RE: Cayman GT4 vs Lotus Exige Cup - Owner's view

RE: Cayman GT4 vs Lotus Exige Cup - Owner's view

Wednesday 9th September 2015

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
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
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
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
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.









Author
Discussion

Crankie Shaft

Original Poster:

70 posts

153 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
A very honest and well written assessment.

juansolo

3,012 posts

277 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Yep, good read that!

sunsurfer

305 posts

180 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
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.

This made me smile. Thank you for the write up.

IrishAsal

70 posts

154 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Great article!

Ryvita

712 posts

209 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
" There was a bit of a wait so I wandered off amongst the carsV6s were, especially in green or orange, I was still inclined towards the Cayman. Notice the 'inclined' and not 'heart set upon'."

Is there a sentence/paragraph missing in the middle there?

twinturban

241 posts

121 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Get the Cup on a trackday. The car's full potential is way beyond what is legal or advisable on the road.

seawise

2,144 posts

205 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
really good read - thanks for that - both awesome cars, but quite different. one of each would be perfect !

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

233 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Honest, refreshing and IMO better than the PH written article.

Tickle

4,879 posts

203 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Great write up thumbup

If I were ever in the position to buy one of the two, it would have to be the Cup.

andy_s

19,397 posts

258 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
sunsurfer said:
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.

This made me smile. Thank you for the write up.
biggrin

Good article - hit the nail square on the head.

Lotus for me even though you know there'd be times when the Porsche would be a little better suited, depending on what you're doing.

HokumPokum

2,049 posts

204 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
that was a good honest read. I enjoyed that frankness immensely.

The v6 cup looks more special than the Gt4 and is more drama at every level. It is also way more appealing for pure trackday fans.

Can you speak to your view on the new elise cup vs the v6 cup? Thanks

Digga

40,206 posts

282 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Saw a very nice dark metallic green Exige S in the Cherwel Valley services on the M40 at the weekend (someone on here?) and had the chance to have a good look around it. It really is a stunning car from every angle. For me, the current Lotus line-up in general is very hard not to like.

RedTrident

8,290 posts

234 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Your Exige looks lovely. Good read.

Where was that test by the way? roads look familiar to me.

Crouchydc

82 posts

116 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Great article and dare I say it, possibly better the the PH article. You nicely point out the merits of both and quite rightly surmise that they are indeed very different cars.

Nik Attard

71 posts

182 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Ryvita said:
" There was a bit of a wait so I wandered off amongst the carsV6s were, especially in green or orange, I was still inclined towards the Cayman. Notice the 'inclined' and not 'heart set upon'."

Is there a sentence/paragraph missing in the middle there?
Thanks for flagging that up. A few sentences somehow managed to escape, but all has been fixed now.


Nik

Joeguard1990

1,181 posts

125 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
I'm going to be the first to mention it...

Nice car, but absolutely sh*t illegally spaced number plate. Ruins those front on pictures in the gallery.

Buy a nicer properly spaced plate or sort out the existing one please!

Vee12V

1,329 posts

159 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Good story, enjoyed that.

zebra

4,555 posts

213 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for the positive comments.

They are both great cars, each worthy of a 10/10 in their respective fields, yet delivering 9/10 (about) in each other's fields.

The CUP will go on track, just need to find the time.

zebra

4,555 posts

213 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Joeguard1990 said:
I'm going to be the first to mention it...

Nice car, but absolutely sh*t illegally spaced number plate. Ruins those front on pictures in the gallery.

Buy a nicer properly spaced plate or sort out the existing one please!
Errrr?.........no.



Leggy

1,018 posts

221 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
quotequote all
Nice write up.
Hopefully it might tempt a few to try one out. Most cars these days are so sanitised that the feel at low speed has vanished.