2006 Porsche Cayman S Review

Most drivers of the new Porsche Cayman S won't have the chance to charge a long way on twisting mountain two-lane roads such as the ones used near here during the media introduction of this slick new coupe.

That's just as well, because the $58,900 Cayman S is overqualified for most drivers and most American roads, although a car that grips roads and brakes so superbly is inherently safer than lesser autos. The two-seater has a mid-engine design, with the engine ahead of the rear axle for the best weight distribution and handling.

The Cayman S reaches showrooms in January. It fits between Porsche's entry mid-engine Boxster convertible and costlier rear-engine 911 sports cars. The Cayman S is based on the Boxster convertible but is a hatchback coupe with mostly different styling, stiffer suspension and the more rigid construction -- and thus sharper handling -- of a fixed-roof car. Its rear quarter windows are the same shape as a 911 coupe's, but are turned on end.

Porsche is a strong believer in tradition (it still puts the ignition switch to the left of the steering wheel) and has given the Cayman S design features reminiscent of the 1953 Porsche 550 coupe and 904 Carrera GTS coupe -- both expensive classics.

The Cayman S looks like a Porsche, but not all that much like a Boxster or 911 -- thanks to such items as air scoops in front of the rear axle, strongly curved roof and a rear section that slowly tapers down to the bumper. The rear is dominated by a large tailgate rounded off by the sweeping lines of the back fenders, which pay homage to the Porsche 550 Spyder race car of James Dean fame.

The Cayman S is no sedan, but has decent cargo space for a small coupe: 14.4 cubic feet of rear luggage capacity subdivided into two levels behind the large tailgate. There's also a front luggage compartment with 5.25 cubic feet, besides several storage compartments for smaller odds and ends.

Passenger room is good, although the low-slung car forces "drop-in'' entry and "climb-out'' exit.

Comfortable seats in the nicely done businesslike interior provide excellent support during hard driving, and gauges can be read at a glance. Secondary controls for such things as the audio system, though, are almost too small, and the rear roof creates blind spots from the driver's seat. Interior storage room is just adequate.

Being a Porsche, the Cayman S is quite fast, with a 295-horsepower compact six-cylinder engine derived from the Boxster S and 911 engines. The 3.4-liter engine whisks the car to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and lets it top out at 171 mph. I didn't go anywhere near that fast, but found the Cayman S felt secure and had little wind noise at 115 mph (you can safely go that fast on Italian superhighways), partly because of its highly aerodynamic body. A split rear spoiler automatically raises at 75 mph to help keep the Cayman S pinned to roads. It retracts at 50 mph.

A central exhaust emits a race-car-style wail if the engine is revved hard, but the car otherwise is fairly quiet.

The engine has variable valve timing and generates impressive torque at lower engine speeds. That should make it easy to drive in the Chicago area because it delivers strong acceleration without excessive shifting. There's a standard, slick six-speed manual gearbox, but I only needed to use third gear most of the time while negotiating the tight, seemingly endless mountain roads that had steep dropoffs and occasionally were filled with bicycle riders, tiny economy cars and slow trucks. (Porsche's Tiptronic S five-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift feature is optional and doesn't cause much performance loss.)

Preliminary estimated fuel economy is 18-20 mpg in the city and 26-28 on highways with the manual gearbox. Premium fuel is needed.

The Cayman S never seems to run out of road grip, no matter how hard you drive it, even on tricky roads. Much goes into such superb handling, including body rigidity that lets the nicely designed suspension work well, ideal weight distribution and large 18-inch tires partly covered by flared wheel arches. (Optional are 19-inch wheels for even sharper handling.)

A standard Porsche Stability Management System prevents unwanted sideways action and helps keep the car on the road if an overenthusiastic driver is pushing too much -- although he'd have to be a little crazy to drive that hard.

The nearly perfect rack-and-pinion power steering has quickness and road feedback usually only found in competition cars. Powerful brakes long have been a Porsche strong point, and the Cayman S brakes are no exception.

Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes with larger brake discs are optional, but cost thousands of dollars and are arguably a waste of money for Chicago area driving. Most Porsche options are desirable but cost a lot, and the Cayman S is so well-equipped, with standard air conditioning and such, that many buyers of the car can do without most -- if not all-- of them. For instance, the car is offered with a "full range'' of optional seats, but why bother? On the other hand, the optional leather interior is very inviting.

The Cayman S is a serious car, so its ride is firm but supple. The suspension soaks up bumps and doesn't allow "wallow'' or "float'' when the Cayman S is driven over uneven or undulating roads.

As for safety, the new 2,955-pound Porsche has six airbags for all-around protection.

With no room for a spare tire, a special sealant and electrical compressor replace the conventional spare wheel and car jack.

A less costly version of the Cayman S with perhaps 250 horsepower is rumored for 2007. But most who try out the new model may not want to wait because it provides so much driving fun. 

2006 PORSCHE CAYMAN S 

PRICE
$58,900

LIKES
Very fast. Strong brakes. Superb road grip. Supple ride. Classic design features.

DISLIKES
Rear blind spots. Small dashboard controls. Drop-in entry and climb-out exit. No regular spare tire.