Discussion
Ok so today I went to the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone for a half day in the Cayman GTS. My car is scheduled to arrive in early October and this is the first drive I have ever had in a Cayman (have owned 2x Boxsters & 2x 911s).
First of all the experience centre.
As some of you will likely know, it is a very cool place. For those that don't it is perched on the side of the Silverstone GP circuit and essentially allows you to drive pretty much any model and configuration in a track environment. They have a handling circuit, skid pan, downhill slalom, kick plate and low friction surfaces. As recently as a few weeks ago, they have added an additional handling circuit and a drag strip for acceleration & braking tests. I won't go into all the details, you can look them up on Porsche's website, but it really is a fun and excellent place to get to know the cars.
With the purchase of every new Porsche you get a half day thrown in and I would strongly recommend you go here before your spec locks. It is likely you can try out various options to decide whether you want them on the car. For instance I wanted to try both a PASM and sport suspension car (more on this shortly), but it certainly made my mind up being able to test it in this environment.
The staff were great, helping me progress in the car, no pressure at all and breakfast and lunch thrown in too.
Anyway, onto the car.
Well, it's safe to say that I won't be disappointed in October!! Bottom line is, the car is just excellent. It really is everything you could want from a sports car. i won't try to do the job of a motoring journo, but all the gushing reviews on the web and in the press are absolutely spot on. I just cannot think of a car that is a competitor for the Cayman GTS. Nothing with a mix of pure sports car, refinement, sound, quality, luxury and usability. There were 3 GTS' there in Black, Carmine Red & Sapphire Blue. It really did look excellent in Sapphire I must admit. I have ordered Guards Red and was 50/50 on whether to spend the extra on Carmine, but personally I am glad I didn't. It looks fine, but even if money was no object I think Guards looks better in the flesh. I had pre-selected a manual car (which is what I have ordered) and they had this for me to use and the other two were PDK. I went into cars which had the GTS interior, both with silver & red stitching. Both looked great and it is purely personal preference as which to choose. One of the cars had the 18 way adjustable sports seats vs the standard sports seats. The adjustability of these is absolutely fantastic. If you are looking to spec up a car then I would strongly urge you to consider these. It's not just 'electric seats', it's being able to tailor the seat to fit your body and driving position EXACTLY.
PASM vs Sport Suspension.
This is seemingly much debated, but I couldn't really find any decisive information when trying to decide for myself, so I hope this will help those in a similar dilemma. I drove to Silverstone in my 997 Turbo which has PASM and the first car I went out in also had PASM. Before going onto the circuit I took out both a PASM and sport suspension car onto the roads outside of Silverstone to get a good feel for them. In both comfort and sport settings the suspension on the GTS rides so much better than the 997. The damping seems vastly improved, taking out a lot of the harshness that was present in previous generations. Additionally the sport setting, although firmer, I would say is not even as harsh as the comfort setting in the 997. Was very impressed with this and would happily have it on my car. Next I took out the GTS with sport suspension. There are 3 things you immediately notice going straight from one to the other. 1) The steering feel is heavier, which is a good thing as for some the PASM setup is a bit light. 2) The response on direction change is more immediate. 3) The car feels noticeably firmer, even firmer than PASM in the sport setting. For the first couple of minutes I was a tad apprehensive thinking that the sport suspension may be too firm for daily use, but after a few minutes and having settled in the car I concluded that this is definitely not the case. Coming straight from the lighter and comfier PASM setup straight into the sport suspension caused me to think that, but after going across dual carriageway, country roads, rutted A roads etc I found the sport suspension to be very compliant, reassuringly firm but most of all it was still comfortable. If I were to say that the sport suspension on the 981 Cayman GTS was a 5 for firmness then 981 PASM comfort would be a 1, 981 PASM sport a 3, 997 PASM comfort a 4 and 997 PASM sport an 8. In short, it is perfectly liveable everyday and I would not even give it a consideration that it might be too firm. I am very glad I ordered it and have zero regrets.
Another thing you notice between the two is the ride height. You will see from the pictures below it is quite noticeable (the Carmine Red car has sport suspension). I parked this car nose to nose with my Turbo to see how low it was in comparison. I keep the car in a multi storey car park as I live in a town centre so being too low would be a problem. At the very front edge, the Turbo was a couple of centimetres lower, however the little flap things (not sure what they're actually called) just infront of the front wheels were a couple of centimetres lower on the Cayman GTS. These things are fairly flexible though so even if they caught I don't think it would be a problem. Plus the overhang on the Cayman is shorter, so in summary it won't be a problem over bumps or in a multi storey with the lower suspension package.
Here are some pictures below that I took of the interiors and comparing the ride heights. Hope this helps anyone thinking of ordering!!
First of all the experience centre.
As some of you will likely know, it is a very cool place. For those that don't it is perched on the side of the Silverstone GP circuit and essentially allows you to drive pretty much any model and configuration in a track environment. They have a handling circuit, skid pan, downhill slalom, kick plate and low friction surfaces. As recently as a few weeks ago, they have added an additional handling circuit and a drag strip for acceleration & braking tests. I won't go into all the details, you can look them up on Porsche's website, but it really is a fun and excellent place to get to know the cars.
With the purchase of every new Porsche you get a half day thrown in and I would strongly recommend you go here before your spec locks. It is likely you can try out various options to decide whether you want them on the car. For instance I wanted to try both a PASM and sport suspension car (more on this shortly), but it certainly made my mind up being able to test it in this environment.
The staff were great, helping me progress in the car, no pressure at all and breakfast and lunch thrown in too.
Anyway, onto the car.
Well, it's safe to say that I won't be disappointed in October!! Bottom line is, the car is just excellent. It really is everything you could want from a sports car. i won't try to do the job of a motoring journo, but all the gushing reviews on the web and in the press are absolutely spot on. I just cannot think of a car that is a competitor for the Cayman GTS. Nothing with a mix of pure sports car, refinement, sound, quality, luxury and usability. There were 3 GTS' there in Black, Carmine Red & Sapphire Blue. It really did look excellent in Sapphire I must admit. I have ordered Guards Red and was 50/50 on whether to spend the extra on Carmine, but personally I am glad I didn't. It looks fine, but even if money was no object I think Guards looks better in the flesh. I had pre-selected a manual car (which is what I have ordered) and they had this for me to use and the other two were PDK. I went into cars which had the GTS interior, both with silver & red stitching. Both looked great and it is purely personal preference as which to choose. One of the cars had the 18 way adjustable sports seats vs the standard sports seats. The adjustability of these is absolutely fantastic. If you are looking to spec up a car then I would strongly urge you to consider these. It's not just 'electric seats', it's being able to tailor the seat to fit your body and driving position EXACTLY.
PASM vs Sport Suspension.
This is seemingly much debated, but I couldn't really find any decisive information when trying to decide for myself, so I hope this will help those in a similar dilemma. I drove to Silverstone in my 997 Turbo which has PASM and the first car I went out in also had PASM. Before going onto the circuit I took out both a PASM and sport suspension car onto the roads outside of Silverstone to get a good feel for them. In both comfort and sport settings the suspension on the GTS rides so much better than the 997. The damping seems vastly improved, taking out a lot of the harshness that was present in previous generations. Additionally the sport setting, although firmer, I would say is not even as harsh as the comfort setting in the 997. Was very impressed with this and would happily have it on my car. Next I took out the GTS with sport suspension. There are 3 things you immediately notice going straight from one to the other. 1) The steering feel is heavier, which is a good thing as for some the PASM setup is a bit light. 2) The response on direction change is more immediate. 3) The car feels noticeably firmer, even firmer than PASM in the sport setting. For the first couple of minutes I was a tad apprehensive thinking that the sport suspension may be too firm for daily use, but after a few minutes and having settled in the car I concluded that this is definitely not the case. Coming straight from the lighter and comfier PASM setup straight into the sport suspension caused me to think that, but after going across dual carriageway, country roads, rutted A roads etc I found the sport suspension to be very compliant, reassuringly firm but most of all it was still comfortable. If I were to say that the sport suspension on the 981 Cayman GTS was a 5 for firmness then 981 PASM comfort would be a 1, 981 PASM sport a 3, 997 PASM comfort a 4 and 997 PASM sport an 8. In short, it is perfectly liveable everyday and I would not even give it a consideration that it might be too firm. I am very glad I ordered it and have zero regrets.
Another thing you notice between the two is the ride height. You will see from the pictures below it is quite noticeable (the Carmine Red car has sport suspension). I parked this car nose to nose with my Turbo to see how low it was in comparison. I keep the car in a multi storey car park as I live in a town centre so being too low would be a problem. At the very front edge, the Turbo was a couple of centimetres lower, however the little flap things (not sure what they're actually called) just infront of the front wheels were a couple of centimetres lower on the Cayman GTS. These things are fairly flexible though so even if they caught I don't think it would be a problem. Plus the overhang on the Cayman is shorter, so in summary it won't be a problem over bumps or in a multi storey with the lower suspension package.
Here are some pictures below that I took of the interiors and comparing the ride heights. Hope this helps anyone thinking of ordering!!
Hi guys,
Newbie to the forum here!
Thought this would be a perfect thread to start at since I had the joy of spending half a day in this at Porsche Centre, Silverstone last Friday....
The experience was superb, Neil my instructor really took time to help improve my basic skills and it was great fun, especially the kick plate and low traction. Also drove a GT3 RS but it started raining and quickly got very scary in that thing!
Going back to the GTS, what a car, I currently drive a 987 Cayman 2.9 and it felt a million years ahead, I still prefer the steering in my 987 but the SS did vastly improve that on the 981 over the PASM equipped GTS. I honestly can't think of what other car I would have in that price range, was blown away all around. My dealer has found me a build slot and I'm trying to make my mind up on the spec etc. I want...
Definitely going for sports suspension after driving the yellow GTS, felt very composed, ride was surprisingly good, steering was heavier (in a good way), looks even better to top! drove a GTS with PASM also and whilst good, SS felt so much better!
I know it's going to sound like the same ol' debate but I'm still not sure on Manual vs. PDK, I've got PDK in my current 987 Cayman and whilst it's an enjoyable experience, more so in the new 981, I've got the itch to switch to manual. 90% of the instructors at Silverstone said go with PDK mind you!?
Other options I'm going with:
GTS Exterior Package
Heated Seats
PCM + Sound Pack Plus
Phone Prep
Trying to keep the car to around the 60k mark.
If I save money on not going for PDK and choosing manual, I will opt for sports buckets or the GTS interior pack.
Colour combo wise I'm thinking of:
Agate Grey - Carrera S wheels painted in black - black interior (alcantara or leather)- red belts - red instrument dials
Agate Grey - Carrera S wheels painted in black - agate grey two tone interior
GT Silver - Carrera S wheels painted in black - black interior (alcantara or leather)
Newbie to the forum here!
Thought this would be a perfect thread to start at since I had the joy of spending half a day in this at Porsche Centre, Silverstone last Friday....
The experience was superb, Neil my instructor really took time to help improve my basic skills and it was great fun, especially the kick plate and low traction. Also drove a GT3 RS but it started raining and quickly got very scary in that thing!
Going back to the GTS, what a car, I currently drive a 987 Cayman 2.9 and it felt a million years ahead, I still prefer the steering in my 987 but the SS did vastly improve that on the 981 over the PASM equipped GTS. I honestly can't think of what other car I would have in that price range, was blown away all around. My dealer has found me a build slot and I'm trying to make my mind up on the spec etc. I want...
Definitely going for sports suspension after driving the yellow GTS, felt very composed, ride was surprisingly good, steering was heavier (in a good way), looks even better to top! drove a GTS with PASM also and whilst good, SS felt so much better!
I know it's going to sound like the same ol' debate but I'm still not sure on Manual vs. PDK, I've got PDK in my current 987 Cayman and whilst it's an enjoyable experience, more so in the new 981, I've got the itch to switch to manual. 90% of the instructors at Silverstone said go with PDK mind you!?
Other options I'm going with:
GTS Exterior Package
Heated Seats
PCM + Sound Pack Plus
Phone Prep
Trying to keep the car to around the 60k mark.
If I save money on not going for PDK and choosing manual, I will opt for sports buckets or the GTS interior pack.
Colour combo wise I'm thinking of:
Agate Grey - Carrera S wheels painted in black - black interior (alcantara or leather)- red belts - red instrument dials
Agate Grey - Carrera S wheels painted in black - agate grey two tone interior
GT Silver - Carrera S wheels painted in black - black interior (alcantara or leather)
rob.kellock said:
Save £20k and get one like mine then ;-)
You know you want to change that Spyder for a car with a proper roof...
Having just put a new warranty and 4 tyres on the Spyder, I shall be waiting a while longer.You know you want to change that Spyder for a car with a proper roof...
If the correct spec GTS comes up for sale next year I may make a move.
Zyp said:
rob.kellock said:
Save £20k and get one like mine then ;-)
You know you want to change that Spyder for a car with a proper roof...
Having just put a new warranty and 4 tyres on the Spyder, I shall be waiting a while longer.You know you want to change that Spyder for a car with a proper roof...
If the correct spec GTS comes up for sale next year I may make a move.
nsm3 said:
Horses for courses and all that.
My 7.1 GT3 was a jiggling, skittish, nervous steer on a bumpy B road, but near perfect on a smooth A road at imprisonable speeds.
By comparison, the 981 steering eliminates a great deal of the unwanted "feedback" from the B roads, but is not nearly as informative on a track like surface.
I drive mostly on the pot holed crap that this Country laughingly calls a road network, so for me, as a day to day prospect, the 981 has the upper hand?
you keep buying the wrong cars :-) My 7.1 GT3 was a jiggling, skittish, nervous steer on a bumpy B road, but near perfect on a smooth A road at imprisonable speeds.
By comparison, the 981 steering eliminates a great deal of the unwanted "feedback" from the B roads, but is not nearly as informative on a track like surface.
I drive mostly on the pot holed crap that this Country laughingly calls a road network, so for me, as a day to day prospect, the 981 has the upper hand?
miskalachi & leemanning - what are the extensions to the PEC like? I'm going down next week to try the Cayman GTS (asked for a manual as well) and a C2S PDK for a bit of variety. Really looking forward to the GTS after reading the stuff owners/buyers are posting in here! Hopefully that 918 will be there as well as I've yet to see one in the flesh
leemanning said:
PASM vs Sport Suspension.
If I were to say that the sport suspension on the 981 Cayman GTS was a 5 for firmness then 981 PASM comfort would be a 1, 981 PASM sport a 3, 997 PASM comfort a 4 and 997 PASM sport an 8. In short, it is perfectly liveable everyday and I would not even give it a consideration that it might be too firm. I am very glad I ordered it and have zero regrets.
For non GTS models, I reckon 19" wheels and X73 sports suspension would be perfect ..If I were to say that the sport suspension on the 981 Cayman GTS was a 5 for firmness then 981 PASM comfort would be a 1, 981 PASM sport a 3, 997 PASM comfort a 4 and 997 PASM sport an 8. In short, it is perfectly liveable everyday and I would not even give it a consideration that it might be too firm. I am very glad I ordered it and have zero regrets.
mrdemon said:
nsm3 said:
Horses for courses and all that.
My 7.1 GT3 was a jiggling, skittish, nervous steer on a bumpy B road, but near perfect on a smooth A road at imprisonable speeds.
By comparison, the 981 steering eliminates a great deal of the unwanted "feedback" from the B roads, but is not nearly as informative on a track like surface.
I drive mostly on the pot holed crap that this Country laughingly calls a road network, so for me, as a day to day prospect, the 981 has the upper hand?
you keep buying the wrong cars :-) My 7.1 GT3 was a jiggling, skittish, nervous steer on a bumpy B road, but near perfect on a smooth A road at imprisonable speeds.
By comparison, the 981 steering eliminates a great deal of the unwanted "feedback" from the B roads, but is not nearly as informative on a track like surface.
I drive mostly on the pot holed crap that this Country laughingly calls a road network, so for me, as a day to day prospect, the 981 has the upper hand?
rxpandy said:
Here is my finial spec. > http://www.porsche.com/microsite/porsche-code/?c=/...
Yes, I got one hell of a good deal on the car and oddly that deal didn't come from my local 2 dealers!
epic spec! fair play for all the lovely options and the gorgeous carbon seats!Yes, I got one hell of a good deal on the car and oddly that deal didn't come from my local 2 dealers!
any more info on the deal? and provider?
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