Cayman S test by AMS

German car magazine just tested the Cayman S in their latest issue, here are some of the test results: 0-100 kph in 5.5 sec. (Boxster S: 5.4 sec., 997 CS: 4.7 sec.) 0-160 kph in 12 sec. (Boxster S: 12.4 sec., 997 CS: 10.7 sec.) 0-200 kph in 19.2 sec. (Boxster S: 20.2 sec., 997 CS: 16.6 sec.) Weight (measured): 1415 kg (Boxster S: 1418 kg without PCCB and 997 Carrera S: 1482 kg) Cayman S was equipped with PCCB brake! 997 Carrera S was equipped with PASM (standard). Boxster S was equipped with standard brake. Slalom 18m: 66.1 kph (Boxster S: 67.9 kph, 997 CS: 66.9 kph) ISO Handling Test: 140.9 kph (Boxster S: 134.2 kph, 997 CS: 142.4 kph) High Speed Braking Test (from 190 kph to 0): 128 m (Boxster S without PCCB: 130 m and 997 CS: 129 m) Guys, I hate to say this but in my opinion, a 997 Carrera for almost the same money would be the better buy. The car tested in AMS had a price tag of over 81000 Euro, the 997 Carrera is slightly over 76000 Euro over here in Germany and the best thing, you can get it with the 20 mm chassis and the limited slip differential, not to speak about the almost identical weight figure and 30 HP more. Your choice guys...but I still don't see how the Cayman S fits in between the Boxster S and the 997 Carrera. The weight WITH PCCB is only 67 kg lighter than the weight of the Carrera S! The difference to a 997 CS with PCCB would be around 47 kg only. Not really impressive. BTW: AMS made a last comment about the fact that Cayman S owners may have to live with the 'smell' driving a 'poor man's' 911. Nothing more to say...I'm afraid. Just for comparison, the test data of the 997 Carrera: Weight: 1475 kg (standard brake) 0-100 kph: 4.9 sec. 0-160 kph: 11.4 sec. 0-200 kph: 18.1 sec. Slalom 18m: 66.8 kph ISO Handling Test: 141.9 kph Braking from 190 kph to 0: 130 m Do yourself a favor, buy for almost the same money an almost 'naked' 997 Carrera. Not only will you drive the REAL thing, you have more space and sooner or later, you'll want a 911 anyway because Porsche marketing secretly hopes that the Cayman S is some sort of jumping board to upgrade to the 911 sooner or later.

If you buy a 'naked 911', then people could say you couldn't afford a Carrera S, if you buy a Carrera 'S' then people could say your driving a poor mans 911 turbo. It's a poor argument in my opinion and doesn't hold up.

Not only that, but the price difference of about 18,000 EUR is not that insignificant. IMHO, wurlie

Personally I'd rather drive a well-specced Cayman S, than a "naked 911", and I'd still have a few thousand pouds in the bank ! Tonser

These performance tests are all over the map. The zero-to-sixty time for Cayman has now been absolutely verified to be 4.9, 5.1, 5.3 and now 5.5 seconds!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">I think it pretty clear some 911 owners see the Cayman as a threat and are trying to justify there purchase of a 911 or it's just 911 snobby. Those 997 figures are some of the best I've seen compared with the worst Cayman figures I've read. Having just sold a 996 I pretty sure the Cayman will be slower at the top end(bet the handlings miles better though) and its no great shock to me, but the basic 997 is a lot more money in the uk, an extra £14k( or $24.k) it hardly a small amount of cash. Other magazines mentioned how the Cayman is great value and questions the need for a basic 997. I'd be very surprised if the person who started this topic isn't a 911 owner in the past, present or future [/quote]

The CaymanS is still quicker around the 'Ring by 4 seconds over a base 911 - I'll be keeping my £14k thanks - don't want the engine slung out the back, extra weight, extra size, rear seats, tame looking front end, but do want the extra frills my options give me like PASM, leather, 19'wheels etc. It's the best of everything to me (obviously without driving one of course! /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/wink_smile.gif) . . . it will be the Porsche to own, period. Dean Edited by - V6 TT on 10/27/2005 07:40:35 AM

I have to agree that these test results don't match up to any of the other Cayman test results we've seen from how shall I say this, more test stringent publications. If someone wants a 911 get a 911, but I don't think the 911 is a 'better buy' than the Cayman S. BTW, there is no reason why a car that weighs less, with more horsepower and lower gearing would ever be slower 0-100 than either driver error or a defective car. (I'm talking about Cayman S vs. Boxster S here) So I don't put much stock in these results.

OK, lets see........that's about 20 favorable reviews that say that Cayman S has it all over the base 911 and 1 that says it doesn't........I'll go with the majority on this one.

Well I think the results are accurate insofar as they are within statistical error for measurement variations on the level of fractions of a second. This is why Porsche's numbers are 'conservative' because they understand the multiple variables that will produce such results. There is no good reason to believe that the CaymanS will be significantly faster than the 987S based on weight and HP differential, that really should be obvious, and I was not surprised that on any given day the 987S would outperform a CaymanS. As far as the pejorative comments from the tester ('smell') this should come as no surprise either since there are legions for whom the sun rises and sets on the 911. They may offer praises for extinct Porsche's so as to appear 'objective', but in fact they want no sibling rivalries to upset the (fragile??) world they live in. The Boxster was not well received by this cadre and the CaymanS has fared worse for reasons that should be obvious. The CaymanS isn't any better than it is not because of Porsche but because of 911 owners want it that way. The 'straw man' that is crippled by intent and then derided for failure litters Porsche's non 911 production car history. The best that can happen to the Cayman is that it survives or fails on its own merits or flaws rather than succumb to the negative 'buzz' from those who outwardly lament its failure to live up to its 'potential', but inwardly wouldn't want it any other way.

DaveC, Certainly the tests fall within a margin of error, but what I'm saying is that with the same driver on the same track on the same day in a pure acceleration test the Cayman S should be faster than the Boxster S. It has a weight, hP and gearing advantage, oh and an aerodynamic advantage too if that matters... /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/tounge_smile.gif I concur that some 911 owners will never love anything but the 911, same for 356 owners and the 356...

Each car is going to be different of course, but as K-Man S said an average Cayman S will be faster than a Boxster S pure and simple. You just never know what condition each car is in when tested.......this mag could have tested a Cayman that had been wrung out byten other testers before it landed in their hands......or was a new model off the line with less than break-in miles. Put a Boxster S, Cayman S, and base 997 right next to each other on the same day, same course, same driver, same options, same miles on each, same tires, etc.......and you might have valid test. I remember reading an old magazine article for the 928GT.......for which I own an example. The magazine actually posted a 14.3 second 1/4 mile time for it.......complete with a slipping clutch that had seen many 4K rpm drops by other testers. Funny how mine in perfect operating condition will lay down mid 13s easily.

The cayman is positioned where porsche wants it to be: below the 911. No matter what we say or do, they will always view it that way. Speak to your local dealer: they mention thatthe cayman isan all out driver oriented car. Then ask them to compare it to the 911; the salespeople are trained to state that the 911 is better and different! They basically will be able to sell you a car in either case due to price and personality of the car: cheaper yet better balanced mid-engined but slower = cayman s; more expensive, faster, racing pedigree rear engined and prestigious = 911. The old 996 and 986 competition favored the boxster s since they shared many components, just a little slower. Buyers of the 986S got the same interior, headlights of a 911 (comparing to a 996). They even used an old displacement size of a 911: 3.2L. The new cars are very different now: 987S vs 997S look different, don't have the same interiors. Sometimes I think the Car and Driver article is right: there really isn't much more reason to buy a cayman over a boxster unless you really like a hardtop. Otherwise, it is practically the same performance wise. Porsche could have done much more with a 0.2L increase from 3.2 to 3.4L. Look at the hp difference b/w the 997 and 997S: 325 vs 355hp. For the boxster vs cayman we only get 15hp! If porsche followed suit, I would definitely be in line for the cayman (310hp sounds much better). I don't mind waiting for a couple of years for the cayman. Once I can get a used one, I'll drop it off to Ruf or another tuner and get the enginepower past 911S levels!

i think the cayman is fine where it is in the porsche line up, i always liked the boxster and to be honest thought about buying one a few times. the only thing that put me off was the roof, i am not a roadster or convertable person. if i had one the roof would always be up. so along comes the cayman and bingo.......have to have one!. great looks from the boxster spilled over(as roadsters go the boxster imo is 1 of the best) and near 911 performance for 15k less(pounds). and as for the price touching a 911, i dont see that myself, nearly every option you put on a cayman you have to put on a base 911. i posted a new topic a couple of weeks ago that contained something i thought was a very good point, porsche have always charged a premium for bhp and the cayman has more than 987s(not a lot, but more none the less). there are some very windy roads where i come from in the uk, and i dont think imo that someone in a 911 will pull away from me on them when i am in the cayman, what more can you ask than that!... Edited by - confused on 10/27/2005 1:34:34 PM

Confused, I agree with you about cayman s and twisty roads. I was driving up a winding road in the hills of berkeley in my boxster s and with my friend's 996 C4S following behind me... I actually lost him after a few sharp corners and turns (and that's a C4S!). There's a lot more confidence in a mid-engined car's turns while there is definitely a learning curve and comfort level that has to be gained in taking sharp corners in the 911. Needless to say, he was only a few months used to his new C4S, but so was I to my boxster s!

We have to remember that almost all of the Cayman reviews up to now have been by reporters who where spoon fed by the Porsche PR department. As the Cayman is released into the wild there will surely be detractors. So what? I'm buying for a lot of reasons that have little to do with tenth of a second comparisons. There is always something faster. But not often something that hits all my hot buttons the way the Cayman has.

Santa Fe makes a good point in that many of the reviewers wanted to compare it to the 911 and I think Porsche told them no head to head tests until the car is officially released, although some sources seem to have gotten around that. A better question might be if the 911 didn't exist what would you compare the Cayman S to? 350Z? Audi TT? Corvette? M3? Exige? YF-23??? I for one don't care how it compares to the 911 because I expect it to be different from the 911.

I care, and I thinkyou and most others on this boarddo too.... we just don't have ego and/or money tied up in the 911. Like the Porsche company (they're looking atmillions of $$) or some hardcore 911 fans (they stand to lose ego).

Unless you guys really want to go out racing everyday, who cares! I plan to drive and enjoy the cayman for what it is, an excellent sports car (on most accounts). Not interested in racing Boxsters nor 997s.

good point k-man, i think 1 of the first topics i read on this site was about the 911 comparison and how people should move away from them. i totally agree, i am a fan of this car for what it is, but i think from the pr point of view, the cayman vs carrera was something that porsche maybe dreamed up to make the cayman look like excellent value. all those magazines that i have seen or read contain something along the lines of "why buy a 911" or " the prince vs the king" etc. i think the real test will be against the cars you mention, seeing as they are the caymans true competitors. roll on nov 26......

By the way, the comments made along with the test results were from a moderator at rennteam.com and were not made in the article. You should put a link so people know where its coming from and whose saying what. There plenty of people at rennteam who like the cayman by the way. i've spoke to a guy who knows someone at porsche and he thinks its a great road car who knows though.....The people on rennteam are like having a fight right now, its kinda funny and childish but its the internet so what u expect?

No one is fighting here so let's not have a problem on another site bleed over here please... thank goodness we all love the Cayman!

When I had my 993TT I use to surf the Rennteam forum. I found the moderator RC very aggressive withhis posts, lettinghis love for the 911 blindhim fromseeing the virtues of other cars. Most of the Rennteam posters follow in RC's preachings and bow to their leader. Those who do not agree with RC will be burned at the forum. Rennteam is good for entertainment purposes only. If you want real information, andadult discussions,I'vefoundCayman Club or ******** to be better.

I should probably go on record stating that I will have opinions, but they are just that, opinions, and you should ALWAYS feel free to disagree with anything I might say. I might argue my point, but I won't hold your opinion against you! /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/wink_smile.gifI want Cayman Club to be as free and open as possible! I read some of that discussion on Rennteam and I can't decide if it is just 'sad' or done to try and stir up conversation and get readers to post by entering something provacative. I couldn't believe some of the comments though, things like the Cayman isn't a true sports car. Huh? Say what?

R&T tested it with a 0-60 time in just 4.8 so who to trust????? sooo many diff times on 0-60.....

only litlle differences on straight line between boxster&cayman, that's it!!