Porsche Cayman R Consumer Review

Porsche Cayman R

In this unprecedented age of obscene horsepower and cheap performance, the Porsche Cayman R is that the Jenyne Butterfly of the sports automotive world.

Who is Jenyne Butterfly? Look her up, ideally not at work.

Ms. Butterfly’s sinewy muscles are cut on gracile bone, and articulate her long limbs with purposeful flexibility. She’s graced with the kind of physique you’d go along with an Olympic swimmer or an extreme yogi. She additionally possesses a preternatural ability to fling herself across a pole with fluid undulations that seem to disobey the laws of physics.
At 2,855 pounds (or a pair of,910 pounds with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission), the Cayman R is that the lightest road automotive designed by Porsche.

Extracting three0 horses from a mid-mounted 3.4-liter flat-six, Porsche’s compact two-seater is outpowered by $24,000 Hyundais. It’s additionally in no danger of winning any luxury accolades, and its superstar massive brother, the 911, is undeniably additional glamorous. And yet, this low-slung pipsqueak is additionally a punchy performer, an aggro animal that’s been pruned sort of a bonsai, resembling a kind of scaled-down supercar.

At 2,855 pounds (or a pair of,910 pounds with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission), the Cayman R is that the lightest road automotive designed by Porsche. Luxuries like door grabs and sound insulation are swapped for nylon straps and road noise, and aluminum door panels save thirty three pounds of mass. Stiffer bucket seats lighten the load by twenty six pounds, whereas 19-inch wheels do their half by ditching eleven pounds of unsprung mass.

So serious is that this car’s commitment to the art of asphalt acrobatics that air con could be a no-cost choice, albeit A/C comes customary on lesser Caymans. a similar mass-o-phobes who probably} don’t mind their musky stench polluting the non-air-conditioned cabin are likely to order the optional light-weight lithium battery for a $1,700 premium — it sheds twenty two pounds, and, with its shorter profile, ever-so-slightly lowers the vehicle’s center of gravity.
Those who aren't fanatical regarding purebred sports cars won’t “get” the Cayman R. quite many automotive geeks won’t, either. several can probably cite that oft-recalled yankee metric, the Chevy Corvette, a potent however generally cloying jack-of-all-trades with an even bigger, burlier temperament. The Cayman R is, on the opposite hand, an important dose of mechanical minimalism wrapped within the deceptively acquainted skin of status-symbol sheet metal — for higher, or for worse.
Those who aren't fanatical regarding purebred sports cars won’t “get” the Cayman R. quite many automotive geeks won’t, either.

If you climb in expecting the stark, carbon and Alcantara-slathered racecar aesthetic of, say, a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, the Cayman R’s elephant hide surfaces disappoint. Its shiny plastic trim color-matched to the car’s exterior won’t do it any favors, either (though it will enliven the otherwise stark cabin.) Even twisting the ignition key together with your left hand in that age-old Le Mans tradition won’t betray this car’s sensible however obfuscated soul. Its exhaust note lacks the gut-punching immediacy of a solid yankee V8 or a silky swish German inline-6, however throw the shifter into initial and set free the heavyish clutch, and instant comprehension of this car’s pugilistic temperament shoots on to the seat of your pants. during a great way.


Resting .78 inches less than additional pedestrian Caymans, the R greenbacks with each surface irregularity, conveying the nooks and crannies of the road like your tongue on a toasted English muffin. The steering wheel pulls right or left like it’s directly linked to the tie-rod mounts by cables, and because of the aforementioned weight savings and mid-mounted engine, the car’s low polar moment of inertia facilitates slalom course slithers like an anxious eel.

Transitional handling (i.e., what happens when steering input initiates weight transfer, triggering the kinetic chain of events that end in direction shifts) is therefore direct, the Cayman begs for swervy lane changes if just for the sheer adolescent thrill of it. Credit a taut chassis, stiffer bushings, and additional aggressive suspension geometry for the dynamic gains. And if you complain regarding the washboard ride or vaguely unrefined engine intake sounds emanating from behind the firewall, you’re missing the purpose. Yep, this automotive is simply like rock ‘n roll: if it’s too loud, you’re too recent.