2014 Porsche Cayman S

Over the last few years, it has become something of a Car and Driver pastime to complain about, scoff at, and, in every way, ridicule the totally absurd cost of optional equipment on Porsche vehicles. We might feel bad about this, were it not for the fact that we sometimes get Porsches in here for tests that are so larded up with insane‘and insanely priced‘options that their as-tested bottom lines are double their base prices. Double.

Now, the company typically points out (with an inevitable sigh) that the relatively low level of equipment offered on base Porsches and the plethora of standalone options allow buyers to tailor their car to perfectly meet their desires. And that”s not untrue. We get it.

So when Porsche offered us a Cayman S to run through our 40,000-mile gantlet, we were faced with the same dilemma as buyers. Could we actually configure a Cayman S that stayed out of the $90,000-plus range? We did pretty well, if we do say so ourselves. Our Cayman S stickers for a not-totally-unreasonable $72,545. That”s up $7750 from the base MSRP of $64,795. By Porsche standards, that”s a pittance. And better yet, the car is no hair shirt. It is, in fact, spectacular. So much so that we”ve accumulated nearly 11,000 miles on our little gator before our not-totally-lazy staffer managed to write this long-term-car introduction. But we needn”t dwell on his shortcomings. Let”s look instead at our Cayman”s specifics.

We chose to have it slathered in no-cost Guards Red. Yes, Guards Red is something of a cliché and it doesn”t follow the current fashion in the way that, say, Mahogany Metallic might. But we”re looking out our window at the car this very moment and we can tell you that there is nothing at all wrong with a Guards Red Cayman S. Also, Guards Red is one of only four hues that don”t cost any extra money (the others are black, white, and Racing Yellow). We stuck with the standard 19-inch wheels because, really, do you need 20s on a Cayman? Nope. We chose the six-speed manual because it doesn”t cost anything and also it”s entirely awesome. The items we paid extra for were pretty much all to make the car perform better. So we opted for the $1320 Porsche Torque Vectoring, the $1235 nonadjustable Sport Suspension, and the $2825 Sport Exhaust System. Okay, that last one doesn”t make the car perform any better, unless you consider a stirring aural experience to be part of the performance package. Our ears say it is, and we always listen to our ears.

Because we are not totally immune to the charms of luxury and convenience, we opted for the $670 satellite-radio receiver and the $900 Convenience package. That latter option brings two-zone automatic climate control, about which we don”t really care. But it also brings heated seats, about which we Michiganders care greatly. Butt-warmers are especially important to those, like us, who plan to drive their Porsche all winter long.

Speaking of winter, we mounted a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin winter tires to our standard rims in November, replacing the Goodyears that came on the car. We managed about 10,000 miles on the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 summer tires before the swap, averaging 2500 miles per month. And considering that we visited Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Illinois, and Ohio in the car”s first four months with us, there is apparently no trepidation about taking this two-seat sports car on road trips. We”ve logged no complaints about the car”s ride, despite the buffed suspension settings. And the convenience of the two luggage compartments still manages to surprise many editors.

What does not surprise them is the near-perfect steering. The excellent brakes. The delicious flat-six soundtrack. The boffo shifter. Good God, this car is good. Oh, you want some data to back up those impressions? Well, in our initial testing, the 3025-pound, 325-hp Cayman S accelerated to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds at 112 mph. That”s only a tenth of a second less-quick than the last PDK-equipped Cayman S we tested. It”s three-tenths slower than our 460-hp long-term Corvette Stingray. Our long-term Cayman S also stopped from 70 mph in a scant 145 feet. And it gripped the skidpad at 1.03 g.

Okay, so long trips have a few of our staffers complaining of backaches, and if we had it to do again, we would have ordered the GTS version of the car, which brings a ton more equipment for not a ton more money. But that version wasn”t available when we ordered our car. Predictably, staff commenters, while all claiming allegiance to our cost-conscious approach to spec”ing this car, would each like to change a few things. One wants the $250 SportDesign steering wheel with its shiny loveliness to replace our dour, black unadorned spokes. The same guy doesn”t like the standard wheels because, well, he just doesn”t. He would pay to have them painted black for $880 and upsized for between $1560 and $2990. Further, he would like to add the $185 color-painted crests for the wheels” center caps. Another staffer would spring for the extra $555 over the price of the sport suspension to get the PASM adjustable shocks. We would all like a USB port for charging our devices and/or audio playback.

Possibly, you see where this is headed. If we listened to every staffer over the course of the loan, we”d end up with a $90K Cayman S. And then we would complain about its price.

Months in Fleet: 4 months Current Mileage: 10,655 miles Average Fuel Economy: 23 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 16.9 gal Fuel Range: 390 milesService: $324.16 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0

12.12.2014
ID:1313

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