Steve Sutcliffe puts the new Porsche Cayman S to the test. It offers more power, more comfort, a better interior and improved looks, but is it capable of providing even more entertainment than the car it replaces?
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Cayman, still, in my opinion and experience
the best average Porsche, for the price.
Enough is enough...
I completely agree with PhilC1 and loach.
I am sick, yes sick, to death of hearing Steve's 'love' of PDK/automatics.
I was almost choked with rage when I read his blog a few weeks ago in which, he basically, told us car fanatics to give up on the manual gearbox and go with the flow in accepting auto/dual clutch/PDK as the way forward.
No! Sorry, Steve, you haven't sold me, and neither have the manufacturers.
I don't care how fast they are, or how much quicker they make the 0-60mph sprint, or even how much lower the emissions are. I want to change gear myself so I can get invovled in driving, and not push buttons like a computer game.
I really think you're missing/forgetting the point of a manual, and why petrol heads still want, at least, the option of choosing one over a dual clutch.
I don't doubt the Cayman is a fantastic handling car, and has a great soundtrack, but please don't tell us what gearbox to choose.
And, as others have mentioned and is always the case, the options list can take this car into nearly new 911 territory. And as nice as the Cayman is, it still looks like a bar of soap.
I still enjoyed the video, and others you produce, but how about accepting that, believe it not, some of us will never buy an automatic.
Jaded
If I wasn't increasingly aware of how jaded, irritated and bored Sutcliffe seems with cars these days, I would be a bit more surprised at his unbridled enthusiasm with how 'brilliant' PDK is. 'Do yourself a favour' and specify the automatic gearbox in Porsche's most enthusiast-centric coupe?
In short, for some few of us not completely jaded with sports cars, it's fun to change gear. Nutty, I know, but I actually derive some satisfaction and pleasure from having a bit more to do than turn the wheel and stomp on the fast and slow pedals.
I'm not sure when encouraging and lauding a bit of manual interaction in a sports car became unfashionable (and a lot of automatic drivers seem to have a chip on their shoulders about the whole thing which somewhat stifles debate), but Sutcliffe's comments here were just depressing.