New 2014 Cayman (non S) - Buyers beware.

[Peter Cee]

Took my 2010 Boxster S in for a service last week and was given a brand new Cayman (non S PDK with 20 inch wheels)as a courtesy car.

First impressions were that it looked like a million dollars, and rode really well on the gorgeous 20 inch wheels.

The only problem was the car was unbelievably gutless in acceleration even when the sport button was pressed.

You really had to wring it's neck to get it to accelerate - there's just no real low down torque.

Pressing the throttle at 3k rpm just results in it kicking down a couple of gears, making a bit of noise and eventually picking up its skirts at around 5k rpm

Very disappointing performance when compared with my 4 year old Boxster S (PDK + Sport Chrono)which has an instant and urgent throttle response in sport mode.

Looking at the specs of the new car, sure it has a headline power of 275 HP but it delivers this at 7400 rpm - when you drive the thing in the real world it just doesn't impress.

I would urge potential buyers to look at the S version which must be a better proposition - or those that can't afford it consider a previous generation S.

I have read comments to the effect that the new non S is almost as quick as the previous generation S - but I'm sorry but that just isn't true - buyers beware.....

[Peter Cee]

Taking the Porsche brochure power and torque graphs for the two vehicles I was comparing shows just what I was talking about:





There is a significant difference in both power and torque in the normal 3k to 6k rpm band which I would expect to use on the road.

Don't let anyone tell you the new non S is close to the old S....

[Peter Cee]

What the problem is for me is that between 4,000 rpm and 6,000 rpm where on road performance normally takes place, there is a 50 to 60 bhp gap between the two cars and in my opinion that's why it feels significantly slower.

Another couple of things which I don't like about the 2014 car are :

• the steering - which feels less responsive and has less road feedback
• the run on feature - driving at a steady 70mph when you release the throttle the car seems not to slow down with engine braking
• the damn auto start/stop function

I do think that with the latest generation of cars the mandatory pursuit of efficiency means that the new generation is actually worse from a drivers enjoyment perspective than the previous generation.

Looking forward the next generation Boxster/Cayman will probably take this a step further with a 4 cylinder turbo or hybrid engine, brake recuperation and other energy efficiency measures.

This eventually raises the question of which will history judge to be the best Boxster/Cayman they ever made ?

For me the answer is obvious :

987.2

A future classic in the making......