Cayman 718 Manual

[bcr5784]

LiamH66 said:

My Cayman 718 will be manual, but for its eventual replacement I will be seriously considering PDK. It's about the best sorted innovation in automotive technology that has appeared in my adult lifetime.

Liam

If you trawl through the Porsche threads you will find that there are many of us on here who probably wouldn't have even tried an auto (and thought they were all pretty naff) - except that they couldn't find a manual demo car - and were similarly smitten by PDK.

[The Mean Machine]

At least Porsche offer a choice of manual or PDK so it's still down to personal choice, as it should be.

[mollytherocker]

The Mean Machine said:

At least Porsche offer a choice of manual or PDK so it's still down to personal choice, as it should be.

Not for every model they don't.

But relatively, they do more than most.

[LiamH66]

7184c said:

Liam what are your thoughts on the 981s PDK vs the manual base 718 having driven both?

Bizarrely, I drove the 718 manual base model Boxster for an hour or so before getting into the 981 Cayman S PDK (about 3 minutes separating the occasions, so it was pretty fresh in my mind), and the midrange torque from the 718 made the 981S feel a bit lame, even with PDK. But when you hang a few revs on it, the 3.4 S makes for a pretty quick car, and PDK makes hitting the revs easily achievable. Definitely faster than the base 718, but you have to use all the rev range available to wake it up. Not much hardship, as they do sound glorious when you let them go - last flat-6 I did much of this with was a 964, which sounded ...well, like a slightly more refined air-cooled Porsche (my Dad's C4 was nearly new back then. Bet I put a good few more miles on it than him. ), and I loved it at the time, but dare I say a little bit agricultural? Can you say that around here?

The thing that struck me about the 718 manual was the way I could easily slot into a gear for A-road overtaking, or for getting past a slower moving vehicle on the motorway. The torque feels solid and unstoppable - and for A-roads 3rd gear overtakes you get from "barely legal" to "definitely not" in incredibly short order. I'm always the last to think torque matters compared with ultimate power, but in this case it definitely gives the 718 an edge.

The OPC salesman was with me for the 981S test drive, and he possibly expected me to cancel my 718 order and buy a used 981 S PDK - it was my first experience of the best auto box ever, in an astoundingly good little car. But ultimately, why would I pay roughly the same money for a 3 year old car that doesn't have anything like as much "get up and go" in normal driving conditions? Couldn't berate anyone for making the opposite choice (fabulous engine, ridiculously good gearbox), but for me it's a manual 718 Cayman, and I haven't even driven one yet - just the Boxster version.

Liam

Edited by LiamH66 on Friday 30th September 00:52

[LiamH66]

bcr5784 said:

If you trawl through the Porsche threads you will find that there are many of us on here who probably wouldn't have even tried an auto (and thought they were all pretty naff) - except that they couldn't find a manual demo car - and were similarly smitten by PDK.

Just astonishing, got to be said. Early turbocharging attempts, electronic engine management, 4-wheel drive for performance road cars, sometimes all 3 combined were the highlights so far. PDK with Sports Chrono surpasses all 3 for innovation - for a usable car on the road it is all round brilliant.