981 Boxster vs 987 Cayman S

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I drove my Cayman S up to Silverstone today along the A413, and I drove back in a 981 Boxster loan car.

I really like it. I shall reserve my final view until I have driven it for a few hundred miles (rather than about 70 or so, albeit a mix of town, A road and a bit of motorway so quite a good opportunity to test it).

My impressions:-

(1) It is noticeably bigger inside (or at least feels so). The external dimensions (if changed at all) are similar enough that it is no less widely along typical English roads.

(2) The 2.7 engine is a bloody peach! I am not sure whether I prefer it to the 3.4, but I certainly wouldn't call it a clear second. It is very happy to rev above 4000rpm; it feels a bit zingier than the 3.4 at high revs. On the downside (if it is a downside), it has almost nothing low down the rev range and only really feels fast when you are 'on it' - the rest of the time, it pulls well enough but shows no signs of being quick.

If you want a car that feels quick at 3-4000 revs, look elsewhere! But it's a lovely engine.

(3) Handling - it is massively overtyred on 19s. The torque to grip ratio is silly. One big problem - the steering is a huge step backwards from the 987. No steering feel at all beyond a bit of patter. It's a huge loss, in my view. Otherwise, it handles very nicely and suffers little from being an open top.

(4) Ride. Pretty much identical to my 987. Aside from there being a bit more flex and it feeling a touch less 'tied down' (which I assume is just because it's an open car, rather than the platform changes), it is hard to distinguish from my daily. Perhaps a little bit softer and absorbs small bumps better, but a far smaller difference than I was expecting.

(5) Brakes. Contrary to what I have read on here, I don't find them over-assisted or Audi-like. The level of assistance is fine (even though I do prefer a bit more firmness). The problem is, as with the steeering, a loss of feel. The brakes are nice and progressive still, but the pedal didn't tell me much. The brakes in my 987 somehow feel more 'mechanical' , if that makes sense.

(6) Gearchange and clutch. Very nice. Box is fairly short throw and mechanical-feeling. Clutch is fine (if perhaps slightly soft). I drive a PDK so cannot compare it directly, but it's a pleasure to use.

(7) Gearing. It's bonkers, but we all know that. The upside in the 2.7 is that it just means you have to keep it in 2nd and make the engine sing. 3rd is barely an accelerating gear anywhere but the motorway, and 4,5 and 6 are all cruising gears.

After my first long drive in a 981, I can say two big things. First, it is nowhere near as different from the 987 as people make out - it isn't now just like an Audi; it is fundamentally a very similar drive. Secondly, it is not, in my view, a step forward: the loss of steering feel is fatal for me, and it is otherwise extremely similar to drive.

Oh yeah, it has nice stuff like sat nav (which worked fine) and cruise control (quite a good one) that my car doesn't. But I wouldn't pay a penny more for that stuff in a sports car. If it's free, great; but it's not going to make me love the car. The interior feels slightly lower quality than the 987, but it is certainly more modern and a bit more 'bling'. The boggo steering wheel looks horridly cheap compared to the multi whatsit one in my car.

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PR36 said:

I often have a trip out to my nearest OPC in my 987 s and have a nose around the 981's. Just can't get excited about them, the bigger body and wheels seems pointless and the often talked about steering feel and long gearing issues just puts me off more. Would be nice if a 981 owner would put there case for it being a better sports car but usually it seems the comments are more about looks and how the cabin quality is better!

The cabin is more modern and impressive to the typical car buyer - e.g. my youngest brother loved it (because he loves all the tech and bling). But I cannot see the argument that it is better quality - the leather definitely looks and feels thinner, and the plastics are no better (and in some places worse). I think it is a toss up as to whether the 987 cabin was better than the 986, too - the older interiors are simpler, more basic, but also solid and more "sporting".

I think I understated how nice the box is. It's a really good unit. The gear ratios are utterly insane, and I now know what that guy meant about keeping up in traffic - I drove in to Central London in the 981 today, and it really does need revving just to pootle about!

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dreamcar said:

Don't fool yourself. As a past owner of 987/1 (two Boxster S) a 987/2 (CaymanS PDK) and a 997/2 Carrera S PDK I can assure you the 981 is every inch as good if not better sports car than the models that preceded it. There is a lot of nonsense spoken about the electric steering, it is 98% as good as the hydraulic system. After a few miles I would defy anyone to tell the difference. The body of both 981's (Boxster and Cayman) is more rigid than the past models making the handling as precise whilst being able to make the ride more compliant. It's faster, more economical, better built, better looking ( a matter of personal taste of course) but a more masculine style....every aspect of the car - with the exception of the steering - is an improvement - and more of an improvement than 987 / 997 were over the previous 986 / 996, as 987 / 997 were heavily revised versions of the earlier car. 981 / 991 is all new from the ground up, and benefitted from a huge R&D investment that Porsche simply could not afford when 986, 996, 987 and 997 were produced.

Edited by dreamcar on Thursday 28th May 11:34

The steering is a notable step down in turns of feel. I would say that it is the biggest single difference between the cars - the 987's steering is hardly the most feelsome set up in the World, but it is good enough; the 981 EPAS is closer to BMW than Porsche steering - nice and accurate but without any feel beyond patter. I defy anyone to have a clue from the wheel what the road surface or front end grip is like.

Rigidity is a marketing thing, primarily, as the 987 was hardly soft. Unless you are at 140mph, the difference is barely perceptible, if at all. And the engines are as near as can be to identical - just tweaked. There is, what, about 10bhp difference from the 987.2 to the 981?

As I said, it surprised me how similar the 981 is to the 987.2. Aside from the facts that it is roomier and has less steering feel, the differences are either subjective (looks) or minor (performance being better and brakes being a little worse).

Having driven the Boxster again this morning, the 2.7 feels slower in normal driving than it does on a fastish drive - it suffers a lot from feeling underpowered at low revs.

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To be fair, I have almost no experience of the 987 Boxster (having only been a passenger), so you may be right that the 981 B is noticeably more rigid. I remember reading that the 981 B is much closer to the Cayman in that regard than the 987 was.

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anonymous said:

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I agree and feel the same. My 987 is already a step away from what I want, and the 981 is better in ways that don't matter to me (faster, more economical) and worse in ways that do (steering feel).

I suspect that my tastes fall somewhere closer to a 993 given that I keep asking myself whether I actually want a lotus (I never actually go so far as to prepare to buy one, but it shows what my tastes are).

The steering feel debate is weird. The difference is really very very noticeable if you are used to driving with a deliberate awareness of the feedback from the car. Just like you can diagnose that something has gone wrong with the dampers even if you arent technically minded enough to say quite what. The loss of brake feel is more marginal but it does grate after a while.

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It is not a marginal thing. If the 987 is a 7/10 for steering feel, the 981 is a 5/10 and a BMW 3 series is 2/10. I think people confuse the car steering nicely (which the 981 does - the actual responses are very similar to a 987) and having feel in the steering.

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The shift is good. Not great. But definitely good.

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bcr5784 said:

I think the 981 which was like that must have had a fault. I have driven half a dozen 981s (all Caymans but I would expect the Boxster to be almost identical) and none of them have had any play at all. Although I am very critical of the (lack of) feel, I would not criticise the accuracy. The steering is a bit rubbery (wheel/tyre dependent) - but there isn't any slack. It is very easy to put the car where you want it - but the state of the road surface is largely hidden. My car is 12 months old and most of the cars I have driven have been similarly old with a variety of wheel sizes and tyre fitments.

I'm not sure how much newer cars have changed. It was said by Porsche that steering feel had been improved on the GT4, and although most reports I've seen mentioned the CLAIM, I don't recall any saying that they actually noticed any improvement.

The only solution is to such it and see how big a deal it is to you personally.

The Boxster loan car that I have (on 20s, which is insane)has a couple of cms play either side of dead ahead. I noticed it for the first time this morning. I cannot remember whether the 981 Cayman I tried had it too, but it is definitely there.

It is the norm in EPAS cars, from what I can tell, to have a small amount of play from straight ahead. No idea why.

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bcr5784 said:

The video doesn't really show that. Had you moved the steering wheel 2" and held it there and nothing had happened then it would have. All that video showed that it was (definitely) slow to respond, and it's actually pretty clear that it is starting to respond before you apply opposite lock. Not good, I'd agree, but let's be analytical.

Maybe but still unforgiveable. That kind of thing simply kills a car for some people.

The steering in my wife's BMW ruins the car for the same reason - no bloody feel and a dead spot just off straight ahead. The 981 steering is better than that, but my point is that feel is really important to some people.

I don't agree with cmoose re the brakes - to my foot, the level of assistance isn't masively different.

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Loan car is on boggo suspension (which I prefer to PASM).

You may well be right that soft dampers, big wheels etc would exacerbate the issue.