Porsche Cayman 2.9 Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Porsche Cayman 2.9
Prices: £36,101 - on the road
Insurance Group: 19
Emissions: 214g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 6.0s / Max Speed 160mph
Fuel Consumption: [PDK version] (combined) 31mpg
Safety: Twin front & side airbags / ABS
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, 4341/1801/1308mm

A CAYMAN FOR ALL SEASONS

Our Rating: 7.3 / 10

The Cayman 2.9 might be one of the lowliest rungs on the Porsche ladder but what a ladder. Steve Walker reports…

It says a lot for a vehicle if it can remain desirable and relevant even in its basic entry-level form. If it’s possible to argue the case for a poverty-spec derivative actually being the pick of the range, then so much the better. Any fool can take a serviceable car, cram in a big engine, beef-up the specification and bolt on some styling accessories to create a mouth-watering but prohibitively expensive range-topping version. The true measure of any model however, is whether it’s still good when all this superfluity has been stripped away. Do the lesser versions that most buyers end up with still feel special? In the case of the entry-level 911, the Carrera2, the answer is yes but can Porsche’s 2.9-litre Cayman pull a similar trick?

It seems to make sense. After all, if you stump up around £45,000 for the 3.4-litre Cayman S, there’s a strong argument for suggesting you should have saved for a little longer and bought a 911. In contrast, at well under £40,000, even with a few well chosen extras, the Cayman 2.9 seems to make a lot more sense. Certainly, this car is within touching distance for the thousands of motorists who long for Porsche ownership but are forced by financial constraints to settle for sportscars without such an illustrious heritage.

The engine in question is a 6-cylinder horizontally-opposed or ‘boxer’ engine - so called because of the way each piston jabs out of the cylinder at the one opposite in the manner of two people knocking seven shades out of each other. The maximum power output of 265bhp is nothing to be sniffed at and the Porsche VarioCam Plus system helps to achieve a muscular torque output over a wide band of the rev range. The Cayman 2.9 can spirit itself to 60mph in just six seconds. There’s a 160mph top speed to get to grips with where conditions allow and if you go a little easier on the throttle, the official average economy of 31mpg is surprisingly good.

The Cayman is available with the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) carried over directly from motor sport, and replacing the former Tiptronic S torque converter automatic transmission. When equipped with PDK, the Cayman accelerates from 0-62 mph 0.1 seconds faster than with the manual six-speed gearbox. Acceleration is particularly fast and dynamic with the optional Sports Chrono Package Plus featuring Launch Control; this offers maximum acceleration from a standing start and also a Race Track Gearshift Strategy for the fastest conceivable gear change as an exclusive highlight on the PDK models.

Porsche has shown us with the 911 its fondness for settling on a styling direction for its cars and sticking to it like a like a mute monk to his vow of silence. Sure enough, the latest facelifted Cayman isn’t hugely different from the original car. The latest car has reshaped headlamps with indicators built in that resemble the units on the Carrera GT supercar. The air-intakes below have also been reshaped with horizontal bars for the outer ones in the front bumper that also house LED side lights. There’s more of the in vogue LED lighting at the rear where the bumper has come in for some subtle tweaks. Far more salient are the changes to the suspension and steering designer to enhance the Cayman’s exemplary driving experience.

Having tinkered with the suspension settings on the Cayman, Porsche predictably claims improvements to both handling and comfort. The power steering system has also been remapped with the aim of achieving a more agile and spontaneous feel. The Porsche Stability Management system is rightly regarded as the leading technology of its type and now features Brake Pre-Loading that primes the brakes in anticipation when the driver lifts off the throttle suddenly. An optional feature that’s now available will please those who felt the Cayman was only a limited slip differential away from being a better car than the 911: it’s a limited slip differential.