Disappointed with the 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera S’s discordant rear-engine dynamics, I book a test drive of a 2014 Porsche Cayman S. I’ve sampled 987, 981 and 982 generation Caymans on prior occasions and found them dynamically excellent. Perhaps I’m a mid-engine man?
Sadly, my 981 Cayman S test drive starts out on the wrong foot. The test car is in poor repair. Its grill is covered in spider webs, its headlights yellowed with sun damage, its door trim coming loose, and its engine fails to start. A jump-kit fixes the flat battery, the engine fires, and I’m sent out onto the road.
My test car is a lightly-optioned example. Its shortlist of additions includes the automatic PDK transmission, heated 14-way power seats, dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming mirrors, and xenon headlights. In Porsche-money, this is a $75k car. Now that it’s six years used, the Cayman S carries a $40k asking price.
But it doesn’t look like $75k worth of luxury. The black exterior is anonymously bland, and the interior’s inky sea of plastic fails to raise my pulse. Oh well! The seats are comfortable, the controls are well laid-out, and the body is appropriately compact for a lithe sports car. Let’s see if this car inspires me on the road.
A blast up the nearest highway on-ramp is all it takes for me to forgive the Cayman S for its indifferent appearance. The 325 hp Cayman S feels as quick as the 385 hp 911 Carrera S I drove an hour ago, and it sounds better as it climbs through the revs! Tucking the engine behind the seatbacks lets the flat-6 play prominently in the cabin. When I lift off the gas, the 3.4L engine snorts and cackles. It’s an artificial embellishment, but I appreciate the injection of fuel—and fun!—into the exhaust.
I beeline for the nearest cloverleaf interchange and tuck the Cayman S into the first long right-hander. Like the well-oiled machine it is, the Cayman S rotates effortlessly into the corner and then equitably distributes the load between its axles. I carve along the cloverleaf, making minute throttle inputs. The Cayman’s poise is sensitive throttle changes, and I can steer the car with the throttle. The engine’s power seems in balance with the chassis’ grip. The 325 galloping horses won’t boil the rear tires in a straight line but combine hard cornering with over-eager throttle application, and power oversteer is on call.
This morning, the 911 did a two-step dance when I asked it to change directions. I twisted the wheel, and its front axle responded a beat or two before its rear. The Cayman S is this dynamic unblemished. Its two ends move in polished harmony, with one never waiting on the other.
I’m a steering snob, and before trying it, I poo-pooed the 981 Cayman and 991 911 for their first-generation electric power-assist steering (EPAS). I must admit I was partially wrong: The 981 Cayman’s steering is quick, accurate, and naturally weighted. For precision driving, I approve of this EPAS. But the Cayman’s EPAS is the strong silent type; I wish it was more chatty about road textures and impacts.
Though I bet a manual transmission would make interacting with the car and engine even more fun, the PDK is as flawless as ever. The steering wheel’s twin fore-and-aft sliders work well when for manual shifting. I don’t (yet) have the muscle memory to use them without pause, but their position is perfect for a 9-and-3 grip, and their action is smooth and easy.
Yes, the 981 Cayman S is dynamically a polished gem of a sports car. No wonder the Porsche-forum rats tout it as the affordable alternative to the 911 GT3! Driving bliss is at hand (and foot) when you’re whipping a Cayman S around a canyon, autocross or track.
And how does the Cayman S handle the mundane? This Cayman’s base fixed-rate dampers provided a firm but tolerable ride on blistered city streets. Its plush seats further softened the kicks from the road. The freeway road noise was elevated in the Cayman, but a loud cabin is a sin shared with the 911. The Cayman’s cabin is snug, but it appears to have adequate storage on the rear parcel shelf and in the front trunk. Except for its family-unfriendly two-seat configuration, the Cayman S is a car I could drive every day.
Yes, it turns out I’m a mid-engine man. The Cayman S’s quicksilver agility and perfect poise put a grin on my face. And that grin spreads into a broad smile when I drive off, into the sunset, with the rorty flat-6 blaring behind my shoulders!
7/26/20 11:18AM
Mike's Steering Column 