Cayman GT4 vs Lotus Exige Cup - Owner's view

So would you take the Exige over the Cayman? One PHer did - here's his story

With the Cayman GT4 booked in and a photoshoot planned we reckoned we needed a rival to pitch it against. And what better than the Lotus Exige? You've probably read our feature by now but the back story behind the PHer who brought the Exige is a fascinating case study.

In this instance Porsche's loss was very much Lotus's gain. Here's why, in the words of Exige Cup owner Zebra.

After owning and enjoying an S2 Exige S for seven and a half years, the time had come for a change. But for what? Under the misapprehension my days in high-revving sports car were behind me, I started to think about being a bit more grown up. With that in mind, and knowledge that Porsche was due to release the Cayman GT4, I visited the local Porsche dealer. They would take my deposit but I would have been at least tenth in line for an allocation of two, possibly four cars at most. Chances of GT4 ownership were therefore slim.

Cayman GT4 ownership prospects were slim

Never mind I thought, as I am here I should test drive a Cayman S. Now, coming out of a Lotus, the cabin experience was a step up in quality. All elements of the Cayman were beautifully finished, no glue showing anywhere and a plethora of luxuries that I could only dream about in my little Exige. The test drive did not throw up any surprises. The Cayman handled well on the route chosen by the dealer, my only disappointment being the long gears coupled with feeling a bit disconnected from the road with the power steering. While the paddle shift was alright I still enjoy a manual car.

However, it was a good first impression and driving the Cayman I honestly believed at that point I could see myself trading in the Exige for either the S or GTS. This could have been the moment where I grew up and became sensible.

Upon leaving Porsche, I decided to head straight round to Lotus and see what they valued my car at for comparison. There was a bit of a wait so I wandered off amongst the cars looking at the Evoras, Elises and some brightly coloured Exige V6s. Striking as the V6s were, especially in green or orange, I was still inclined towards the Cayman. Notice the 'inclined' and not 'heart set upon'. Then I spied an Exige V6 in Pewter Grey at the back of the showroom, which turned out to be the Cup variant. "Ooooh, that's nice!" my other half chipped in. "You interested?" asked the salesman. "You can have a test drive today if you wish." Seven days later I said goodbye to my S2 Exige and drove away in the Exige V6 Cup.

Exige Cup is most extreme car owned to date

My god, what have I done?
Well, clearly I was not ready to grow up and did not require the luxuries I thought I did as I now have electrical cut-off and fire extinguisher buttons instead of a stereo and, to be honest, they are the luxuries.

It is the most extreme car I have owned to date but is everything you expect from a Lotus, particularly on the Trofeo tyres. The steering connects you to the road and the brakes enable you to rearrange your internal organs at will. I get excited knowing I am going to be taking the car out of the garage and I always take a last look before putting its cover on when I tuck it up at night. It was the car I wanted without realising and, for the money, there is nothing else out there that offers quite the same package.

All thoughts of the GT4 disappeared from my mind.

Opportunity to drive GT4 too good to be missed

PH moment not to be missed?
Logging onto PH, I spotted Dan's request for an Exige V6 to drive in a back-to-back test with the GT4. Here was my opportunity to drive the car I originally wanted and an opportunity too good to be missed. So, on a grey Friday afternoon I met Dan, photographer Sim and the rare, unattainable car I had wanted to drive for a number of months.

First impressions? The GT4 is a lovely place to sit and for Porsche's take on 'stripped out fun' there are still a lot of luxuries. Mind you, it took me a while to climb into the car as I gawped for an inordinately long time at the carbon ceramic brake disks. They are works of art. This is not a pure track car in feel, no matter what Porsche might claim. The nature of the cabin calms the driving experience so it never really feels like you are travelling 'that fast'. This is a complete contrast to my Exige, which feels extreme even at 30mph.

The Cayman looks and feels every inch a Porsche GT car and is worth every penny Porsche can get for it. Handling on the moorland roads we were driving was exquisite. It rides corners and undulations, even sudden ones, with the potential to carry way more speed than I have talent. The set-up was firmer than the Cayman S I had test driven but that's fine for me after all my years in Elises and Exiges.

Lotus gives excitement the GT4 cannot

Most importantly, the GT4 is a manual! The shift between gears was short and precise and the power delivery just kept on coming. If I could fault anything, it would still be the gearing. It is too long, especially on the roads we were using for the test. The car does communicate with you about the road beneath you, although not quite as much as my Cup. If you are gentle driver it is a very neutral car and rewards your inputs accordingly. But it is not the raw car I thought it might be. All things are relative but it is actually extremely refined.

Is the Cayman GT4 worth over £80,000 with options? Yes, every penny. Is the handling and power fabulous? Absolutely. Do I still want one? I would clearly not say no. However, I would miss the drama from driving the V6 Cup and the Lotus gives excitement the GT4 cannot.

As Dan has mentioned in the main article, when driving the Cup on my local routes I am used to more benign road topography and the test drive proved that I needed to play about with my damper settings as the factory set up is a bit stiff on the Yorkshire roads keeping you slightly on edge at higher speeds. Adjustment is child's play with the Exige set up and I have dialed things down a couple of notches softening the ride for daily B road use. It will go back the other way for track.

The truth of the matter is that these cars are chalk and cheese. Neither one is the 'best of the two' as they offer two very different driving experiences. One thing I am certain of; the Cayman GT4 is the best Porsche on the market and will sell like hot cakes if they build more of them. And if that happens I will need to extend the garage so the V6 Cup can sit next to my GT4 - in yellow obviously.