The Pick of Porsche

The old Cayman was close to perfect. Somehow, the new car is a whole lot better, writes Ben Oliver.

The new Cayman has the same sublime balance of informative, delicate, accurate steering

All this applies to the new Cayman. It has the same sublime balance of informative, delicate, accurate steering, fine ride quality even over poor surfaces, and a fabulously exciting drivetrain. There are two engine options: a 3.4-litre flat-six with 320hp that will break 100kph in 4.7 seconds, and a 2.7 with 271hp and a 5.7 seconds sprint time. And just like last time, that lower-powered engine may be the better bet; power is more than adequate and you can explore its more exciting upper ranges more often than with the bigger engine, especially on roads like Hong Kong's.

And while keen drivers will appreciate the fact that there is still a manual gearbox option – some more exotic sports cars no longer offer them – Porsche's PDK double-clutch automated manual, which allows both F1-style paddle-shift manual changes and a seamless automatic mode might be the better option in city traffic. When I jumped into my friend's car to drive us to the restaurant I noticed his clutch was already worn after just 18 months of stop-start LA traffic.

He could afford the replacement, but loved the car so much he really didn't seem to mind.

SCORECARD

Porsche Cayman 2.7

How much? HK$877,000
Engine: 2706cc flat-six 'boxer'
Transmission: Six-speed
Performance: 5.7sec 0-100kph, 265kph.
How heavy? 1,340kgs

There are two engine options: a 3.4-litre flat-six with 320hp and a 2.7 with 271hp

Pages

Written by Ben Oliver

Click here to see the published article.

Out in Front - For Now
Truly great design doesn't need much tweaking. The Rolls-Royce Phantom, the first model launched by the brand after it was bought by BMW, has been on sale for eleven years now - an eternity in...
Attention-Grabber
As the only carmaker headquartered here in Hong Kong, Infiniti ought to be on your radar if you’re looking for a premium sedan, convertible or SUV. But there’s a good chance that...
Daring Debut
Pure Mercedes-Benz sports cars are comparatively rare. Until now, Stuttgart has only produced two, and both have been stratospheric in price and performance. The SLR of the early 2000s was...
Perfectly Formed
It may not look like it, but the new BMW i3 is one of the coolest cars you can buy: cooler even than the latest super car from Ferrari or Lamborghini. Why? Because it's electric, so everyone will...
Special Operations
Most of us would think that a Jaguar or a Land Rover - and a Range Rover especially - is a very desirable vehicle. Your friends and business associates would be impressed if you bought one - and...
Quality Control
I must declare a personal interest here: this is my next car. As I’m rapidly approaching 40, I have just swapped my usual fast saloon car for personal use for a bright red Porsche 911. But for...
Back to its Roots
Porsche is a relentlessly modern carmaker. Founder Ferdinand Porsche would be astonished at the range of cars it now makes, from its Macan baby SUV to its silent plug-in hybrids. It’s a brand...
British Beauty
Deep in the southern English countryside, at a former farm whose exact location remains a secret to all but serious customers given the value of the cars here (helicopter landing coordinates are...
The Dynamic Rolls
A decade ago this year, BMW gave new life to Rolls-Royce by building the famous old English carmaker a new home in the grounds of the Earl of March's Goodwood estate in the Sussex Downs, and by...
Best in Class
A long black Mercedes-Benz S-Class has long been favoured by dictators – Robert Mugabe’s is reportedly so heavily armoured that it requires its own fuel truck to follow it on longer...

Pages