First Drive Review
We are requested not to refer to Porsche's latest sports car as a Boxster coupe. Zuffenhausen's marketing gurus insist their new mid-engined two-seater is a stand-alone model, positioned in performance and price between the Boxster S roadster and 911 Carrera coupe. It's so distinctive, they opine, that it deserves a new label. Meet the Cayman S.
In reality, as our photographs demonstrate, it will strike the casual viewer as a coupe version of Porsche's new, second-generation mid-engine ragtop, the Boxster. A tad longer—half an inch—and higher—ditto—and yes, slightly more powerful (up 15 horsepower), the Cayman shares not only the same basic chassis and front structure with the Boxster but also the lower doors, the front hood and fenders, and the headlights and taillights. No matter, the underbody is much tweaked, suspension settings are tuned to make the most of torsional rigidity that's almost 150 percent stiffer than the already impressive roadster's, and that makes for improved handling and grip without, the engineers claim, any loss in ride comfort.
Potentially, therefore, the Cayman S (named imaginatively for a breed of crocodile, not the remote Caribbean islands) combines the best of the Boxster and 911: the rigidity of a coupe body (like the Carrera's) combined with the superior weight distribution delivered by the Boxster's mid-engine layout. The brakes and the steering are Boxster S. No arguments here; the S did win a recent sports-car comparo ["It's-All-About-Me Roadsters," C/D, March 2005].
To help justify a price significantly higher than that of a Boxster S—some $58,000-plus versus $53,895—Porsche goes back to an earlier variation of the classic flat-six engine that in 3.2- and 3.6-liter forms powers the Boxster and 911. This 3.4-liter engine uses the 96-millimeter bore and 78mm stroke from the first water-cooled 996. Easy. The resulting 291 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 251 pound-feet of torque at 4400 rpm sit neatly between the Boxster S's 276 horsepower and 236 pound-feet and the 3.6-liter Carrera's 321 horsepower and 273 pound-feet.
There's no sign, yet, of Porsche's long-awaited double-clutch manual gearbox (from the same supplier as Audi/VW's DSG) that's now expected to be launched with the latest 911 Turbo later this year. Instead, the final-drive and upper ratios of the six-speed manual are identical to the Boxster's, but first and second ratios are slightly lower. Hans-Jürgen Wöhler, director of the Boxster/Cayman line, says there is no weight increase over the 3080-pound Boxster S. Expect 0-to-60 mph in less than five seconds and a top speed of 172 mph, again splitting the difference between the Boxster S and 911 Carrera.
Does unveiling the Cayman as a kicked-up S indicate there's a less-powerful version in the pipeline? You bet. Expect a number of Cayman variants, including a 2.7- and/or 3.2-liter entry-level model, plus a lightweight club sport.
