What is a 981 Cayman like doing boring stuff?
Discussion
I'm consedering a 981 Cayman 2.7 PDK as a potential next car and hoping to have a test drive in a couple of weeks. Obviously the car gets glowing reviews but would be interested to hear what they are like doing the mundane tasks like long motorway journeys and driving around town / slow moving traffic - things that may not be immediately apparent on a test drive.
It would be to replace an e39 M5 and a smart roadster so looking for something that blends the good qualities of them both ie fun on my commute like the smart (20 miles of nice A and B roads before hitting a wall of traffic) and something that's great for longer trips away at the weekend (often go to to the Highlands) plus the annual 1,200 mile round trip to see the inlaws.
Previously owned a 2004 Civic Typre R but didnt keep it long as it was a pain when not in the mood for a good drive - how does that Cayman adapt to 'normal' driving?
For what it's worth have discounted the usual suspects (M1/235i and Golf R), really enjoyed the Mini Cooper S - awaiting a go in a JCW -, tried a BMW i3 REX which I don't know what to think of and also going to look at the GT86/BRZ. Cayman is right at the top of my budget but happy to spend the extra if it's as good as the reviews imply.
Any thoughts/advice appreciated.
It would be to replace an e39 M5 and a smart roadster so looking for something that blends the good qualities of them both ie fun on my commute like the smart (20 miles of nice A and B roads before hitting a wall of traffic) and something that's great for longer trips away at the weekend (often go to to the Highlands) plus the annual 1,200 mile round trip to see the inlaws.
Previously owned a 2004 Civic Typre R but didnt keep it long as it was a pain when not in the mood for a good drive - how does that Cayman adapt to 'normal' driving?
For what it's worth have discounted the usual suspects (M1/235i and Golf R), really enjoyed the Mini Cooper S - awaiting a go in a JCW -, tried a BMW i3 REX which I don't know what to think of and also going to look at the GT86/BRZ. Cayman is right at the top of my budget but happy to spend the extra if it's as good as the reviews imply.
Any thoughts/advice appreciated.
Edited by Goatex on Thursday 9th April 12:49
It's not the most refined car on the planet as there are quite a few mechanical noises in cabin but I guess that is part and parcel of the driving experience.
I personally find it acceptable doing motorway stints in it and don't feel fatigued on a long journey.
I guess it's where your expectations are and a good long test drive will let you know if it's the car for you..
PS I don't have the optinal Porsche Sports Exhaust but I've read a few complaining of drone at around 2k revs on light throttle openings (Could be just GTS models though as they have a symposer in cabin)
I personally find it acceptable doing motorway stints in it and don't feel fatigued on a long journey.
I guess it's where your expectations are and a good long test drive will let you know if it's the car for you..
PS I don't have the optinal Porsche Sports Exhaust but I've read a few complaining of drone at around 2k revs on light throttle openings (Could be just GTS models though as they have a symposer in cabin)
Edited by sootyvrs on Thursday 9th April 14:11
Hi, The wife bought exactly the same model last summer, wanted to stick two fingers up to those who told her she should have a sensible car. She passed on her Mk2 TT to me as it was owned from new & thought we'd keep it in the family.
Pros - it looks very pretty, it's well made and very good to drive in an enthusiastic manner. Although she rarely does that. You have read the mags & reviews, you know it is a good handling performance car. Fuel economy about 32mpg day to day. Not as in your face as the 911. Handles almost as well as my 7.
Cons - day to day, a number of compromises. It's noisy, great across the Beacons for a blast; a pain on an M4 commute first thing in the morning. Luggage space is compromised, rear boot OK for coats & handbag only in reality. Front boot is very deep but also narrow, bleeding awkward getting haevy odd shaped objects in & out. Sack of bird seed is a real pain.
Tyres are expensive & not easy to come by. We had a rear puncture, ended up being low loadered to the OPC as none avaliable for a few days. Cost was high as expected but the hassle factor was more of a pain.
Spartan in basic spec & options pile on the cost. We declined pretty well all, keep it simple!
Did I say it was noisy!
What do we do, if it's a nice day & a drive is planned we take the Cayman. If we are going shopping or for a trip > 50 miles and want to be refreshed at the end, we take the TT.
Pros - it looks very pretty, it's well made and very good to drive in an enthusiastic manner. Although she rarely does that. You have read the mags & reviews, you know it is a good handling performance car. Fuel economy about 32mpg day to day. Not as in your face as the 911. Handles almost as well as my 7.
Cons - day to day, a number of compromises. It's noisy, great across the Beacons for a blast; a pain on an M4 commute first thing in the morning. Luggage space is compromised, rear boot OK for coats & handbag only in reality. Front boot is very deep but also narrow, bleeding awkward getting haevy odd shaped objects in & out. Sack of bird seed is a real pain.
Tyres are expensive & not easy to come by. We had a rear puncture, ended up being low loadered to the OPC as none avaliable for a few days. Cost was high as expected but the hassle factor was more of a pain.
Spartan in basic spec & options pile on the cost. We declined pretty well all, keep it simple!
Did I say it was noisy!
What do we do, if it's a nice day & a drive is planned we take the Cayman. If we are going shopping or for a trip > 50 miles and want to be refreshed at the end, we take the TT.
I am biased, but look at a Lotus Evora. More comfortable, better ride, excellent handling, way more storage space, available tyres, cheaper servicing. My n/a Evora has averaged 41mpg on a 120 mile motorway run at 80mph and averages 32mpg overall. Mine is a 20k miles pa daily driver and is fine in town/traffic.
I run a Cayman S PDK as daily driver. I did 4000 miles with the standard exhaust before changing it to PSE. The PSE is ever so slightly louder than the standard exhaust even when its switched off, there isn't much in it though and PSE sounds awesome when you are on it.
Previous cars were VW Scirocco tdi and BMW 330Ci before that. The only issue in terms of refinement of a PDK Cayman compared to the other two is cabin noise. There is more engine noise and more road roar on the motorway but its not unbearable, I just crank the stereo up.
Previous cars were VW Scirocco tdi and BMW 330Ci before that. The only issue in terms of refinement of a PDK Cayman compared to the other two is cabin noise. There is more engine noise and more road roar on the motorway but its not unbearable, I just crank the stereo up.
I use my 981s as a Daily Driver and for the most part it works pretty well. PDK (in particular) gives relaxed cruising - though I chose the 3.4 because the gears are very long and the 3.4 pulls them much better than the 2.7 (which I also had in mind to buy initially). On the motorway you'll be in and out of 7th gear pretty often with the 2.7 - much less so with the 3.4. If you choose PASM the ride is excellent,even by family saloon standards, and pretty good otherwise. Personally I deliberately avoided Sports Suspension - but others are quite happy with the firmer ride it gives. If ride is an issue stick with 18 or 19" wheels - but it's by no means bad with 20" ones either.
Noise - tyre roar on course surfaces is the biggest issue for me, though bump-thump is very well suppressed (on Pirelli Pzeros which are one of the noisier options and not well liked by many). Tyre noise is worse with larger wheels (if the official figures are to be believed). Overall noise is greater than an average family saloon - enough to make an expensive stereo a bit of a waste - but not for me unduly intrusive or enough to limit conversation most of the time. I notice others regard it as unduly noisy and I do wonder whether they have manuals (lower geared in 6th than PDK in seventh) or the sports exhaust. But it all depends on what your benchmark is.
Luggage space is good - you can't fit really big suitcases in, but several smaller ones and squashy bags are fine. As pointed out, trying to lift sacks of potatoes into or out of the (deep) front boot isn't advised.
The standard seats are pretty good, Sports buckets will hold you in better, but make getting in and out harder and don't height adjust.
It's important to find out the spec of the car you are driving - suspension and wheel options in particular.
Noise - tyre roar on course surfaces is the biggest issue for me, though bump-thump is very well suppressed (on Pirelli Pzeros which are one of the noisier options and not well liked by many). Tyre noise is worse with larger wheels (if the official figures are to be believed). Overall noise is greater than an average family saloon - enough to make an expensive stereo a bit of a waste - but not for me unduly intrusive or enough to limit conversation most of the time. I notice others regard it as unduly noisy and I do wonder whether they have manuals (lower geared in 6th than PDK in seventh) or the sports exhaust. But it all depends on what your benchmark is.
Luggage space is good - you can't fit really big suitcases in, but several smaller ones and squashy bags are fine. As pointed out, trying to lift sacks of potatoes into or out of the (deep) front boot isn't advised.
The standard seats are pretty good, Sports buckets will hold you in better, but make getting in and out harder and don't height adjust.
It's important to find out the spec of the car you are driving - suspension and wheel options in particular.
PorscheGT4 said:
A Cayman is great at doing the boring stuff, the issue is the "981 Cayman 2.7 PDK " is a boring car imo.
The important part of this predictable post is imo because that's all it is. Manual or PDK. both have their merits and the choice of which is best for you is yours. My preference is PDK all the way.
why make it a Manual vs PDK ffs, WHY bring that UP ?
I had a loan 2.7 981 2 weeks ago and found it dull, understeering and slow with sub par steering and crap tyres, be it manual or PDK.
the long ratio's in the PDK car I had just seem to go on for ever on a 2.7 also maybe because it's slow it takes so long to reach top speed in each gear.
I hated the car even if it were manual, it would still be a slow, understeery and lifeless thing.
I had a loan 2.7 981 2 weeks ago and found it dull, understeering and slow with sub par steering and crap tyres, be it manual or PDK.
the long ratio's in the PDK car I had just seem to go on for ever on a 2.7 also maybe because it's slow it takes so long to reach top speed in each gear.
I hated the car even if it were manual, it would still be a slow, understeery and lifeless thing.
Edited by PorscheGT4 on Thursday 9th April 17:11
If touring with luggage is an issue - try looking at http://www.roadsterbag.co.uk/Porsche-Roadsterbag-l...
RBT0 said:
If you're looking for a daily special car it is perfect.
Every journey feels special.
But as pure daily, not my cup of thea, I would go for an hot hatch.
I can certainly understand where you are coming from - compared with a GTI Golf a Cayman is certainly noisier and much more impractical. A hot Megane much closer - and I'd favour the Cayman. Compared with an Elise, it's a limo. Compared with my last car - an Impreza - more noise, less ride comfort, close call. But ignore our views - it's yours that counts.Every journey feels special.
But as pure daily, not my cup of thea, I would go for an hot hatch.
Thanks all for the replies and for giving me some good insight before I drive one. I wouldn't have owned a Smart Roadster for the past 9 years/125,000 miles if I took reviews and opinions as gospel but they certainly help level expectations. Guess I just don't want to do what I did with my Honda and assume that every drive is going to be like the test drive.
Had a base 2.7 Cayman, alrhough manual, for a couple days. Absolutely loved it. You could thrash it hard on the back roads and then just cruise on the motorway.
Certainly didn't seem slow or uncomfortable. Less crashy than my Golf GTi and compared to my 911 it was comfortable, smoothe, quiet and a relaxing place to be. Could have traded the old girl in, but then when got out of the Cayman into the 911 I realised what the kettle lacked 😃
Still a great car though
Certainly didn't seem slow or uncomfortable. Less crashy than my Golf GTi and compared to my 911 it was comfortable, smoothe, quiet and a relaxing place to be. Could have traded the old girl in, but then when got out of the Cayman into the 911 I realised what the kettle lacked 😃
Still a great car though
So I have a 981 Boxster S, with 20 inch wheels.
It is my day to day car.
Does about 60 miles a day commuting to and from work, combination of country roads and dual carriageways
Then at least once month spends a few hours on the m25 going round to see the old man, 2.5 hours each way.
A bit of context, I had 3 Audi TT before the Boxster, the last one being the MK II TTS.
For me no issues with it. Having said that I have not gone to Ikea and tried to get a wardrobe in the boot
It is my day to day car.
Does about 60 miles a day commuting to and from work, combination of country roads and dual carriageways
Then at least once month spends a few hours on the m25 going round to see the old man, 2.5 hours each way.
A bit of context, I had 3 Audi TT before the Boxster, the last one being the MK II TTS.
For me no issues with it. Having said that I have not gone to Ikea and tried to get a wardrobe in the boot
Have you considered a Boxster? Use mine (BS 981, PASM PTV PSE PDK) as a daily and its fine. No,its better than fine, its great. I was torn between a Boxster and a Cayman, Cayman wins on looks (subjective) but the lack of a soft top and, most importantly, the cabin noise in the Cayman tilted the scales. Just done St Malo-Biarritz-Valencia-Malaga-Amendoeira(Portugal)-Somport-Angouleme-Dieppe, 4500 miles, 31+mpg and no stress whatsoever. It worked giving it large up the Ronda road (sublime, early Sunday morning with the top down 
) and cruised at 90-100mph with no discomfort all day long, top up or down. From my (limited) experience in the Cayman I would venture that the cabin is not such a relaxed space as is the Boxster. 18 months in, 18k miles and still in love. If you only need 2 seats I cannot think of a better daily. On the other hand, if transporting large sacks of birdseed is your thing, you may consider a Land Rover
) and cruised at 90-100mph with no discomfort all day long, top up or down. From my (limited) experience in the Cayman I would venture that the cabin is not such a relaxed space as is the Boxster. 18 months in, 18k miles and still in love. If you only need 2 seats I cannot think of a better daily. On the other hand, if transporting large sacks of birdseed is your thing, you may consider a Land Rover The Box does it better in my opinion. I have the Box but have had Cayman loaners which I've done many miles in.
Essentially, it's quieter than the Cayman with the lid on, and on the other hand more special and more fun when you take the lid off.
As a daily it's great. I have PDK and std suspension, but omitted PSE. I've had loaners with PSE with a view to retrofitting but declined. Try this out for yourself as there's a drone which may or may not affect you depending on the driving you do. It also has more effect in the Cayman due to the reverb in the cabin.
Both are brilliant cars. The phone is cr4p though.
S
Essentially, it's quieter than the Cayman with the lid on, and on the other hand more special and more fun when you take the lid off.
As a daily it's great. I have PDK and std suspension, but omitted PSE. I've had loaners with PSE with a view to retrofitting but declined. Try this out for yourself as there's a drone which may or may not affect you depending on the driving you do. It also has more effect in the Cayman due to the reverb in the cabin.
Both are brilliant cars. The phone is cr4p though.
S
Edited by stevod on Thursday 9th April 22:55
Edited by stevod on Thursday 9th April 22:57
Edited by stevod on Thursday 9th April 23:00
I had a 981 2.7 PDK for the best part of a year as a DD. I can certainly understand people's point regarding the noise, but it never bothered me that much. I'd say it was absolutely fine as a commuter car, but I used to do Cardiff to Leeds quite often and I usually found the last 50-100 miles or so quite uncomfortable (I had the standard seats). I wouldn't have wanted to do your in-laws trip in it - certainly not all in one go! That said, I sold it to buy an F-Type coupe, and I picked up my Cayman GTS a few weeks ago, so I obviously missed it!
I have 18 way seats, cruise control, and Burmester stereo and I think they all add to the comfort of it as a daily. The 20" wheels do make the ride more uncomfortable than smaller wheels and are noisier.
Point is that comfort is probably more spec dependant on a 981 than it is on some other cars.
Sports suspension, sports exhaust, carbon buckets and big wheels all make it less refined while 18 way seats, small wheels and a nice stereo make it more refined.
Point is that comfort is probably more spec dependant on a 981 than it is on some other cars.
Sports suspension, sports exhaust, carbon buckets and big wheels all make it less refined while 18 way seats, small wheels and a nice stereo make it more refined.
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