In the case of the Tiptronic-equipped car, only flips of the thumbs were needed to shift gears, reducing the amount of effort
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| Only flips of the thumbs were needed to shift gears in the Tiptronic-equipped car, reducing the amount of effort needed to expend in order to maximize results. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
a driver has to expend in order to maximize results. I suppose this is why the Porsche reps inserted the Tip into this segment of the day's activities, so that we could concentrate more on the Cayman's handling than on shifting gears. But for me, either transmission would have been just fine.
The six-speed manual is a delight, after all, seemingly identical to the new-and-improved unit in the Boxster S which I fell head over heals for previously. It features single synchromesh gears in 1st and 2nd, plus double-synchromesh gears in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th, making for a very slick shifting package. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but there's something truly unique about the man-machine interface that connects a driver to any given Porsche, and the Cayman may be the best interpretation of such layout ever created. The gears click forward in tight, precise increments, needing little more than wrist movement compared to some sports cars that engage the entire arm. Clutch travel is likewise shorter than with the majority of performance
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The six-speed manual gearbox features single synchromesh gears in 1st and 2nd, plus double-synchromesh gears in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th, making for a very slick shifting package. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)
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cars, with a firm yet low-effort application and smooth, progressive engagement. Again, there's a reason Porsche charges more for its cars than, say, Chevy does for its Corvette.
Don't get me wrong, I love the new Corvette. It's insanely fun to run through the gears and especially enjoyable when the tail wags sideways during aggressive cornering, but the very fact that the Cayman's tail doesn't wag out during aggressive cornering is why I like it more, because it can manage much higher speeds on uneven road surfaces, wet, snowy or dry, and because it feels miles safer when doing so. I suppose, if I had the driving skills of sports car legend "Doc" Bundy, my opinion might differ, or for that matter Le Mans-winning C6-R driver Ron Fellows. But I'm just a better-than-average driver, or so I've been told by some credible sources, and therefore I appreciate the high-speed stability brought about by the Cayman S.
