Furious but not fast (enough!): Porsche Cayman S

I guess the title is very telling what the PORSCHE brand is mostly about...you have to pay sinfully BIG bucks (read: 911 Turbo, GT2/GT3 or C2S/C4S with PDK) to be both FAST & FURIOUS!!!! For the record, the porker you see above was kitted to RM735k (in Malaysia) back in 2006, which isn't exactly loose change.

Having had a good run in the 997 new generation (facelift) Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S with twin-clutch PDK in Berlin last year and also experienced the 997 Turbo at Sepang in 2007, it is somewhat a yawning experience driving the above. Yes, it may have a 3.4L boxer-6 pushing out some 295bhp at 6250 rpm and 340Nm at 4200 - 6000 rpm. Truth be told, I have had more fun in a Civic Type-R (FD2R). In a same outing up Ulu Yam, I could hardly push the Cayman S up to speed as quickly or as easily as the Honda. And let us not dwelve on the Mitsubishi Evo X or the twin-turbo BMW 335i coupe. No doubt the Cayman has brilliant chassis balance (midship et al), excellent body control around bends, powerful brakes and highly communicative steering but the 'ageing' 5-speed Tiptronic S-enabled drivetrain leaves much to be desired.

Sorry Pete for being blunt, but my Boxster isn't much slower than yours in overall drive feeling (which can be highly subjective, of course!). Like most will still say: "Whatever it is, a Porsche is still a PORSCHE!" :)

2009 Porsche Cayman and Cayman S with DFI and PDK!

Click on images to enlarge
Porsche’s Boxster-based coupe – first launched in 2006 - the Cayman and Cayman S, has undergone a nip and tuck for 2009. Beauty is however, not only skin deep for this mid-engine Porsche with an integral metal roof. Yes! You guessed right…like the recently facelifted 911(997), the Cayman range will also get new boxer engines, that fantastic twin-clutch PDK gearbox and higher performance suspension tweaks.

The base Cayman now beats with a 2.9-litre direct-injected flat-six motor capable of 265hp, a gain of 20hp over the previous 2.7L lump. The 3.4L boxer in the Cayman S is carried over to the 2009 model but now sports direct fuel injection (DFI). As such, it can now pump out 320 of naturally aspirated horses, which is a hike of 25hp over the previous S-model.

As with the 911 facelift exercise, both Cayman variants will have Porsche's Doppelkupplungetriebe (PDK) 7-speed automated-manual ‘box which can shift gears quicker with uninterrupted torque delivery. Other added benefit include a lower fuel consumption and lower emissions too. In PDK form, this Porsche ‘entry-level’ sports coupe will zip from zero to 100 km/h in 6 secs flat i.e. 0.1 seconds faster than the 5-speed manual older Cayman.

More interestingly, the 2009 Cayman S with PDK (using Launch Control) will be capable of century sprint figures of sub-5 sec now (4.9 sec to be exact) whereas the predecessor with a manual 6-speed shifter ‘only’ managed 5.9 sec. The previous Tiptronic S fitted Cayman S does it in 6.1 sec. Improved suspension geometry and damper settings have enhanced the 2009 Cayman/Cayman S’ handling and agility, while maintaining comfortable levels of ride pliancy. Expect Porsche Communication Management (PCM) as standard whereby the interface of the infotainment-navigation system is by way of a touch-screen LCD, not some cumbersome blob of rotary-knob-and-cursor-buttons variety. Impressively, Jaguar is the other premium auto maker utilising such smarter, simpler, more intuitive and hence safer-to-use touch-screen LCD interface. Lexus is the other luxury automotive brand employing similar solution to their in-car navi-infotainment system, in their GS and LS models.

The refreshed Cayman models are slated to go on sale by Q1 2009 in Europe. For Wheels reckon it will be Q4 2009, or even Q1 2010, for right-hand drive models to make it to Malaysian shores. Expect PDK to be standard equipment for all local Cayman models, with a likely 15% - 20% price premiums over the pre-facelift Caymans.

You may want to read these:

Porsche World Roadshow 2007 - Part 1
Porsche World Roadshow 2007 - Part 2