Review on ride - Porsche Cayman S

The Cayman from the world famous car maker Porsche, the Cayman have a balance of poise and grip which were amazing and Cayman, unlike the other produtions from Porsche, has its engine and tranny package located between the rear wheels rather than behind the rear axle line and this makes all the difference in the dynamic ability, control, poise, stability, turn-ion and what have you. Of course it is control that is so very much needed when you have a car that makes in excess of 300 horsepower (321 to be precise in the case of the Cayman S which we had with us for a magical mountain blast) and in every sense of the term the new Cayman S is perfection personified.

The adoption of electronically assisted rack-and-pinion steering gear which with its ability to butt in sometimes to help correct driver input called as “filtering action” is simply great. Porsche has junked the hydraulically-actuated steering system for the electromechanical unit because it helps saves weight and also improves the weight distribution unlike what many opined was also a fuel and power saving measure. Porsche also offers another “Plus” option of the steering system whereby there is more assist on tap up to 50km/h – good for parking and while crawling through traffic.

The boxer motor gets direct fuel injection, stop and start, intelligent charging of the battery under braking as well as on the over-run (just like in my BMW) and low resistance tyres, in fact for India as well the new Cayman S comes with 40-profile rubber with 19-inch wheels no less, clearly highlighting the new chassis-suspension combo has improved the car from good to great by leaps and bounds. Key to this is a 60mm increase in the wheelbase which with the stiffer chassis makes the car even more nimble and can be chucked about with some verve. The enhanced wheelbase is further beefed up by an increase in the track widths; up front the track is now widened by 40mm to measure 1526mm while at the rear the increase is 12mm to clock in at 1621mm. This is also one of the key aspects to the strong stability of the new car which impresses with its superbly planted feel but without sacrificing agility in the least.

The key to enjoying the new Cayman is the options incorporated those are 20-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli’s brilliant P7 rubber – 245/35 ZR20 in front and massive 295/30 ZR20s at the rear, added brilliance though on the chassis side are the brakes – taken from the 911 Carrera, all new and larger and better integrated into the various drive and damping systems. Bigger 330m dia cross-drilled and inner-ventilated discs do the business up front while the same sort but smaller – 299mm dia units are in action at the rear. The brakes are amazing in not just the way they bite and hold but even with our spirited driving up and down the mountain roads, there was hardly any brake fade to contend with! Nor did the rotors seem to heat up and smell like other sports cars would be prone to! And while we think these brakes are more than adequate, Porsche also offer ceramic discs in 350mm dia on all four wheels with the callipers painted yellow. The powerful 3436cc flat-six is impressive, the absolute power and torque it pumps out is greater than the expectations. There is a 5 bhp increase to 325bhp (at 7400 rpm) from the boxer motor with 370 Nm of torque available across the 4500 to 5800 rpm region and the latter is the key to finding the rev happy nature of this brilliant power plant. It never seems to run out of puff and even though we do not have autobahns to push and find Porsche’s claimed 283km/h top speed, the Cayman had enough in it and more to impress!

The Cayman with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard fitments but our car came with the PDK 7-speed transmission along with the added Sport Chrono optional package. What we have in there is a wider spread of gear ratios to bring into play depending on the motoring application one needs – from sporty to comfort. The dynamic transmission mounts which come included in the Sport Chrono package, these play a huge role in the dynamic ability, while pussy-footing the cars is supple and planted but begin to throw it into fast bends or tackle a series of fast corners and the mounts firm up minimising the rear body press. It is a feel akin to how race cars are engineered – their engine rigidly mounted to the body so as to affect not just more stable and precise handling but also good traction without sacrificing forward thrust. Thus it delivers a fantastic 281km/h top speed.

Style wise even though there are a few details which highlight small differences, the overall silhouette and form remain steadfast. The tailgate has been revised to a degree and in a cinch there is enough luggage space there in the back and above the flat-six motor to take in more stuff than say a Suzuki Swift! The sports exhaust is one of those delectable must-specify options to have on the car – it delivers an aural symphony which is the automotive equivalent of a Mozart and you could be the conductor making and enjoying the music at the same time.