Driven: new 59-plate Cayman S
Discussion
I dropped the 997.1 C2s off at Silverstone Porsche this morning for its 4 yr service and they've very kindly gave me the use of a shiny new (like only 500 miles) cayman S (manual).
It's the first time I'd driven any Cayman and I was looking forward to it.
Here are my thoughts:
It might seem silly or obvious, but I found it quite bit smaller than the 911. Certainly smaller than I expected. But given my lack of familiarity with Caymans it ought to have worked out it was obvious
. I'm just over 6'2" and for me personally, I found it hard to get a comfy driving position - i.e. I've long legs and couldn't get the seat back far enough. It wasn't super uncomfortable, but the 911 I'm used I find very roomy in comparisson.
It was a very well specc'd car. The latest sat nav is much better than the old.
It looked very well. It was black with black wheels, which I thought were a bit 'bling' for my own tastes - but still, I thought it looked well.
It had sports chrono.My 911 doesn't. And I have to say I did enjoy this 'feature'. Really sharpened things up - noticeably so.
Iit had switchable sports exhaust. Which made it sound better. But I prefer the sound of the PSE on my 911.
I know there's probably not much in the performance between the two, but it did feel noticeably slower than the 911. But it never felt under powered.
The steering felt a bit heavier than my 911 (maybe because it was brand spanking new?).
In 'normal' mode the car felt very comfortable.I did about 150 miles in it today. In 'sports' it was obviously firmer, but I never thought it was unbearable. Maybe even felt a tad softer than the 911 in 'sport' mode. But I could be imagining that.
Overall I thought it drove very well. And it's a model I'd never be disappointed to own.
I do prefer the 911 though.
It's the first time I'd driven any Cayman and I was looking forward to it.
Here are my thoughts:
It might seem silly or obvious, but I found it quite bit smaller than the 911. Certainly smaller than I expected. But given my lack of familiarity with Caymans it ought to have worked out it was obvious
. I'm just over 6'2" and for me personally, I found it hard to get a comfy driving position - i.e. I've long legs and couldn't get the seat back far enough. It wasn't super uncomfortable, but the 911 I'm used I find very roomy in comparisson.It was a very well specc'd car. The latest sat nav is much better than the old.
It looked very well. It was black with black wheels, which I thought were a bit 'bling' for my own tastes - but still, I thought it looked well.
It had sports chrono.My 911 doesn't. And I have to say I did enjoy this 'feature'. Really sharpened things up - noticeably so.
Iit had switchable sports exhaust. Which made it sound better. But I prefer the sound of the PSE on my 911.
I know there's probably not much in the performance between the two, but it did feel noticeably slower than the 911. But it never felt under powered.
The steering felt a bit heavier than my 911 (maybe because it was brand spanking new?).
In 'normal' mode the car felt very comfortable.I did about 150 miles in it today. In 'sports' it was obviously firmer, but I never thought it was unbearable. Maybe even felt a tad softer than the 911 in 'sport' mode. But I could be imagining that.
Overall I thought it drove very well. And it's a model I'd never be disappointed to own.
I do prefer the 911 though.
Mermaid said:
tomw2000 said:
I do prefer the 911 though.
The Porsche boys do know how to tune things just right. But if the performance figures were identical, I'd still go for the 911.
Also got close up to the Panamerica. Can't make my mind up about it really. Looked fine in black,but from some angles, it's deeply upsetting
Carl_Docklands said:
Porsche manage a great jedi mind trick when it comes to the perception of 911 performance.
I wonder how much effort and time goes into this type of research and development. Especially in trying to get the right perceived 'Porsche feel'. Cant imagine they used to bother with such things in the 70s!!MTR
mollytherocker said:
Carl_Docklands said:
Porsche manage a great jedi mind trick when it comes to the perception of 911 performance.
I wonder how much effort and time goes into this type of research and development. Especially in trying to get the right perceived 'Porsche feel'. Cant imagine they used to bother with such things in the 70s!!MTR
Curiouser and curiouser. Looking at those figures (thanks for posting) and bearng mind my C2S is Gen I. The the new cayman S I drove today is the same 0-60?
Definitely 'felt' slower. Especially on motorway say doing 60-70mph in traffic in 5th or 6th gear. My 911 seems to have more 'pull'.
But I guess that's down to bhp and torque and not as clearly compared at 0-60 times?
Definitely 'felt' slower. Especially on motorway say doing 60-70mph in traffic in 5th or 6th gear. My 911 seems to have more 'pull'.
But I guess that's down to bhp and torque and not as clearly compared at 0-60 times?
SonnyM said:
What was your service bill like Tom? Did Silverstone treat you well?
Pretty much what I expected. The relief was that nothing extra/special needed doing on top and it's pleasing to hear she's a good 'un. Happy to the share breakdown of costs:
Full 40k miles/4yr service (she's done 21400 miles, so was 4 years).
oil filter
sump plug washer
pollen filter
Mobil 1
lube spray
washer fluid
air filter
spark plugs
brake fluid
poly belt replacement
tyre gel replacement
@ £1050 all in, inclusive of Vat and Labour
Was very happy with the Silverstone. Obviously made up with use of the new cayman S too
If you factor my 140-odd mile drive of that, it's a good price I think.
Country Boy said:
What is tyre gel replacement?
It's the 'fix a puncture with this amazing stuff in lieu of there being no spare wheel' stuff. Apparently it 'degrades' after 4 years - so needs replacing.tbh I'd call porsche assistance if I got a puncture anyway.
But it was only £900, so who cares?
Country Boy said:
What is tyre gel replacement?
I would imagine it's a replacement of the tyre gel that's used when you get a puncture.Regards to the heavier steering on the Cayman, I must say I agree with this. I had a 997C4S Cab for the night last week, did about 100 or so miles in it and I must say the steering felt quite a bit lighter than it does in the Cayman, I put this down to the weight distribution in the car. I didn't think the 911 felt any quicker than the Cayman, and not quite as nice to drive, but it was a Cab and a Tip so not really a fair comparison!
I got a puncture on my car last year. I had a look for the puncture but wasn't able to see the puncture. Broke out the tyre repair fluid (white milky substance) and had it ready to use. Called Porsche Assist to see if would be beneficial for them just to come out and make a temporary repair. I was requested to attempt the repair first. So off i goes...... removes valve. Pours bottle into tyre. Uses small air compressor to attempt to inflate tyre. NOGO! On the plus side i managed to find the puncture when white fluid starts pouring out! I called Porsche Assist (RAC)who sent a van round. He informs me that the fluid very rarely works! However after installing a temporary repair i was able to drive to a garage to replace it.
So called up Porsche to replace the bottle of used tyre sealant. I almost fell throught the floor when the guy told me the price...... 40 quid!!!! For something that you could buy from Halfords that would do a better job! I thought i'd better get it in case it was to happen again and for warranty issues etc etc. Oh the joys of Porsche ownership!
tbh I'd call porsche assistance if I got a puncture anyway.
But it was only £900, so who cares?
So called up Porsche to replace the bottle of used tyre sealant. I almost fell throught the floor when the guy told me the price...... 40 quid!!!! For something that you could buy from Halfords that would do a better job! I thought i'd better get it in case it was to happen again and for warranty issues etc etc. Oh the joys of Porsche ownership!
tomw2000 said:
Country Boy said:
What is tyre gel replacement?
It's the 'fix a puncture with this amazing stuff in lieu of there being no spare wheel' stuff. Apparently it 'degrades' after 4 years - so needs replacing.tbh I'd call porsche assistance if I got a puncture anyway.
But it was only £900, so who cares?
bless 'em;)77ajs said:
I think it must be hard being a 911 owner always feeling the need to explain why the 911 is better than the Cayman S. I guess that’s why Porsche charge £20k more for the entry level 911 – it would be awful to think you’d spent 20k on not much more car. 
Yes that's exactly how I feel about my 997. Clearly the OP does too - far from him giving his impressions of a different car within the Porsche range what he was actually doing was justifying his 997 purchase to a load of anonymous people on a forum!! It's what most 911 owners do on a daily basis of course.Think I'll head over to the BMW section now and attempt to justify the cost of our 535 over our 320.
Edited by richterswil on Wednesday 10th February 19:46
tomw2000 said:
SonnyM said:
What was your service bill like Tom? Did Silverstone treat you well?
Pretty much what I expected. The relief was that nothing extra/special needed doing on top and it's pleasing to hear she's a good 'un. Happy to the share breakdown of costs:
Full 40k miles/4yr service (she's done 21400 miles, so was 4 years).
oil filter
sump plug washer
pollen filter
Mobil 1
lube spray
washer fluid
air filter
spark plugs
brake fluid
poly belt replacement
tyre gel replacement
@ £1050 all in, inclusive of Vat and Labour
Was very happy with the Silverstone. Obviously made up with use of the new cayman S too
If you factor my 140-odd mile drive of that, it's a good price I think.
77ajs said:
I think it must be hard being a 911 owner always feeling the need to explain why the 911 is better than the Cayman S. I guess that’s why Porsche charge £20k more for the entry level 911 – it would be awful to think you’d spent 20k on not much more car.
Is this aimed at me?Because the _only_ reasons I personally prefer the 911 are:
1) I prefer the way it looks
2) I found the Cayman too small inside
other than that, I fully admit/agree that the usable road performance is for all intents and purposes, the same - especially for someone of my mediocre driving abilities. So this (for me) is not, "I think my 911 is better than the Cayman because it's faster" because it probably isn't.
And, again for me personally, the 911 isn't better because it costs more.
In fact £20k isn't much, so I'll spend it where I see fit, thanks.
tomw2000 said:
77ajs said:
I think it must be hard being a 911 owner always feeling the need to explain why the 911 is better than the Cayman S. I guess that’s why Porsche charge £20k more for the entry level 911 – it would be awful to think you’d spent 20k on not much more car.
Is this aimed at me?Because the _only_ reasons I personally prefer the 911 are:
1) I prefer the way it looks
2) I found the Cayman too small inside
other than that, I fully admit/agree that the usable road performance is for all intents and purposes, the same - especially for someone of my mediocre driving abilities. So this (for me) is not, "I think my 911 is better than the Cayman because it's faster" because it probably isn't.
And, again for me personally, the 911 isn't better because it costs more.
In fact £20k isn't much, so I'll spend it where I see fit, thanks.
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