Porsche Cayman 981 2.7 PDK, 2013-on. Is it too slow?
Discussion
Jasandjules said:
People buy cars for their needs. If everyone wanted fast as f**k, we would all have Porsche 918s etc... OR maybe a V8 Atom...
Cars are designed for different purposes, for example no matter if I got out run by a Golf GTI or whatever, my TVR has a roof that comes off and a V8 that sounds like Thor is on the warpath. She makes me happy...
Quite. There's been some real bCars are designed for different purposes, for example no matter if I got out run by a Golf GTI or whatever, my TVR has a roof that comes off and a V8 that sounds like Thor is on the warpath. She makes me happy...
ks written on this thread. Absolute paper performance is an irrelevance to 95% of buyers. It contributes nothing to enjoyment you can get from driving the car. I'm fortunate to have the choice of 3 sports cars to take out. Each give something different. They are fun in their own ways. In many ways the best if I only had one would be the "underpowered", "too slow" Boxster. It's fun, it's practical, it's comfortable, it's easy to drive quickly on average UK roads. My wife doesn't like the GT3, says the clutch is too heavy, it's too low, the steering feels too sensitive, the ride so harsh she claims she needs a sports bra on just to sit in it, etc., etc.
You'll notice not once have I mentioned performance or power. It really is for the most part irrelevant. I will maintain that my 25yr old 165bhp Elan is as quick as my GT3 on many UK B roads. Having fun, driving swiftly on most roads is not all about power & performance.
blueg33 said:
I often find low sports cars are slower because you can't see as far down the road.
A solution for you, Sir:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMW3Q7TQars
I have seen very little b******s in this thread, i disagree completely with that. In YOUR view, perhaps, but i do not share that view at all. As on other forums the car really splits opinion, as i said at the start. Anyway...
My personal opinion, having owned many Porsches (including 993/997 turbos and a 2005 Cayman that had 411 bhp and weighed 1150 kgs), is that having driven the new 2.7 it needs shorter gears and 25 bhp more. That would make it probably the finest all round sports car ever sold to the public.
Daily driver, great handling, decent load space, looks incredible, sounds fantastic, top quality, low depreciation, good fuel economy, to name just a few assets.
The easiest thing would have been to keep the capacity at 2.9 litres. I cannot fathom why Porsche made the engine smaller by 200cc. 300 bhp would have been easy with almost 3 litres of 2013 technology.
Thanks for the responses, it's a very lovely car but just feels a little underwhelming when you suddenly decide you want some ooomph on many occasions. You need to constantly hunt lower gears in a way you just don't have to with much of the competition.
My personal opinion, having owned many Porsches (including 993/997 turbos and a 2005 Cayman that had 411 bhp and weighed 1150 kgs), is that having driven the new 2.7 it needs shorter gears and 25 bhp more. That would make it probably the finest all round sports car ever sold to the public.
Daily driver, great handling, decent load space, looks incredible, sounds fantastic, top quality, low depreciation, good fuel economy, to name just a few assets.
The easiest thing would have been to keep the capacity at 2.9 litres. I cannot fathom why Porsche made the engine smaller by 200cc. 300 bhp would have been easy with almost 3 litres of 2013 technology.
Thanks for the responses, it's a very lovely car but just feels a little underwhelming when you suddenly decide you want some ooomph on many occasions. You need to constantly hunt lower gears in a way you just don't have to with much of the competition.
My Corvette, as a comparison, has 566 bhp and weighs 100 kgs more only. (Okay, standard it was only 505 bhp).
I just think time has moved the game on in the p-t-w ratio wars and with manufacturers down-sizing and down-weighting and up-powering, i want to see the likes of Porsche right up there with the very best as it is a marque i adore and always have done. For the Cayman in 2015 to be 100 bhp down on some hot hatches is something nobody would have believed 10 years ago. 5 years ago.
Right, enough on this one methinks. Cheers.
I just think time has moved the game on in the p-t-w ratio wars and with manufacturers down-sizing and down-weighting and up-powering, i want to see the likes of Porsche right up there with the very best as it is a marque i adore and always have done. For the Cayman in 2015 to be 100 bhp down on some hot hatches is something nobody would have believed 10 years ago. 5 years ago.
Right, enough on this one methinks. Cheers.
270 BHP is more than ample for day to day driving, I would prefer the Cayman S but in reality you are not going to be driving at 9-10 / 10th's on the road so losing 0.3/5 seconds is not a big deal.
As un-PH as it sounds some cars are just too fast to enjoy on the road, the Golf R for example, a quick blip of the throttle in second and you are over the limit.
My old MX5 and MR2 you could really press on in 2nd / 3rd and hardly be hitting 60!
As un-PH as it sounds some cars are just too fast to enjoy on the road, the Golf R for example, a quick blip of the throttle in second and you are over the limit.
My old MX5 and MR2 you could really press on in 2nd / 3rd and hardly be hitting 60!
For the road, more than powerful enough. For track/traffic light GP/willy waving, you're going to want more. As stated, the latest turbo hot hatches will tear it a new one in a straight line. Hell even some of the bigger diesels will. If you've got an issue with that, buy a faster car (bearing in mind, there is always something faster). However if you enjoy driving a sports car and want one where all of it's available performance is usable on the road, the base Cayman/Boxster is a peach.
I ran a 2.7 for a couple of years and it was fast enough for me. It was just a lovely place to be and looked the part. Not as fast as my previous M135i or as fun as some of my hot hatches but it was a porsche and if I only needed two seats, then I would have one over any hot hatch, none of which have the same sense of style or status as a porsche.
juansolo said:
For the road, more than powerful enough. For track/traffic light GP/willy waving, you're going to want more. As stated, the latest turbo hot hatches will tear it a new one in a straight line. Hell even some of the bigger diesels will. If you've got an issue with that, buy a faster car (bearing in mind, there is always something faster). However if you enjoy driving a sports car and want one where all of it's available performance is usable on the road, the base Cayman/Boxster is a peach.
Having run one over 24,000 miles this sums it up perfectly. Trexthedinosaur said:
As un-PH as it sounds some cars are just too fast to enjoy on the road, the Golf R for example, a quick blip of the throttle in second and you are over the limit.
My old MX5 and MR2 you could really press on in 2nd / 3rd and hardly be hitting 60!
I agree. Had loads of fun in MK1 and MK2 MR2s and various other "slow" cars, whereas the TVR is just pedal down, and ooooh that's a bit fast....My old MX5 and MR2 you could really press on in 2nd / 3rd and hardly be hitting 60!
GT03ROB said:
Jasandjules said:
People buy cars for their needs. If everyone wanted fast as f**k, we would all have Porsche 918s etc... OR maybe a V8 Atom...
Cars are designed for different purposes, for example no matter if I got out run by a Golf GTI or whatever, my TVR has a roof that comes off and a V8 that sounds like Thor is on the warpath. She makes me happy...
Quite. There's been some real bCars are designed for different purposes, for example no matter if I got out run by a Golf GTI or whatever, my TVR has a roof that comes off and a V8 that sounds like Thor is on the warpath. She makes me happy...
ks written on this thread. Absolute paper performance is an irrelevance to 95% of buyers. It contributes nothing to enjoyment you can get from driving the car. I'm fortunate to have the choice of 3 sports cars to take out. Each give something different. They are fun in their own ways. In many ways the best if I only had one would be the "underpowered", "too slow" Boxster. It's fun, it's practical, it's comfortable, it's easy to drive quickly on average UK roads. My wife doesn't like the GT3, says the clutch is too heavy, it's too low, the steering feels too sensitive, the ride so harsh she claims she needs a sports bra on just to sit in it, etc., etc.
You'll notice not once have I mentioned performance or power. It really is for the most part irrelevant. I will maintain that my 25yr old 165bhp Elan is as quick as my GT3 on many UK B roads. Having fun, driving swiftly on most roads is not all about power & performance.
"the ride so harsh she claims she needs a sports bra on just to sit in it"..hahahahaha
IceBoy
blueg33 said:
There is slwsys something faster. My Tuscan would do 0 to 60 in under 4 secs, but a 4 door saloon left me standing. (Mitsubishi Evo X)
Where there is a big difference in straight line speed on most roads the more powerful car will probably be quicker from a to b. But, IMO the fun is in the corners and hot hatches are simply much less enjoyable on the twisties.
I'd say the top hot hatches (Megane 275 for example) are as enjoyable if not more so, than the 2.7 Cayman. I don't believe that a Porsche owner who is trying to keep with an uber hot hatch will be happy to see it constantly pull away from them, both in straights and cornersWhere there is a big difference in straight line speed on most roads the more powerful car will probably be quicker from a to b. But, IMO the fun is in the corners and hot hatches are simply much less enjoyable on the twisties.
Edited by blueg33 on Sunday 2nd August 16:29
kambites said:
crossle said:
The 2.7 Cayman is fantastic - until you get in the S...
In the previous generation, I actually preferred the lower powered car although I'd want a manual. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff