FirstDrive: Porsche Cayman S Porsche's new Cayman S is, like most Porsches, set to become an icon, says Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor
It's becoming something of a routine of late: Porsche launches new model, motoring press swoon. Car sells like hotcakes and the Germans' bank balance bulges once again. It was into this eternal circle that we went to Chianti in Italy to see the new Porsche Cayman S.
Named after a small, nimble south American alligator, the Cayman is the latest two-seater mid-engined coupé from Porsche. Cynics suggest it's nothing more than a hard-topped Boxster, sharing as it does the same platform and engine, albeit significantly revamped on both counts.
There's no taking away from its gorgeous lines, though to differentiate it from the Boxster, you really need to see it in side profile. Then it harks back to the days of old, reminiscent of the likes of the 550 Coupé of the 1950s or the 904 Carrera GT. It's the sort of car that makes your heart skip a beat. And that's before you turn the key. Take it on the tight, winding roads of rural Italy, with your ears filled with the glorious GT sound of its engine and you can't help falling in love.
It's the first car in years for which the entire pool of motoring pundits were tucked in their beds early with excitement about getting behind the wheel the next morning. Cars were available from 7.30am, but there was already a queue for breakfast at 6.30am. These are the same motoring hacks whose driveways resemble new car forecourts.
You start to grasp what it's all about when you get behind the wheel. The Cayman S has the balance and poise of a ballet dancer. You only have to round two or three corners and you realise you're in safe hands. It's urging you on: "Go on, keep your foot on the accelerator. Don't worry, I'll look after you."
Put the incredible cornering, the glorious engine note and the stunning looks together and you might just think that life in a tent or sleeping in the office car park mightn't quite so bad, if that's what you have to do to afford one. The usually cynical motoring hacks were left with just one question: who would bother buying a 911?
The Cayman is powered by a 3.4-litre engine (a reworked version of the Boxster S 3.2-litre unit) offering 295bhp and available with 6-speed manual transmission or Porsche's 5-speed Tiptronic system. Those who like to drive will opt for manual.
Performance stats are impressive: 0-100km/h in 5.4 seconds and a top speed is put at 275km/h (183mph). To put that sort of power in perspective, the Cayman S recently completed the northern circuit of the famous Nurburgring in 8 minutes 20 seconds; faster than a Boxster S and just slightly slower than the 911 Carrera. But it's not about the time it takes, it's the way it gets there, with an acoustic track that would make many a petrolhead's Top 10 hits.
The eminently practical Germans are also proud of its luggage space and six airbags. Porsche point to extra boot space in the rear and a smaller compartment in the front, combining to offer 410 litres of luggage space. Practical, but hardly family motoring.
Criticisms - we had a few. First was the trade-off between styling and visibility. In a straight line - the direction a Cayman belongs - it's perfect, but try pulling out of a junction or God forbid, reversing into a tight parking space, and you'll be dependent on a reliable passenger to guide you. Similarly, when shod with the lovely 19" alloys, the turning circle is bus-like. In daily city living these will annoy and take away from the joy of ownership. There's a quick remedy, of course: an open road, preferably with plenty of corners. This car was made to be driven, not to crawl along the M50.
So is our name on the order book? Alas, like the tinny chime of an alarm clock these cold dark mornings, we were brought back from our racing dream by the mention of an Irish price as we prepared to depart: €96,850 for the Cayman S, before you bother to peruse the options list.
Perhaps if we had not heard the night before that the pre-tax price of this car in Germany is €50,000, we would not have been so down-hearted. With tax, you can have it on the road there for the hefty figure of €58,000. That's the price of a mid-range executive model here.
The problem is that, to protect your residuals, you'll have to opt for the leather trim and the improved stereo system; perhaps even the Porsche Active Safety Management system (PASM). That should see you leave the dealer €105,000 lighter. For us that's too close to 911 money. The Cayman is fabulous. It's a joy to drive and more fun than a Boxster, something we never thought we'd say.
We'd buy one in the morning if the price was right. But there's the rub. Because it's aimed at the gap between the Boxster and 911, prices are always going to be close to €100,000. Many Porsche owners are lifetime fans, who've promised themselves one when they make their first million. So when you opt to get the Porsche, it's hard to see why most won't splash out that little bit more and go for the 911, an icon in itself even without the Porsche badge.
That seems to be the only problem with the Cayman S, here at least. Yet, given that every other Porsche model has been an unmitigated success, no doubt there'll be a waiting list when it officially arrives at the end of November. As for us paupered masses, perhaps when the regular Cayman comes out in the next year or so, Porsche, with its vast cash store, will decide to take pity on us all.