2014 Porsche Cayman Full Test

Edmunds.com

2014 Porsche Cayman Full Test

We test the 2014 Porsche Cayman on the track and on real roads to see if the all-new second generation poses an increasing threat to the Porsche 911.

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empoweredbc

"The other Porsche coupe" is now the BETTER Porsche coupe!

duck87

A car that weighs the same as a Civic, yet comes equipped with 235 and 265 section tires. It's also mid-engined and has a low CoG. Is it ANY surprise this thing sticks like there's no tomorrow? Just an amazing sports car.

joefrompa

275 HP in a rwd 3000 pound package is probably good for mid to high 13 second quarter mile times, which is plenty fast. Your 0-60 time is questionable, no offense meant anyway since it's a crappy measurement of acceleration. The only thing I can think of is maybe 1st and 2nd gears are just a bit too tall to really rock out acceleration.

That all being said this is the single most desirable NEW porsche I have looked at in some time. A nearly 8000 rpm redline, a beautifully appointed cabin, enough cargo space for real duties, lovely simple gauges. And you just know that flat six sounds gorgeous bouncing off that rear glass.

And darnit, I actually like this new cabin more than the previous one by a fair bit. Which eliminates the chance of getting it any time soon at a post-depreciation price.

c7s

FYI. They named it after the Caiman. A species of crocodile known for being agile and quick. They did not name it after the Cayman Islands. But overall, good article, great car.

ghills

The car still has the bubble forehead. Just so wrong.

sharpend

Sigh. Why can't anyone test a Porsche without all those options? Testers praise the base price but they NEVER test a base car. It sure would be nice to see a review of a no option 'entry-level' car to see if all those acronym options can be left out entirely and still be left with a car worth buying.

1krider1

The Cayman is named after a breed of Alligator, not an Island.
Insideline journos need to step up their game.

joefrompa

Sharpend - Obscure, but Porsche magazine Excellence tested a "stripper" cayman in 2007. 5-speed manual, base engine, 17" wheels, no real options.

They absolutely loved it.

I had a '99 boxster at the time with 60k miles on it in impeccable condition. I sold it, which was the right choice at the time, but I miss it. However: The original 2.5 liter engine and 5-speed manual was too weak for me to love. Sure, it handled as if the Fist of God himself was holding the car down....but too little go for me.

Also, the original boxster had a bit more chassis flex than my tastes allowed. Top down it was great. Top up and you noticed the flex.

The cayman is calling me for round two, especially with these new engines.

jederino

@ghills, I guess I do see that it has a bubble-head a bit. Ok, it's not as gorgeous as the 911 to my eyes, but it looks better than any sports car up to its price.

cjasis

@sharpend - the testers only get what the manufacturers provide. PCNA is at fault here for only offering highly optioned cars, not the testers.

agentorange

@joefrompa I wonder if Porsche deliberately gave the base car has been given the crazy gearing to blunt its 0-60 time. It could also be a cost cutting measure in that they used the same ratios despite the taller tyres. That way they also get better EPA nu

cjasis

BTW Edmunds - Porsche's seat labeling for the US market is somewhat misleading. The seats shown in the pictures accompanying this article are labeled as "sports seats" but they are not, in fact, the more aggressively bolstered, optional true sports seats (sold as sports seats plus or adaptive sports seats plus). The base "sports" seats are good, the optional seats are much, much better. Sadly, it doesn't look like the lightweight, carbon fiber sports bucket seats which were standard on the GT3, Boxster Spyder and Cayman R of the last generation are coming across the pond. Shame. Those are really, realy good sets but the side airbags are problematic for current US crash testing (or so I've read).

engineer_mba

Impressive sports car even with the base engine. The low polar moment of inertia and low center of gravity give this car handling that nearly defies physics. The long list of expensive options is ridiculous though. Optional steering wheel? Was the windshield optional too? Perhaps goggles are standard. The one characteristic that helps give the Cayman (and Boxter) its amazing handling - the low mounted mid-engine - is a mixed blessing. Sometimes it's nice to be able to pop the hood and admire the engine - something that cannot be easily done with this car. Great sports car none the less.

jederino

@enginer_mba: The other downside to mid-engine layout is that, for safety's sake, Porsche tuned for mild understeer. That's maybe splitting hairs, because most rear-engined cars may have even more understeer (e.g. 3-series).

engineer_mba

@jederino - True that.

engineer_mba

@jederino - Also, I think that instead of tuning the chassis of rear-engine and mid-engine cars for understeer for safety and legal liability, auto manufacturers should allow more neutral handling (more rotation) and let the stability control correct any

markstudy

Great review... more details than any of the others I've read. Thanks for testing the base model, I was getting tired of reading about the "S" in every publication.

I drove the 2014 Cayman (981) and the 2012 Cayman (987) and agree that the new Cayman is faster and handles better.

I ended up buying the old Cayman (987) as it kept me on the edge of my seat when it came to driving hard on public roads.

The 981's new bigger wheels, longer wheelbase, wider track, lower height, higher belt-line... all work together to improve the safety and speed of the new Cayman, but for me.. take away some of the nervousness, drama, danger and sense of driver involvement that I got from the 2012 Cayman on the same public roads (I drive aggressively on the street, but only get to the track once or twice a year).

I took both cars to a fast/twisty section of back road. The 981 took the road easily with no effort on my part. I was able to maintain a normal conversation with the salesman. The 987 was a bit more of a handful, tested my skills, and left me feeling exhilarated when we finished.

What I want to hear most from these type of car comparison test in the future.... is when do cars reach a tipping point? On Public roads with-in reasonable liberties from posted speed-limits... as cars get "better" do they become too easy to drive?

After tackling a wild stretch of road in both cars, I walked away from the 2014 Cayman ready for a business meeting. After the same stretch in the 2012 Cayman, I walked away slightly shaking from the adrenalin, ready for a shower, and with a huge smile on my face.

jederino

@markstudy: which engines did you try, and what did you end up with?

assad1

Sorry to say for such a nice looking car, but it has a MAJOR PROBLEM. Many Boxster + Cayman owners are having a very bad stall problem with their PDK (see 10 pages of complaints!!)

http://www.planet-9.com/981-cayman-boxster-problems-complaints/82893-base-boxster-hesitates-starting-dead-stop-10.html

My mate almost got wiped during a turn when his car failed to respond for about a second. VERY BAD PORSCHE!!!