Porsche Cayman R _ two weeks in, first impressions

Bluefoam

I am loving this car, it's such a blast. I still haven't driven it to the extreme, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's got at least 1,500km on it since I picked it up & I find myself just going out for drives whenever I get the chance. I love the throaty exhaust note & it sometimes persuades me to give a bit more throttle. I'm 6'2" and fit comfortably enough. I'd probably even fit with a helmet on. Leg room is adequate, but my left leg is a bit restricted and the foot rest isn't in the ideal position for me, not great for long journeys.

I have the black model with the grey accents, which wouldn't be my first choice of colour due to the sandy environment here, but when you buy second hand you take what you get. It does look great, but I think some of the grey bits are OTT... especially the rear air intake. I love the side skirt decal... It has real Porsche heritage, but also creates difficulty if the bumper needs to be resprayed - which is a real problem as it seem to pick up a huge amount of stone chips...

The interior is generally nice, but there are a couple of niggles; the seat controls are difficult to get to & are impossible if you are wearing a watch. Some of the interior fittings are not great, the dash is soft touch, but looks quite cheap; the ashtray compartment opens slightly on a regular basis; and the cup holder cover is sagging. There is a vent in the passenger foot-well, one day after coming out from work I found the guard sitting on the floor, with a broken snap fitting. While these are minor things, they shouldn't occur on a car that's less than four years old.

The sat nav is terrible, there are very few POI's and the address input doesn't relate to local formats so it's almost impossible to input a destination. When I asked about new maps, Porsche advised me against it, as even the 2016 maps are rubbish, they told me to use my phone (I would be very pissed off if I had chosen this as an option when new). The car has Bluetooth, but won't play audio... even though it says it does explicitly in the manual, in fact there is also a separate appendix just for this function. BT Audio is something I expect on my car, I use streaming music & to not have it is frustrating to say the least. Porsche tell me its not available & can't be upgraded. The Bose system is so complex that changing the head unit is very difficult. It's all a bit of poor for a system that was almost a 14,000aed ($3800) upgrade when new.

The car doesn't feel great at low speeds, like when I have to crawl through the underground car-park of my building and around the slow streets in Downtown. It's not crashy, but wants to be pushed and it can be a bit jarring and uncomfortable. Initially I though I might have clutch problems, but it seems to be more related to throttle response and suspension. It also isn't great over uneven surfaces, there are a set of rumble strips close to where I live which I have to completely avoid, which adds about 20 minutes to my journey times.

Don't get me wrong, I love the car to bits. But I find it odd that journalists don't pick up on this kind of thing in their reviewsicon... When an Italian car gets reviewed it seems to be evaluated on a different set of standards.

UsedToWait

The only really positive thing you said in all that is that you love the sound it makes..

What, after all the above, would you say to persuade someone to buy one?

Bluefoam

Maybe I did hit on some of the negatives but there's allot to like about the car:

Its a drivers car! The noise & experience are awesome. It wants to be driven and feels great at speed.
It's a bit tail happy and when you learn to control it you can have a blast. I need to learn to control it.
The noises it makes are soooo good. I don't have the sports exhaust, but the pipes on mine are wider than normal, so the noise is just great.
The PDK gearbox is great... Seems to know what I'm thinking allot of the time and really suits the type of roads and traffic we have here. Manual would be a pain in the hole here on a daily driver.
The car is responsive, and generally goes where I point it. I'm still not pushing it to the limit, because I'm trying to find out where that limit is.
Suspension is good and planted at speed. the car feels great once your driving over 60.
It looks amazing, allot of people have referred to it as a supercar, probably due to its aggressive stance and aero kit. It's not, but it does give off that impression.
The interior is very comfortable, even for a lanky individual like me. The seat did cause me some back pain initially, but now its nicely set up.
The interior (where I spend most of my time) is very nice. The steering wheel is driver focused with only sport & sport plus indications... no phone controls stereo buttons...
Did I mention the two sports buttons... I'm driving most of the time in sports mode... I want to take it somewhere quite (with no speed cameras) to test the sports plus button and launch control.
It dispenses with allot of gimmicks and concentrates on the driving experience... It's very driver focused.
The luggage space is surprisingly good and is more than enough for a couple to go away for a week. I reckon i could fit two sets of golf clubs, but I haven't tried.
It's feckin' fast. The R is lighter, lower and more powerful than the S and it's just great fun to drive.

I'm planning to do a track day/or a wet handling day to learn to control the back end... I'm also planning a couple of road trips to get it into the twisties... I think this car is gonna make me a better driver.

Bluefoam

One thing I forgot... which is actually the most important thing to mention... The main reason i bought the car

There's no door handles on the inside, just red pull straps that match the seat belts... apparently handles just weigh too much

h3000

This is not a custard test Bluefoam but can we get a few pics please?

Bluefoam

Lol... Lots of pics in my "am I mental for buying a Porsche" thread...

But here's one for the craic:
https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/27709/391361.jpg

h3000

Lovely car Bluefoam. I need to own a Porsche some day.

I managed to miss your other thread somehow (must pay more attention to boards)

Just having a read through it now http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057605853&page=3

traco

Lovely car - its a drivers car that was made for hard driving.

The engine is better than any soundtrack and who needs sat nav if you are driving just for the sake of driving.

So drive it like you stole it and keep the oil changed regularly with good stuff and enjoy? Best of luck with it.

Wibbs

I think the Cayman a nicer looking car and a better overall car than the 911. Yep I went there… Unless it's a super special edition 911 they're all a bit samey to me and a little boring for me too TBH. Lovely cars and all that, but the 911 always struck me as the "sportscar" bought by people who didn't know what a sportscar was, so went for the safe option. A Rolex on four wheels really. And they are safe. None of the Italian falling to bits or going up in flames stuff. And they'll start and go ten, twenty, thirty years from now.

The Cayman, especially in the R guise is a lovely bit of kit. I like how the roofline falls into the rear and the way the haunches at the back look. The spoiler kinda kills it a little, but at the same time gives the "racey" look so… Love the "stripped down" interior look of the R.

One odd non sporty thing that stood out for me about Cayman's is how much luggage space they have. Surprisingly large "boot" up front and with another space aft of the engine. You could actually "grand tour" in one. Unlike some sportscars where bringing anything more than a thong and a pack of fags would require a roof rack.

Avatar MIA

Would love if you kept this thread updated. I have considered the Cayman (not the R though), and would be interested in your maintenance experience.

Good luck and well wear. She looks gorgeous.

Oh, and "I have to drive an extra 20 minutes" :pac: My heart bleeds!

Bluefoam

Wibbs wrote: »

One odd non sporty thing that stood out for me about Cayman's is how much luggage space they have. Surprisingly large "boot" up front and with another space aft of the engine. You could actually "grand tour" in one. Unlike some sportscars where bringing anything more than a thong and a pack of fags would require a roof rack.

Shudder...

Bluefoam

I was working deep into the desert today... I stole covered parking spot when I got to site, but even still there were mini whirlwinds today, so the car was covered in sand when I returned to it... Need to find underground parking in the desert I suppose...

Jebel Hafeet wasn't far from where I was working, so I took the opportunityfor a wee spin. JH is according to Edmund's, the best driving road in the world. While it was lots of fun, I'm not sure I'd agree, but, it's definitely a great road, with stunning views. It's a twisty mountain road with lots of switchbacks, a nice enough surface... But the big advantage is the fact that there are two lanes on the way up and little traffic, so you can position your car nicely. Speed limit is 30, but that may or may not have been exceeded (slightly). There's a crappy restaurant at the top and a hotel... I might organise an overnight road trip and pool day up there soon with some friends...

The car did a great job, the back end was more polite than I expected, but it did slide out a bit, still in control. Braking was good and aided by the steep incline. The engine sounded great with the open throttle, although my ears were popping so I didn't get the most of it. Overall the car was very nice when tested. I didn't push very hard, just enough to enjoy...

The decent was more aggressive, some long straights gave a bit too much confidence and ended in tight bends... Need your wits about you. Brakes are very important on the way down. There are concrete barriers all the way up and down with vertical drop offs on the other side; the black marks suggest they are needed. One concrete section was missing where I presume a car went over the edge.

The brakes were squeaking a bit on the way back home... Maybe just hot, but someone here might give some input.

I'll head back next week, sure why not.

Bluefoam

Bluefoam

Wow, just wow... I'm still running on adrenaline!

I was invited to join a morning drive into the mountains around Dubai, to a place called Kalba... I joined a Porsche GT4 & two McLaren 12C's...

While my little Cayman was the baby of the group, it was incredible fun. I tested the car well and it performed immaculately. The other cars were on a different level performance wise & everything else wise... and their drivers were sound. Whatever about my car, I was also the least experienced sportscar driver... These guys were very talented, but I felt very welcome in the group.

It's an experience that very few people get to have & I'm very grateful to get such an amazing opportunity. There's allot of memories that stand out, but it was exciting to follow one of the McLarens into a tunnel with open valves... Also, to accelerate hard, but to see the car in front effortlessly disappear into the distance is kind of an odd experience.

What can I say about the Cayman R? Well, the tires always felt good (Michelin Pilot Sports), grip never seemed to be an issue. Brakes performed well, although after the drive they were hot and squeeling, but they never faded. I did have a bit of a squirrely moment, but always felt in control and I'll be a better driver for it.

Having driven the car for just over a month, i can honestly say that I'm absolutely delighted with it... I'm very happy that I chose the Cayman R over a 911. It may not have the same top end performance, but it is a much nicer handling car and much better for me as a driver. It's also less likely to get you into trouble.

The reception I & the R got from the other drivers was great, they are a knowledgeable group and were very interested in my car even though they were driving supercars. I'm looking forward to being invited again. (/bucketlist)

Bluefoam

I had a puncture on the front passenger side... went to get it plugged and have the tyres checked... My driver side front was completely delaminated... Scary stuff!

The rest of the tyres were a bit shady, so I was forced to put new tyres throughout. Now on P Zeros, which actually seem to give a more comfortable ride. There were Michelin Pilot Sports 2's on it, and they were relatively new... I'm a bit concerned that they degraded so badly, so quickly...

Avatar MIA

Are they wearing evenly?

There's a gouge out of that tyre, what caused that?

You have been doing a fair amount of novelty miles, and I wonder what effect the very warm temps of the roads would have.

Bigus

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Are they wearing evenly?

There's a gouge out of that tyre, what caused that?

You have been doing a fair amount of novelty miles, and I wonder what effect the very warm temps of the roads would have.

It's not a gouge , it's delamination as described by Bluefoam.

Most likely caused by high track temps and extreme cornering and perhaps tyre age .

Glad to see you didn't have to skimp on tyres Bluefoam , and that you can see the Benefit of new quality rubber on a quality car.

I can see this car making its way back to Europe on your return, sounds like a keeper.

Wibbs

Bluefoam wrote: »

Having driven the car for just over a month, i can honestly say that I'm absolutely delighted with it... I'm very happy that I chose the Cayman R over a 911.

+1 And your pic sums it up for me.



IMH the 911 looks like a jelly mould, or a remote control car with a blobby body where the plastic was too cheap and thin to render much detail. For me the Cayman looks more like a "proper" 911 than the 911.

It may not have the same top end performance, but it is a much nicer handling car and much better for me as a driver. It's also less likely to get you into trouble.

Speed is very relative too. Any gobshíte can mash a throttle pedal into the carpet and go fast. Hell jam a house brick on the pedal and you'll go fast, it's when you get to the bendy bits… What was it Colin McRae said; Straight roads are for fast cars, corners are for fast drivers. I recall watching a Clarkson/Top Gear(?) DVD years ago where a load of supercars were compared by racing drivers and their favourite car from the pure driving experience was the camera car, a Peugeot 106 Gti IIRC. All 1.6 litres 0-60mph in ten seconds of it.

Scary stuff with the tyres though. :eek:

Bluefoam

I'm about three months in now... nothing exciting to report, am still loving the car.

Valets have managed to put a scratch in the front bumper & while I've only parked it once 'front in' (as opposed to parallel) I now have a paint chip in my passenger door handle... yes people are disrespectful here and open their doors on you all the time... my last car was pok marked.

I just replaced the brakes and rotors, and it hurt my pocket, allot... wouldn't want to do that too often, but probably comparable to BMW or any other so called premium mark.

I'm still frustrated with the audio and navigation system... can't play music over bluetooth and cant navigate with the navigation... it's a bit ridiculous from a premium brand and a 2012 car... My old Toyota never had that kind of difficulty.

But all of that is forgotten when you press the sporty mode button... the noise and feel of the car are superfantastico. I never use sports plus, because even on fast roads it revs too high... better kept for the track and probably a race driver.