The new Z4 compared to the Cayman

The new Z4 is gonna have 343hp 3.4-litre inline-six and six-speed manual gearbox that has already been engineered to its limits and is used in the current M3. Suppose to be at this January Detroit Autoshow. Any thoughts on this car....will it be able to beat the Cayman S? Although I think the Cayman's engine will be easier to tune than the already somewhat maxed out M3 engine. Not too mention the Cayman is alot more beautiful than the Z4.

Beat the Cayman at what?

Beat the Cayman in a straight line or on the track.

No chance, look at the 500hp M6 vs. the 325hp 911, the 911 beat the M6 by more than 6 seconds on Top Gear. HP means nothing in and of itself, I wish people would realize that...

I think in a straight line the Z4 will be slightly quicker.........but every other column goes in the Caymans favor......looks, handling, steering, style, quality, etc.

I realize thatI was just curious what people thought. Some numbers I've found <ul> [*]BMW M3 CSL - 7:50 (using 'R' Compound tires) [*]Porsche 996 GT3 - 7:54to 7:56 [*]Porsche 996 Turbo - 7:56 [*]Porsche 997 Carrera S - 7:59 to 8:02 [*]Porsche Cayman S - 8:11 to 8:20 [*]Porsche 993 Turbo - 8:12 [*]Porsche 997 Carrera 2 - 8:15 [*]BMW E46 M3 - 8:15 to 8:22 [*]Porsche 996 C2 - 8:17 [*]BMW Current Z4 - 8:32 [/list]

the Z4 is still downright ugly.

the Z4 is my favorite small r'ster beside MX5... and Z4 M is much better... but I'll take Cayman S anytime... though I'm planning to my both within 2 years...

True, I can't understand why BMW are having freaky grins on the front as a trademark for the M-series. The number 1 reason why I got into Porsche is because they can make the best sports cars with minimal horsepower which can overcome cars 100-200+hp more. And with the Z4 having 48-52hp more, going BMW quoted 0-60 in 5sec. (more like 5.2) and 155 mph instead of 177 mph in the Cayman (correct me if I'm wrong) with 0-60 in 4.8sec. BMW has only 30% reliability on their cars whereby Porsche is well above industry standard, which is really the best buy?

It really depends on what you are looking for, but I suspect the majority of the people here are going to favor the Cayman over a BMW. I don't have anything against BMW's but my 2005 Boxster S routinely was faster than M3's at the track, people forget about the weight of some of those BMW's as well as the suspensions and brakes which are not as good as the Porsche's. Despite what magazine numbers quoted, I never had a new M3 run away from me in a straight line either, in fact just the opposite I pulled on the M3, not a lot, but noticeably.

I think the new Z4 will win in a drag race and whilethat is only one measure of performance it isimportant to many folksdue to impromptu stop light drags. Competition is good and maybe the new Z4will make Porsche quit being stupid (detuning the Cayman S is absurd).

That's a good call John or at least release a CS/RS or turbo version of the Cayman. Either one of those would definately win all performance wise.But then again you always read online that Porsche doesn't want the cayman to hurt 911 sales much less beat it performance wise. It was made to fit right where it is price and performance wise between the boxster and the 911. I'm sure this is a whole other discussion as there are plenty of opinions why the Cayman S is detuned by Porsche.

I think the designs of the new porsche sports cars pay homage to the timeless classics (therefore they are instantly recognized as such) when compared to all the new cars of today. I have a hard time distinguishing BMW's and Toyota Scion/Lexus due to the headlight designs (you can add audi to this similar line up when the new tt comes out). Mercedes and the new Chryslers share so much in looks (look at the SL, SLK, and the Crossfire). I'm proud to look at my porsche boxster s and 911S everyday, as they look completely different from the new models and have a unique, but classic, silouette and character. So far everyday that I've driven my new porsche, I've either gotten thumbs up from young kids, to smiles and head nods from grandpa's. Its instantly recognizable as a sports car classic. The best compliment I recieved was from an owner of a Ferrari F360 modena parked next to me at the bank. He stepped out ofhis car and I caught him peeking at my interior through the driver's side window for a few minutes. He told me that he wanted to sell the Ferrari and own a classic... he wants to buy a porsche. The new Z4 coupe is hideous, IMO. Those jagged edges and lines with eyelashed headlights belong on an odd concept vehicle. I used to be a BMW fan until Bangle took over the designs. It has nothing on the Cayman in the looks department. Its a comparison between an oddly jagged piece of metal with convex and concave shapes versus a new interpretation of the classic porsche race cars of yesterday. But as for performance, we may have to look to Ruf. I remember racing an SLK55 in my boxster S and on the twisty roads I dusted him. Once we hit the straights, I ran out of juice, and he was able to pass me. (yes this was very frustrating, which is why I own a 911 now). Hopefully the future generations of cayman's will be endowed with more power to keep pace with the other coupes out there.

I completely agree with you the Z4 is hideous as well as the coupe.....but some people do love the look just whatever your personal preference. I think BMW was trying to incorporate stealth technology with the 'jagged edges'

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Good analogy to the stealth ship, chasesfury! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Too bad I don't like stealth airplanes!

Competition is great . We the consumer will benefit however it might be in the next generation Cayman. (Be prepared for the BMW press push which will be similar to the Caymans. We will see 30 articles that proclaim the Z4 to be the best thing since sliced bread.)

I would take the Cayman anytime over the BMW. Some because that is the car I dreamt of owning, and the other is it beats it in every area , cept maybe hp/torque. I get enough of the hp from my Corvette buddies that that does not bother me, as no matter how much hp you have, someone has more.

Sorry but the Z4 is not in the same class. One woulld also hope they've sorted their build quality issues on the Z4. I was unfortunate to own not one but two of them.. first one went back around 20 times in a 10 month period with faults. The new one they got me to replace the first was even worse, had sand embedded in the paintwork and electrical issues. It went back 3 times in a 2 week period before I rejected it.