Porsche Cayman 2.7 PDK Review: All grown up...

What we like:

Perfect mechanical grip and balance that is so good it gets the Cayman deliberately thumbed down. Glorious mechanical clatter of the flat-six inches from the back of your head.

What we dislike:

Nothing that matters. Considering it checks all the boxes for what you want of a performance coupe brilliantly. 

Even though the Cayman is marketed as Porsche’s ‘entry-level’ model, there’s nothing bargain basement about its dynamic performance. Even in this diluted 2.7-litre Cayman, the brilliant handling characteristics that Porsche has worked into its chassis is obvious.

This new car boasts a lighter kerb weight compared to its predecessor through the use of aluminum on 40 per cent of its chassis. Making the car 47kgs lighter while at the same time increasing torsional rigidity.

Here’s where we get a little geeky. A mid-engine car like the Cayman benefits greatly from ‘low polar moment’. In simple terms, it means the more mass you keep within the centre of the car, the easier it is for the car to rotate about its axis.

What this translates to is a car that’s very willing to change direction. Taking the Cayman through a series of bends, the car feels very forgiving even with severely late braking deep in the bends. And with the subtle understeer engineered into the chassis, you’re less likely to tail swap yourself into a fiery pile here. Even the rain soaked tarmac didn’t seem to dampen the baby croc’s composure, as it remains predictable.

Unlike its predecessor’s hydraulic rack, Porsche has opted to go all electric in this new model. While purists will miss the raw feel of a hydraulic system, the electromechanical rack used in the Cayman is more clinical, precise and fast. No different from a surgeon’s dilemma between a scalpel and a laser.

The 2.7-litre 275bhp flat six in the Cayman is one that begs to be spanked. Anything below 4,500rpm, the burbling unit remains docile. But give it a firm throttle and the full force of its 290Nm of torque comes alive to propel you through the bends.

Like the playbook of an old Greek tragedy, the Cayman will never be allowed to fully realize its full potential for fear of overshadowing the 911.

But less pretentious enthusiasts know that for all out handling and performance, the Cayman is the one to have over an entry-level 911.

Credits: Story and Photos by Benjamin G. Kline