Porsche Cayman R 3.4 (A) Review
05 Jan 2012|17,615 views
Despite strong rivalry from its German competitors, the Porsche Cayman is long regarded as the most entertaining and driver focused car in its class. Some even consider the Cayman and its topless Boxster cousin ever more of a driver's machine than the iconic 911 thanks to their well-balanced mid-engined chassis.
While the base Cayman can be a tad gutless, especially for keen drivers, most will find the 3.4-litre Cayman S the more fun and engaging machine. Porsche though, has a habit of introducing even more hardcore, driver focused and often lightened versions of its sports car models and it wasn't long before the Boxster/Cayman receive the same treatment. Porsche unleashed its magic wand on the Boxster first and the result was the lightweight Boxster Spyder.
Exterior
The more recent Cayman R can be considered to be the fixed roof version of the Boxster Spyder as well as being a hardcore version of the Cayman. With the Cayman R, Porsche has taken a Cayman S as a base, stripped it of unnecessary weight, lightened it by as much as 55kg, added 10bhp to the S' horsepower count and gave it retuned and lowered sports suspension.
This isn't the first Porsche with the R moniker. The 911R from the 1960s is the inspiration behind the Cayman R's R moniker. Just like the modern day Cayman R, the 911R was a lightened 911 model made for racing homologation. The R can immediately be differentiated from the regular Cayman and Cayman S models by its 20mm lowered stance, the gloss black fixed rear spoiler, darkened headlamps, gloss black wing mirror covers and the retro looking 'Porsche' stripes along the flanks.
While the base Cayman can be a tad gutless, especially for keen drivers, most will find the 3.4-litre Cayman S the more fun and engaging machine. Porsche though, has a habit of introducing even more hardcore, driver focused and often lightened versions of its sports car models and it wasn't long before the Boxster/Cayman receive the same treatment. Porsche unleashed its magic wand on the Boxster first and the result was the lightweight Boxster Spyder.
Exterior
The more recent Cayman R can be considered to be the fixed roof version of the Boxster Spyder as well as being a hardcore version of the Cayman. With the Cayman R, Porsche has taken a Cayman S as a base, stripped it of unnecessary weight, lightened it by as much as 55kg, added 10bhp to the S' horsepower count and gave it retuned and lowered sports suspension.
This isn't the first Porsche with the R moniker. The 911R from the 1960s is the inspiration behind the Cayman R's R moniker. Just like the modern day Cayman R, the 911R was a lightened 911 model made for racing homologation. The R can immediately be differentiated from the regular Cayman and Cayman S models by its 20mm lowered stance, the gloss black fixed rear spoiler, darkened headlamps, gloss black wing mirror covers and the retro looking 'Porsche' stripes along the flanks.
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Interior
True to the Cayman R's hardcore nature, the cabin has a minimalist feel to it. This is exacerbated by weight saving measures like the deletion of the instrument panel hood, the body coloured plastic trim on the centre console and dashboard and so on while the door handles have been replaced by minimalist red pull straps like in a 911 GT3 RS and matching red seat belt straps.
Not fitted as standard on local Cayman R models are the lightweight bucket seats as Porsche reckons that the typical owner here requires more adjustments for their seats. To further remind you that you are in the most hardcore and sportiest of Cayman models, there are Cayman R logos on the sills as well as on the dashboard.
Other than the deletion of convenience features on the inside, the Cayman R's lightweight regime includes the use of aluminium doors as used on the 911 Turbo, which saves a further 15kg. The R's engine is based on the Cayman S' 3.4-litre flat-six, albeit tuned and slightly tweaked for more power. Porsche says that the extra performance from the engine is the result of a revised exhaust system and retuned ECU.
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The Drive
The weight savings coupled with the additional 10bhp has given the R a slight boost in performance when compared to the S - fitted with the Sport Chrono Pack, the Cayman R PDK will hit 100km/h from rest in 4.7 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than the Cayman S. The R's 280km/h top speed is also higher than the S' 275km/h.
Off the line, it's a tad hard to feel the R's extra performance as like in the S, the R's motor can feel a tad lazy at slow to medium speeds. With its peak torque of 370Nm arriving only at 4750rpm, as in the Cayman S, it is past the mid-range and nearer towards the engine's rev limit of 7500rpm that the extra performance can be felt. As ever, the Cayman's flat-six makes a really nice noise - just like in the 911 models, the flat-six makes the characteristic mechanical clatter that is so synonymous with Porsche sports cars.
Porsche's PDK dual clutch gearbox is probably considered as one of the best dual clutch gearboxes out there since its introduction in 2008. In terms of gear changes, it is certainly hard to fault - select Sport Plus mode and it'll swap gears crisply and very instantaneously indeed. The R comes standard with the Sport Design steering wheel that is an optional extra on other Cayman models. This wheel offers proper gear change paddles that are more intuitive to use than the gear change buttons set-up in lesser Cayman models, which is a huge relief to say the least.
The weight savings coupled with the additional 10bhp has given the R a slight boost in performance when compared to the S - fitted with the Sport Chrono Pack, the Cayman R PDK will hit 100km/h from rest in 4.7 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than the Cayman S. The R's 280km/h top speed is also higher than the S' 275km/h.
Off the line, it's a tad hard to feel the R's extra performance as like in the S, the R's motor can feel a tad lazy at slow to medium speeds. With its peak torque of 370Nm arriving only at 4750rpm, as in the Cayman S, it is past the mid-range and nearer towards the engine's rev limit of 7500rpm that the extra performance can be felt. As ever, the Cayman's flat-six makes a really nice noise - just like in the 911 models, the flat-six makes the characteristic mechanical clatter that is so synonymous with Porsche sports cars.
Porsche's PDK dual clutch gearbox is probably considered as one of the best dual clutch gearboxes out there since its introduction in 2008. In terms of gear changes, it is certainly hard to fault - select Sport Plus mode and it'll swap gears crisply and very instantaneously indeed. The R comes standard with the Sport Design steering wheel that is an optional extra on other Cayman models. This wheel offers proper gear change paddles that are more intuitive to use than the gear change buttons set-up in lesser Cayman models, which is a huge relief to say the least.
The Cayman R just feels so satisfying to drive quickly, somehow you feel like you're a part of the car when you get behind the wheel. The steering feels like it connects you directly onto the tarmac while you can feel the road surface through your bum. Without the rear weight bias of the 911, the mid-engine Cayman's steering feels even more direct than that in its big brother.
The Cayman's mid-engine layout not only makes it feel more stable and planted than its front engine rivals in the corners but also its rear-engine 911 big brother. Porsche says that the Cayman R has been fitted with a specially developed and adapted sports chassis that features a 20mm lower ride height than the Cayman S coupled with shorter, more rigid springs, customised front and rear anti-roll bars and revised dampers.
The average driver won't be able to feel or appreciate the R's additional handling prowess on the road but a keen driver can certainly make do with the R's additional dynamic qualities on a race track. In addition, the R comes standard with a mechanical LSD to improve traction and stability on the limit.
The Cayman's mid-engine layout not only makes it feel more stable and planted than its front engine rivals in the corners but also its rear-engine 911 big brother. Porsche says that the Cayman R has been fitted with a specially developed and adapted sports chassis that features a 20mm lower ride height than the Cayman S coupled with shorter, more rigid springs, customised front and rear anti-roll bars and revised dampers.
The average driver won't be able to feel or appreciate the R's additional handling prowess on the road but a keen driver can certainly make do with the R's additional dynamic qualities on a race track. In addition, the R comes standard with a mechanical LSD to improve traction and stability on the limit.
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Conclusion
To the average driver, the Cayman R's additional performance and extra handling prowess isn't exactly exploitable on the road. A keen driver or a driving enthusiast though, will find that the Cayman R could well be the most well balanced sports car to have ever left the gates of Zuffenhausen.
What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.
To the average driver, the Cayman R's additional performance and extra handling prowess isn't exactly exploitable on the road. A keen driver or a driving enthusiast though, will find that the Cayman R could well be the most well balanced sports car to have ever left the gates of Zuffenhausen.
What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.
Despite strong rivalry from its German competitors, the Porsche Cayman is long regarded as the most entertaining and driver focused car in its class. Some even consider the Cayman and its topless Boxster cousin ever more of a driver's machine than the iconic 911 thanks to their well-balanced mid-engined chassis.
While the base Cayman can be a tad gutless, especially for keen drivers, most will find the 3.4-litre Cayman S the more fun and engaging machine. Porsche though, has a habit of introducing even more hardcore, driver focused and often lightened versions of its sports car models and it wasn't long before the Boxster/Cayman receive the same treatment. Porsche unleashed its magic wand on the Boxster first and the result was the lightweight Boxster Spyder.
Exterior
The more recent Cayman R can be considered to be the fixed roof version of the Boxster Spyder as well as being a hardcore version of the Cayman. With the Cayman R, Porsche has taken a Cayman S as a base, stripped it of unnecessary weight, lightened it by as much as 55kg, added 10bhp to the S' horsepower count and gave it retuned and lowered sports suspension.
This isn't the first Porsche with the R moniker. The 911R from the 1960s is the inspiration behind the Cayman R's R moniker. Just like the modern day Cayman R, the 911R was a lightened 911 model made for racing homologation. The R can immediately be differentiated from the regular Cayman and Cayman S models by its 20mm lowered stance, the gloss black fixed rear spoiler, darkened headlamps, gloss black wing mirror covers and the retro looking 'Porsche' stripes along the flanks.
While the base Cayman can be a tad gutless, especially for keen drivers, most will find the 3.4-litre Cayman S the more fun and engaging machine. Porsche though, has a habit of introducing even more hardcore, driver focused and often lightened versions of its sports car models and it wasn't long before the Boxster/Cayman receive the same treatment. Porsche unleashed its magic wand on the Boxster first and the result was the lightweight Boxster Spyder.
Exterior
The more recent Cayman R can be considered to be the fixed roof version of the Boxster Spyder as well as being a hardcore version of the Cayman. With the Cayman R, Porsche has taken a Cayman S as a base, stripped it of unnecessary weight, lightened it by as much as 55kg, added 10bhp to the S' horsepower count and gave it retuned and lowered sports suspension.
This isn't the first Porsche with the R moniker. The 911R from the 1960s is the inspiration behind the Cayman R's R moniker. Just like the modern day Cayman R, the 911R was a lightened 911 model made for racing homologation. The R can immediately be differentiated from the regular Cayman and Cayman S models by its 20mm lowered stance, the gloss black fixed rear spoiler, darkened headlamps, gloss black wing mirror covers and the retro looking 'Porsche' stripes along the flanks.
|
Interior
True to the Cayman R's hardcore nature, the cabin has a minimalist feel to it. This is exacerbated by weight saving measures like the deletion of the instrument panel hood, the body coloured plastic trim on the centre console and dashboard and so on while the door handles have been replaced by minimalist red pull straps like in a 911 GT3 RS and matching red seat belt straps.
Not fitted as standard on local Cayman R models are the lightweight bucket seats as Porsche reckons that the typical owner here requires more adjustments for their seats. To further remind you that you are in the most hardcore and sportiest of Cayman models, there are Cayman R logos on the sills as well as on the dashboard.
Other than the deletion of convenience features on the inside, the Cayman R's lightweight regime includes the use of aluminium doors as used on the 911 Turbo, which saves a further 15kg. The R's engine is based on the Cayman S' 3.4-litre flat-six, albeit tuned and slightly tweaked for more power. Porsche says that the extra performance from the engine is the result of a revised exhaust system and retuned ECU.
|
The Drive
The weight savings coupled with the additional 10bhp has given the R a slight boost in performance when compared to the S - fitted with the Sport Chrono Pack, the Cayman R PDK will hit 100km/h from rest in 4.7 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than the Cayman S. The R's 280km/h top speed is also higher than the S' 275km/h.
Off the line, it's a tad hard to feel the R's extra performance as like in the S, the R's motor can feel a tad lazy at slow to medium speeds. With its peak torque of 370Nm arriving only at 4750rpm, as in the Cayman S, it is past the mid-range and nearer towards the engine's rev limit of 7500rpm that the extra performance can be felt. As ever, the Cayman's flat-six makes a really nice noise - just like in the 911 models, the flat-six makes the characteristic mechanical clatter that is so synonymous with Porsche sports cars.
Porsche's PDK dual clutch gearbox is probably considered as one of the best dual clutch gearboxes out there since its introduction in 2008. In terms of gear changes, it is certainly hard to fault - select Sport Plus mode and it'll swap gears crisply and very instantaneously indeed. The R comes standard with the Sport Design steering wheel that is an optional extra on other Cayman models. This wheel offers proper gear change paddles that are more intuitive to use than the gear change buttons set-up in lesser Cayman models, which is a huge relief to say the least.
The weight savings coupled with the additional 10bhp has given the R a slight boost in performance when compared to the S - fitted with the Sport Chrono Pack, the Cayman R PDK will hit 100km/h from rest in 4.7 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than the Cayman S. The R's 280km/h top speed is also higher than the S' 275km/h.
Off the line, it's a tad hard to feel the R's extra performance as like in the S, the R's motor can feel a tad lazy at slow to medium speeds. With its peak torque of 370Nm arriving only at 4750rpm, as in the Cayman S, it is past the mid-range and nearer towards the engine's rev limit of 7500rpm that the extra performance can be felt. As ever, the Cayman's flat-six makes a really nice noise - just like in the 911 models, the flat-six makes the characteristic mechanical clatter that is so synonymous with Porsche sports cars.
Porsche's PDK dual clutch gearbox is probably considered as one of the best dual clutch gearboxes out there since its introduction in 2008. In terms of gear changes, it is certainly hard to fault - select Sport Plus mode and it'll swap gears crisply and very instantaneously indeed. The R comes standard with the Sport Design steering wheel that is an optional extra on other Cayman models. This wheel offers proper gear change paddles that are more intuitive to use than the gear change buttons set-up in lesser Cayman models, which is a huge relief to say the least.
The Cayman R just feels so satisfying to drive quickly, somehow you feel like you're a part of the car when you get behind the wheel. The steering feels like it connects you directly onto the tarmac while you can feel the road surface through your bum. Without the rear weight bias of the 911, the mid-engine Cayman's steering feels even more direct than that in its big brother.
The Cayman's mid-engine layout not only makes it feel more stable and planted than its front engine rivals in the corners but also its rear-engine 911 big brother. Porsche says that the Cayman R has been fitted with a specially developed and adapted sports chassis that features a 20mm lower ride height than the Cayman S coupled with shorter, more rigid springs, customised front and rear anti-roll bars and revised dampers.
The average driver won't be able to feel or appreciate the R's additional handling prowess on the road but a keen driver can certainly make do with the R's additional dynamic qualities on a race track. In addition, the R comes standard with a mechanical LSD to improve traction and stability on the limit.
The Cayman's mid-engine layout not only makes it feel more stable and planted than its front engine rivals in the corners but also its rear-engine 911 big brother. Porsche says that the Cayman R has been fitted with a specially developed and adapted sports chassis that features a 20mm lower ride height than the Cayman S coupled with shorter, more rigid springs, customised front and rear anti-roll bars and revised dampers.
The average driver won't be able to feel or appreciate the R's additional handling prowess on the road but a keen driver can certainly make do with the R's additional dynamic qualities on a race track. In addition, the R comes standard with a mechanical LSD to improve traction and stability on the limit.
|
Conclusion
To the average driver, the Cayman R's additional performance and extra handling prowess isn't exactly exploitable on the road. A keen driver or a driving enthusiast though, will find that the Cayman R could well be the most well balanced sports car to have ever left the gates of Zuffenhausen.
What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.
To the average driver, the Cayman R's additional performance and extra handling prowess isn't exactly exploitable on the road. A keen driver or a driving enthusiast though, will find that the Cayman R could well be the most well balanced sports car to have ever left the gates of Zuffenhausen.
What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.
Photos by Bobby Chow
Car Information
Porsche Cayman R 3.4 PDK (A)
CAT B|Petrol|10.7km/L
Horsepower
246kW (330 bhp)
Torque
370 Nm
Acceleration
4.9sec (0-100km /hr)
This model is no longer being sold by local distributor
All Used Porsche Cayman
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