Porsche Cayman S 2006 Review

A reference close to the average Porsche buyer's heart, you might sarcastically think. And the lip curls further as the eye scans the options list. The test Cayman came in blue metallic paint — for an extra $5990 — a sports steering wheel is $1790 and the sport chrono package — essentially a dash-mounted stopwatch — is $2190. Who needs taxes with options prices like that? The $6000 paint, incidentally, is almost identical to the shade of metallic blue that costs Holden Viva buyers an extra $300.

Outrageous, but does anyone care? Not me. After a week in the Cayman S, options prices faded into insignificance. The question was academic: I wasn't paying and will probably never be in a position to order my own Cayman. But its performance, quality and sheer rightness were real. Even with its many marginal rip-offs the Cayman S is still an outstanding sportscar — and outstanding value. It offers at least as much ability as the Porsche 911 — for nearly $50,000 less.

So stand by for another Porsche paean. I don't much like crocodiles, loathe tax cheats and tried to dislike the Cayman, but nobody with any feeling for how a car should drive can do anything but love this one.

The Cayman S is a new Porsche model between the Boxster roadster and the rear-engined 911 range. It is mid-engined like the Boxster but uses a larger capacity unit. At 3.4-litres the Cayman's flat-six lies between the 3.2-litre engine of a Boxster S and the 3.6-litre motor of the cheapest 911 Carrera. Its 217kW of power puts it between the 206kW of the Boxster S and the 235kW of the 911. And at $148,500 (plus options, easily another $15,000) also sits between them in price. Marvellous thing, marketing.

In time there will probably be a Cayman without the S, once Porsche works out how to position a cheaper version in its price range. For now the Cayman S is a hybrid of 911 Carrera, Carrera S and Boxster S. The engine is based on the the Boxster S motor but adds 911 cylinder heads with the Variocam Plus system that alters both valve timing and lift (how much the valve opens). The cams are taken from the 3.8-litre 911 Carrera S and the brakes are shared with the 911 and Boxster S. Porsche says the Cayman shares 51 per cent of its components with the 911, 29 per cent with the Boxster and is 20 per cent unique.

It's easy to see where the Boxster parts are. The interior is identical, which means it's both luxurious and an authentic feeling homage to the sparse Porsche cockpits of the 1960s and 70s. A slightly awkward looking hump in the roof line ensures good head space, even when sitting in the upright position that the Cayman's considerable acceleration and braking abilities make necessary.

There are only two seats, unlike the 911 which makes the pretence of offering four. Despite a large rear hatch there's little luggage space. Porsche says the Cayman can carry a snowboard, which sounds impressive, but they're being selective. The engine sits in a carpeted hump just below the hatchback glass. Near the tail it's a little deeper but narrow — take no more than a soft overnight bag for your Cayman caper. Like the Boxster and the old VW Beetle there's a bucket-shaped boot between the headlights. It could carry a case of wine perhaps. What space there is comes at the expense of a spare wheel. Instead you get an inflation kit and 12 months of Porsche's 24-hour priority road service — so long as you're in mobile range, eh?

But as with the Boxster it takes more than no spare tyre to spoil the Cayman. As a fan of the Boxster's combination of open-top freedom and solidity I thought I'd miss the sensuality of roadster motoring, but no, the payoff for the Cayman's fixed roof is an even more solid feel.

Porsche says the Cayman S gets around Germany's Nurburgring road circuit faster than a Boxster S and only marginally slower than a 911 Carrera. Maybe, but that's with test driver Walter Rohrl at the wheel. For less talented drivers — and that's most of the human race — the Cayman would probably be faster because it is an easier car to drive than the 911 although it still rewards co-ordination and finesse.

Although tamed by modern tyres and electronics, the 911 never quite overcomes the fact that its rear-mounted engine is in the wrong place for ultimate roadholding. To borrow Quentin Tarantino's memorable phrase, it gives the disquieting impression it will "get medieval on your ass" should you misjudge a corner. The Cayman's mid-mounted engine makes no such threats.

You could use plenty of glowing jargon to describe a Cayman's handling — sharp turn-in, massive front-end grip and delicious adjustability are just three in a long list. Instead let's just say it takes corners like an Olympic skier, with carving precision, rather than the sliding antics of lesser athletes.

The steering is, like all Porsche cars, unencumbered by the weight of an engine over the front wheels. Hold the expensive wheel correctly and you feel it dropping strong hints about how much grip is available and how much angle you need. It makes other cars feel like their steering gear is made from chewing gum and string.

The six-speed manual gearshift and clutch are just as exemplary. They are light enough for the car never to be a chore in city traffic but positive in harder driving. A wide gate minimises confusion between gears with fifth and sixth well-separated from third and fourth but the shift action remains quick and harmonisation with the pedals is exquisite, transforming almost any driver into a fluent heel and toe shifter. Stopping power is extreme with an aggressive initial bite but plenty of subtlety and modulation in the brake pedal. Braver men than me have reported they endure repeated high-speed stops without the least sign of fading.

The one criticism of the standard 2.7-litre Porsche Boxster was a relative lack of mid-range torque. Not in the Cayman. It's strong from idle to redline with a linear power delivery that makes it fast whenever the driver's foot goes down. Using mid-range torque to press on rather than storm brings another reward — between 4000 and 6000rpm it howls like a dive bomber in an old war movie — an irresistible fantasy for men of a certain age. Fuel consumption at 12.5 litres per 100km on test was surprisingly good for a high-performance car. It gives the Cayman a range the thirstier 911 lacks.

But be aware the Cayman has another type of consumption. According to the owner's manual, it's entirely normal for the engine to consume up to 1.5 litres of oil for every 1000km. In engineering terms it's the price of power — a tighter, non-oil-burning motor could not produce the same output and throttle response. That's why refilling the dry-sump engine's oil tank is one of the few mechanical tasks Cayman owners can do themselves, and why the car checks its own oil level every time it starts.

There's no standard CD stacker, just a single slot and no steering wheel audio controls. They aren't missed on such an entertaining car but the lack of a rear wiper was slightly irritating. Instead Porsche offers active suspension management as an option. A sport button near the gearshift selects harder damper settings for more responsive handling and changes the throttle map for sharper response to the pedal. The system also monitors road conditions and will firm or ease off the shocks, as it sees fit. It does this even in normal mode. The result is at moderate pace the Cayman rides unusually well for a high-performance coupe — and is ready for action even if you don't hit the this-is-serious-folks button. But it's worth doing so for the sharper throttle even at the cost of some discomfort.

The sport chrono package fitted to the test car further winds up suspension and engine settings, while timing your progress on a centrally mounted stopwatch. Sounds good, but even by Porsche's reckoning it's only worth 3 seconds on Nurburgring. That's flat-out over 20.4km and 73 bends, not a difference you're likely to notice in road use.

It's yet another thing to be cynical about in the Cayman. There's only one cure: you just have to drive it.

Verdict: