Porsche Cayman road tests and consumer car reviews

Porsche Cayman 2.9 Manual Gen 2 2009

This is the first Porsche I have owned, a purchase I made with my heart rather than my head. For many years I have driven family cars, my present vehicle came after much soul searching and reviews. I finally made my way to Porsche for a test drive. I wanted it to be horrid, to get the desire to own a Porsche out of my system. On the contrary I was hooked. I spent the next two days thinking long and hard, do I get a badged up BMW or something of that ilk. On the Monday I got the inevitable call back from the dealership and the negotiations began. 3 hours later I had struck a deal, £6000 of extras including Supagard and GAP insurance were on the car and I still only paid the list price. I took delivery 3 weeks later as the car was in the UK and have not looked back since. Wife hates it, daughters love it, wonderful to drive long distance, superb on the twisty stuff. If this is a ’poor mans Porsche’ then I am happy to carry that label. After 3 months the excitement of ownership has not worn off, on the contrary I just love it. My 911 owning friends have been taken aback by its beauty and driving experience so much so they are considering ’downgrading’. It is well screwed together, looks the part, sounds awesome and is a pleasure to drive, no regrets, go on buy one, you know you want to!

Responses to this review

Hi paul ... I am thinking of buying a Cayman and am Having a test drive this Friday. Which dealer gave you the good deal as I would like to speak to him - Rob Adams from England

Porsche Cayman 2007

No car I have driven has EVER come close to the sublime experience of piloting my Cayman S at speed along a twisting B-road. And don’t assume it’s my first quality car - I’ve owned a BMW M3, a Jaguar XKR, a Merc, an Audi - I’ve tried cars from most premium brands. And before buying the Cayman S I tested it against a 911 and was sold on the Cayman in seconds - it was as though they were designed in different centuries, which indeed they were... I challenge anyone to spend time in that car and not emerge from the cockpit grinning from ear to ear. Yet, even allowing for the intrusive road noise from the big 19" rims, it’s a car in which you can journey cross-country all day, like a proper GT. But to use it only as a GT is to ignore the Cayman’s real achievement - which is to turn every road into a racetrack (and you into Michael Schumacher or Lewis Hamilton) so informative are the messages coming through the steering wheel, so precise the handling, so firm the grip. It has ample power, and could handle more, yet returns 26mpg in real world motoring on A and B roads and over 30 on the motorway. How’s that for a car that does 0-60 in 5? My only gripe is the creaking from the rear (like plastic rubbing on plastic) that so many other owners complain about. I’ve got used to it after a couple of years and you can dampen it by dumping a coat on the back shelf if your dealer can’t find the source of the problem. If only the Cayman had four seats I’d have more excuses to drive it... but then it wouldn’t handle so sublimely... so let’s celebrate the Cayman S as the ultimate no compromise sports car!

Porsche Cayman 2008

I’ve had my Cayman S for nearly 4 months. At first it rattled a lot, especially the dashboard. It was so bad my dealer had it for 3 days but they couldn’t find the problem. However, as it ages the rattles reduce which is a bit weird!!! The performance and handling are truly amazing. You have to keep a close eye on the speedo because the chassis and aerodynamics are so good you don’t realise how fast you are travelling. A couple of hours is the max before your body and especially your ears need a rest. But after 10 minutes rest you can’t wait to get back into the cockpit to have another go!! The longer you have this wonderful machine the more you appreciate it. What a car. What an experience. Thank you Porsche. Driving will never be the same again.

Responses to this review

Help! Love the Cayman and have window shopped for six months at a local respected garage dealing in high-end cars. Porsche is one of their main showroom pieces. I started a used one 3.4 2006 that has sat for a while. It has 34,000k, is clean but shook and blew white smoke for 15 seconds. The dealer said this happened because it has not been started for a while. Should this scar me off or is this Porsche/Cayman characteristic? I test drove an orange 2010 Cayman 6000 ks at the same garage this Friday the 3.4 special additional for 69,000 Francs. The orange takes me aback but after a while it looks cool and the paint work detailing are really well done. I am getting ready to retire and want a toy for the roads near my place in the south of France. Any advice before likely taking the plunge is welcomed. Cheers - John Shabatura from Switzerland

Porsche Cayman 2.7 Manual

The Cayman offers so much at such a reasonable price! If you want a car that looks the part and drives fantastically well for around £40K look no further. I would recommend to anyone. Take one for a test drive and you will not want to give it back honestly!

Porsche Cayman

Nice car, certainly much better than the Audi TT, but by the time you have added a few (essential) toys then you might as well buy the far better 911. If you don't then you will always find yourself explaining to your friends why you didn't buy one. Still a Porsche though.

Porsche Cayman Porsche Cayman 2.7

If you want a car with real class, with no compromise on either style or power then this is the one for you. Equally amazing to drive on short or long distance this car has so far given me nothing but reliable, pleasurable driving but if you are looking for something economical to run you may want to pass.