Exploring the New Porsche Cayman: Technology, Performance & Comfort

[Cyrus]

I took my car to the shop to get the timing belt and water pump changed today, so I had a few hours of sitting around. I took a stroll to the Porsche dealership next door and talked to the sales man on the new Cayman and Cayman-s. He gave me a little booklet on the car and I read through it. I was very impressed by the amount of technology into this car, so I thought I'd share. From an engineering perspective, it's quite impressive!

http://ridestory.com/wp-content/porsche_cayman_s.jpg

http://www.casafree.com/modules/xcgal/albums/userpics/16904/normal_Porsche_cayman-219-1024.jpg​

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Aerodynamics

• Drag coefficient of 0.29 ( I don't know how good that is, but I have heard porsches tend to be bad shapes aerodynamically and need big rear wings to fix this).

• The Cayman has a rear wing that extends at speeds above 75mph for extra downforce.

Engine

• 2.7 liter, 245-hp flat-six 24-valve (mid engine)

• 201lb-ft of torque between 4600-6000 rpm

• top speed 161 mph

Cayman-s

• 3.4L, -295Hp flat-six 24-valve(mid engine)

• -251lb-ft of torque with variocam plus which adjusts valve timing and lift as rpm changes.

• Oil pressure/temperature and level sensor that eliminates the need to check the dipstick. -that's cool.

• seperate coils on each spark plug so the computer can adjust ignition timing as needed.

• Oil changes every 20,000 miles!

• spark plugs every 60,000 miles

• timing chains are maintenance free for the life of the car.

• 0-60 5.1 seconds.

• top speed 171mph.

suspension

• Active Suspension Management - can be programmed for normal or aggressive damping. (Up to 10-mm reduction in ride height).

Gear box options

• 6-speed manual.

Cayman-s

• Tiptronic paddle shift- 0.2 second shift time

• automatic downshifts on heavy breaking

• gearshift supression when cornering

• incline sensor for better uphill acceleraton and downhill engine braking

• automatic upshifting when traction is threatened during breaking on wet roads.

suspension

• Macpherson-type coil-over struts

• Active suspension adjusts the damping at each wheel to eliminate pitch and roll

lighting

• Bi-xenon lights that use blue light on the same wavelength as natural lighting.

• Dynamic headlight-leveling to adjust the beams to compensate for changes in attitude during braking or acceleration.

• headlamp washers.

environment

• 85% of the components can be recycled.

Comfort and personalization

• water repellent side windows

• ultrasonic sensors integrated into the rear bumper for parking

• front and rear cargo trunks. (it's a mid engine)

• fiber optic connections for audio and communication systems.

That's a pretty slick car. The price is 55-60k US. Anyone here own/drive one before? Buy me one Evo, you're rich.

 

[moose]

Why did they give it such a sluggish engine?

 

[Anttech]

poorman's 911

 

[Cyrus]

poorman's 911

It's 10k cheaper than a 911, and the guy at the dealership said it drives better because its mid engine.

 

[Andy]

I agree, its a poor mans 911. The engineering is impressive but i don't think there's anything on that car that's revolutionary.

 

[Cyrus]

Yeah, but it is still a lot better than my honda accord

 

[Anttech]

It's 10k cheaper than a 911, and the guy at the dealership said it drives better because its mid engine.

Never believe a Car Saleman

 

[Cyrus]

Well, mid engine is supposed to be the optimal place to put the engine in a car, not the rear.

 

[marlon]

cool ride, just a few more movies and i am able to pay for it...

marlon

 

[J77]

Surely, the Boxer's the poor man's 911 - is this the poor man's boxer??!?

I'll base my decision on what Jeremy thinks of it - when they review it...

 

[Cyrus]

Surely, the Boxer's the poor man's 911 - is this the poor man's boxer??!?

I'll base my decision on what Jeremy thinks of it - when they review it...

You actually listen to what Jeremy thinks? Is he even qualified to make any decisions? He's not a professional test driver, so what's his weight worth? He is just entertainment. (albeit, quite good).

If you want to judge the car, drive it yourself and read a real review.

 

[Cyrus]

cool ride, just a few more movies and i am able to pay for it...

marlon

Yeah, but a corvette z06 is going to smoke this car for the same price (295 vs. 505 Hp).
and ( 2954 vs 3150 lbs).

 

[Andy]

But the corvette will spend more time in the garage than on the road. The boxter is cheaper than the cayman and the cayman is cheaper than the 911 but they are all basically the same car with slightly different engines and slightly different body stylings. Porsche designers really are the laziest people on the planet.

Jeremy's opinion does count because although he isn't a race driver, he has driven hundreds of cars to be able to compare it to. I could drive the cayman and think its the best car ever because i only have a handful of cars to compare it too whereas jeremy can compare it to hundreds of cars.

 

[Cyrus]

Ok, so he's going to compare it to a 250k ferrari and complain...what's new?

Driving lots of cars does not make you qualified to compare them. You have to do tests, not just one lap around a track. That show is a joke from a techinical standpoint. Oooh look, its on top of the lap board, it must be the best car!...yeah, right...

I think its Motortrend? that compares cars. They have a course, brake, stop, 0-60. They do a bunch of different tests with different cars and drivers and average the info, and they test all kinds of cars. That's a much better gauge of a car than TopGear.

He was complaining about one car, the ride is too stiff...yeah, because its for going around a track, not sunday driving.

It's nothing but his opinion. He always starts off, we took this car out and had loads of fun. Then the show ends and he says the car stinks... what?

Why don't they have the test drivers of the cars from the company do the laps? They can drive the car a lot better than the stig. They would know the cars limits.

How do you know the corvette will spend more time in the garage? It's a new car, just like the cayman. Each might have problems associated with being a new design.

 

[3trQN]

It has 2 too many wheels for my taste, the less wheels a machine has the better... :)

 

[Cyrus]

He complained about the corvette and its leaf springs, yet it went around the track faster than a 911GT3, a Lotus, and was 1 second behind a lambo which costs more than twice the price...yeah...whatever.

 

[Curious3141]

It's a nice car, certainly, but my problem with cars like this and the Boxster has always been that they're a compromise of sorts. The epithet "poor man's 911" wasn't earned for no reason : these cars deliver middling sportscar performance at a middling price.

The other problem with these cars is styling. the profile of a 911 is instantly recognisable, but because of tedious repetition, it's also instantly boring. I wish Porsche would do something different with the styling of its flagship performance line (and no, that doesn't include the Cayenne).

I am for all-out performance, damn the comfort, damn the luxury. As such, I'd rather go for a cheap car that delivers even more impressive performance (like an Evo or STI). (In fact, I drive a pretty modified WRX that's much faster than a stock STI). If I become a good bit more well-to-do and want a status symbol, I'd go with a BMW M3/M5/M6.

 

[Cyrus]

BMW M3/M5/M6-

But those are all sedans converted into sports cars, that's not a sports car... A porsche, ferrari, corvette, z3,z5,z8, s2000, those are sports cars. M3 is a family sedan with a big ass engine in it and huge tires...ehhhh. The m5 has four doors for crying out loud!

What kind of sports car has rear seats?! Also, GPS, who the hell needs GPS in a sports car!? It's a sports car! Take it out on the weekend to the track and drive it fast!

 

[Curious3141]

BMW M3/M5/M6-

But those are all sedans converted into sports cars, that's not a sports car... A porsche, ferrari, corvette, z3,z5,z8, s2000, those are sports cars. M3 is a family sedan with a big ass engine in it and huge tires...ehhhh. The m5 has four doors for crying out loud!

What kind of sports car has rear seats?! Also, GPS, who the hell needs GPS in a sports car!? It's a sports car! Take it out on the weekend to the track and drive it fast!

The line between sports car and fast sedans is rapidly blurring, so much so that the most popular new performance cars are sports sedans.

Of course, purists would prefer that "sports car" referred only to 2 seater, 2 door cars that go like stink and handle on rails, and I don't disagree with that view. From a pragmatic perspective, such a car would be a pure toy. It would be fun to have as a weekend fun car or track car, but for day to day living, another car would be needed.

Now we have sports sedans which are 4 door, 4 seater cars that go like stink, handle on rails, *but still* manage to hold a family plus dog/groceries/golf bags etc. Cars like the WRX, the STI, the Evo, the M series Bimmers and the S and RS series Audis. Having a family and kid myself, I prefer the practicality of a sedan, and not having the deepest of pockets, I like having my need for speed met with the same car.

 

[Cyrus]

Yep day to day, my honda accord. When I'm outta school I am going to be me a nice fast weekend ride. Maybe a 911 turbo, corvette, or 355 Berlinetta?

 

[Curious3141]

Yep day to day, my honda accord. When I'm outta school I am going to be me a nice fast weekend ride. Maybe a 911 turbo, corvette, or 355 Berlinetta?

Heh, nice wish list, hope you succeed. I wish we could get the Corvette here in Sg, it's a nice, fast American car, and it handles well by all accounts (compared to, say, the Dodge Viper, which is more of a straight line monster).

 

[Mk]

It has 2 too many wheels for my taste, the less wheels a machine has the better... :)

You're in luck! Lamborghini is coming out with a sweeeet 300 horsepower unicycle next fall.

 

[Cyrus]

You're in luck! Lamborghini is coming out with a sweeeet 300 horsepower unicycle next fall.

HAH! That made me laugh out loud! <smacks hand on table>

 

[rcgldr]

The Cayman is based on the Boxter, but has some Porsche components. The Cayman, being a 2 seater, is lighter than the Carerra (911?, I thought the only 911 being made is the Turbo 911, almost 3500 lbs).