Porsche Cayman S: Test Drive, Review and Gallery!

We have managed to drive a Cayman S and so that we can give it a “proper” review for our readers. Many of the big shot reviewer’s reckon the Cayman S is a Boxster with a hard top. We think not…

So to start with; the looks. Yes, I admit the Cayman looks quite familiar, you can definitely see the 911 and the Boxster combined. One thing I don’t like about the Boxster is that the hood looks like an accident, it just spoils the lines. And Porsche have not included that in the Cayman. It is nicely proportioned and small touches like the side air intakes really do set it apart from stiff competition – the likes of the Mercedes CLK 350 as well as a high spec BMW 3 series Coupe or even the the 6 series coupe with the 3.0 litre engine. In my opinion the Cayman is hard to justify as a beautiful car, nevertheless I can't say I don't like it!

Porsche Cayman S

That continues with the interior, it’s much better than the simple Boxster. It seems to be well made and occasional glimpses of other Porsche models creep in. But the simplicity does impress. Some very good features of the satellite navigation include the accurate traffic information, in addition to the phone kit preparation. You simply take out your SIM card from your phone, and then pop it into the dash. A moment later, and all the contacts and text messages appear on the screen. Very handy if driving using your mobile phone is banned (as in the UK)! The driving position was very good, with the steering wheel in near perfect position. However, it was noted that the seats were slightly hard and therefore uncomfortable. But that didn’t put us off from turning the key and revving the V6 engine to 7000rpm. The only other negative was the fact the inside felt slightly cramped, with only 2 seats, it should be much bigger inside.

Porsche Cayman S

So on to the road, the 295bhp, 3.4 litre engine doesn’t sound much. But in fact it still manages to reach 0-60 in less than 6 seconds. With a top speed of over 170mph, the German engineers have done a great job. The handling was impeccable, one of the best I’ve ever driven. You could try steaming in at 90MPH and it would just simply turn. The good feedback from the steering wheel also helped build the driver’s confidence, especially on tight turns. A special mention goes to the brakes, although they may look flashy in bright red, they do work; we were particularly impressed how the quickly it stopped in the damp! The optional 19” alloys did stiffen up the ride, but in a sports car it doesn’t really matter as the suspension is going to be hard anyway.

Porsche Cayman S

Although Porsche say that the Cayman S will achieve 27MPG, we only managed to get 19MPG, perhaps due to the rather sharp braking!

So on with the costs, the Cayman S starts at just under £44,000 (or $59,000 in the US), for the base model – the manual. It’s not exactly cheap, but it will retain a lot when it comes to selling. Some optional extras that we had on our test car included the Sat Nav, the phone kit, the Triptonic S, automatic climate control, the 19” alloys and the metallic paint – which in our opinion are all necessities for this type of vehicle. Porsche are planning to bring a new entry level model later this year, the Cayman with a 3.2 litre engine (probably from the Boxster). So if you can’t quite afford the “S” its worth waiting for the other model – even with 2000cc's less, it'll still be quick!

The Cayman S is a great car, if you can get the passed the heavy pricing (such as over £100 for coloured wheel centres!) then it’s definitely worth considering it. So to conclude, the Cayman looks great, is fast and handles nicely and on that note, it’s unquestionably a better car than the Boxster.
Enjoy the photos!