

(this article was taken from autoexpress.co.uk)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 21st, 2005 at 10:56 am and is filed under New Cars. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.