Test drove a Cayman S today
 

A buddy of mine who likes higher end cars (but doesn't make a whole lot more money than I do) went to lunch with me today, and decides he wants to test drive a Cayman.

I hopped in his Mercedes CLK 55 AMG and we headed down to the P-car dealer. Checked out a nice white Cayman S on the showroom floor. Then my buddy asked if we could take one for a test drive. He doesn't like driving standards, so he asked for a Tip.

Found a nice metallic gray Cayman S, and after photocopying our DLs, the salesman let us go on our way. Buddy drove it about 5 miles, taking an on ramp, offramp, interchange and a few turns. Then we switched.

My impressions were:

Good power
Solid feel of the road
Nice exhaust note
Great steering response

But the negatives about it were pretty glaring:

There's simply TOO much noise in the cabin! Either from the engine, or the road, or both. It would be unpleasant as a daily driver or on a long trip. Heck, it was louder in that car than it is in my Boxster. Very noticeably!

Such a beautiful car, though. It would make an excellent track toy! Just a little more sound deadening, and it would be tops!

You shouda test drove the manual. I did, and was very impressed. It's a very nice package- good power, nice sounds, terrific handling/tossability. Just that I am a ragtop man, or else I'd seriously consider it. I didn't feel the interior noise was bad at all.

Are you serious about this? Clothtop boxes less noise? (This is one of my complaints about boxster highway driving)

Did you try a cheap solution to the road noise... the radio? I'm pretty sure you had it off during the test drive, everyone does for some reason, lol.

I want one, maybe about 2012 or so I can afford a used '06 :D

Odd bout the sound. I just put on a hardtop and everyone said how much quieter it would be. So far I can't really say that it the case though I need to do some adjusting as I do have some wind noise.

I always test drive without the radio as well. I want to hear the exhaust and if the are any interior squeeks, rattles. I test out the sound system in the lot at the dealer.

Yes, I'm sure about the noise. My buddy and I both commented about it. He's drivin many Boxsters, and ridden in mine, and he's had other convertibles, as well as a '99 996.

The Cayman was pretty noisy inside. If not LOUDER than my Box, it was at least AS loud!

That was the only disappointment I felt about it. A little sound deadening, and it would be very nice for a daily drivable car.

I think the 19" wheels contribute to the noise... maybe 18"s (with a little more sidewall) would deaden the sound a little. It also had PASM, maybe goofing around with that might soften it up and make daily driving more pleasant.

I agree with Boggtown, If I hear a noise I don't like, I just turn up the tunes, lol

Noise might be vibration in the tires. When I switched from Rossos to Kumho all-seasons, I thought I heard a booming noise in the rear on accelerating. Also some drift to the right. They switched the front tires, and it reduced the drift some and reduced the noise some. I think a lot of the noise is the new tires breaking in. 800 miles now, and everything seems more smooth and quieter--approaching the Rossos.

Sure it's louder than a closed boxster - first of all the steel roof will trap and resonate more sounds than the cloth top, secondly - it's 700 cc bigger and 50 hp more powerful - it WILL be noisier. But it's a GREAT sound though, IMO! :D

The engine noise is nice... but the rest is not. When cruising on the highway at about 70mph, there is a lot of road noise, but not much engine noise.

I do concede that the car had 19" wheels, but didn't check what tires were on it. With 18"s and some quieter tires, the road noise might be minimalized.... but I bet a little more sound deadening material would help, too.

It could have been from engine noise and the materials between you and the engine. Maybe on a Cayman there are less sound deading materials near the engine. If anybody here has ever started the engine without the engine cover on and sat in the drivers seat it is CRAZY loud.

one person's noise is another person's music.

acoustically speaking, The CaymanS is a throw back to the older Porsches. I think Porsche did a great job with that. what you are forgetting is that the CaymanS is a full on Sports car. not a Sporty-like car like a G35 etc.
Not many people consider such a raw/pure car for daily driving. That's why they buy over engineered, neutered, ultra quiet, Mark Levinson stereo-equipped Lexus cars or they buy a Cayenne.

I haven't forgotten anything at all! Don't know if you recall, but my OTHER Porsche is a 1969 911! It's loud and raw!

The Cayman would make an EXCELLENT track car, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! It' handles AWESOMELY! (And I only got to take a few turns with it)

The road noise would just make daily driving and long distance trips harder on the driver.

So I'd say GREAT for a track car, NOT-SO-MUCH for a daily driver.

Cayman S
 

Test drove it yesterday with a manual, 50 more hp and a stiffer suspension is a slight improvement. With a 10k discount I'm keeping my base 987.

Is it basically a hard top Boxster?

I recently had an opportunity to participate in a "Porsche Driving Experience". The day incorporated autocross, high speed slalom, and accident avoidence driving. All the cars involved where brand new mid-engined Cayman's and Boxters. I drive an old '97 Boxster and for comparison purposes I found the handling of the Cayman slightly preferable to the Box. More power, more rigid and stable in the autocross and very well appointed for fit and finish. The new Boxsters were really not all that different from mine except for the added HP and upgraded interiors. I fell in love with the Cayman's sound, storage space, and overall appeal. I don't think I would call it a "hardtop" Boxster. It's a much different car. My P car is an everyday driver and the Cayman is much more practical for that than a 911. I have driven a lot of different Porshe's up to GT2's and turbos. For the money I would prefer a Cayman overall. But I am a ragtop guy and will stay with Boxsters! But I must add that my impression of the Cayman was...WOW!

Interesting...thanks for the info.