Porsche Cayman (2006) CAR review

Good grief, it's a slightly slower Porsche! What are they thinking?

Not everyone can afford the £43,930 for the Cayman S. So here's a Cayman minus the ‘S’ bit and minus a handy £7710. There are sacrifices to be made. The new base model is down 50bhp and 50lb ft of torque over the ‘S’, loses the six-speed gearbox, makes do with a basic cabin and sheds 40kg. Think of it as the low-cal, Diet Cayman Lite.

What lies beneath?

The Cayman borrows the very same 2.7-litre, six-cylinder, water-cooled boxer engine from the Boxster. As Porsche points out, the Cayman is more powerful than the Boxster - and they’re not lying, even if it’s up a slightly cynical 5bhp and 2lb ft of torque. Which translates to 245bhp and 201lb ft of torque and a 0-62mph time cut by 0.1secs and a top speed raised to 160mph (up 1mph). It's linked to the choice of a five-speed manual gearbox (as standard) or an optional six-speed manual. As ever a five-speed tiptronic box is offered but best avoided. The damping's been revised along with the anti-roll bars and high profile 235/55 R17 rubber help to make the base Cayman a slightly more forgiving car than the S.