Sibling rival
Ted Macauley prefers the Cayman to Porsche’s more famous 911
When dinner party guests discover what I do for a living, the most frequently asked question is: “What car would you buy?” My response is: “A Porsche Cayman.” And I did. Buy one, that is.
After a week’s test drive, tearing around Germany’s autobahns, I couldn’t resist. What’s more, now that Porsche has released phase two of the Cayman, I am going to swap my current model for a brand new one. It is without doubt the most enjoyable car I have ever driven.
The Cayman was cast as a second-stringer to the 911 range, with a US$28,500 gulf between them. It puzzles me that the original Cayman never really caught the public’s imagination and, while it quickly became the best car in Porsche’s portfolio, it has always been seen as a lesser object of desire than the 911.
Now that the German geniuses have given it a marginally bigger engine, improved its performance, fuel consumption, suspension, wheels and tyres, and barely fiddled with the price, the Cayman is a force to be reckoned with.
It is, quite honestly, a bit of an odd looker compared with the 911, but it does the business without any fuss. What’s more, it’s not just a car for high-speed blasts along motorway stretches – it’s equally at ease loping along in the lower gears. I wonder how long it will be before Porsche makes an open-top version – that would really throw me into a dilemma. I am hooked, and you will be too.
www.porsche.com
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