That interior, by the way, is pretty well identical to Porsche's new Boxster, other than a few minor trim details, and I'm OK with that.
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| Compared to earlier Porsches, the Cayman's interior is a sight for sore eyes. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
It keeps the price lower than it would have been if Zuffenhausen had chosen to come up with something totally new, and why should they being that the Boxster cabin has proven to be a favourite among Porsche clients and critics (like me) alike. Thirdly, the Cayman is, for all points and purposes, little more than a Boxster with a fixed roof, or at least that's what I thought when I first set eyes on it.
It appears that my initial beliefs were in error. Of course, it uses much of the roadster's chassis architecture, as well as some of its sheet metal and pretty well all of it's interior, as just mentioned, but that's where the similarities end. In actuality, the Cayman S only carries over 30 percent of its components from the Boxster S, with the majority of parts used,
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This is about as much as you'll probably ever see of the Cayman's 3.4 litre H-6, as it's hidden under the cargo shelf. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)
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a total of 50 percent, pulled from the 911 - no wonder the brakes feel so strong? The remaining 20 percent has been crafted specifically for the car in hand, giving it enough of a unique flavour to make any true Porschephile want one of each, at the very least.
The most obvious difference is its larger, upgraded horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine. Displacing 3.4 litres compared to the Boxster S's 3.2, plus aided by the first application of vario-cam plus technology outside of the 911-engine family, the Cayman S adds an additional 15 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque to the mix, for a ULEV-2 emissions compliant total of 295-horsepower at 6,250 rpm and 251 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 to 6,000 rpm. What's more, the Cayman S actually weighs nominally less than the Boxster S, a mere 5 kilos (11 lbs) for a total of 1,340 kg (2,954 lbs), but in the world of performance cars, every centigram matters.
