Originally Posted by deepbluejh

Here is some ear-candy from the new Cayman S with the Porsche Sports Exhaust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0233RhIhTg

Originally Posted by deepbluejh

About six weeks ago I drove a 2008 Cayman S and came away with mixed emotions. Parts of the car I liked, parts I didn't like. The power was great, but the suspension was soft, the shifter sucked, and there were still potential issues with the motor. I had at the time convinced myself my Cayman itched was scratched, but I still wondered what a new one was like. I played with the configurator for weeks and read/watched video reviews of the car and the more I saw and heard, the more I liked.

This Wednesday I went into a local Atlanta dealer and drove a 2015 Cayman S 6MT and came away absolutely flabberghasted with how good it was. Everything about the car felt miles ahead of the 2008 that I drove. Looks, fit and finish, and the overall feel of the inside of the car were vastly better. The interior felt very small and tight - more like you had crawled into a cockpit instead of sitting in a car. This is one sensation I don't remember the 2008 model having and one of the things I love about the S2000. The car only had 13 miles on it, so I couldn't take it to redline, but it felt far more muscular than the 08 I drove under 4000 rpms. The shifter was also massively better than the one in the 2008 - which was comparatively loose and vague (and quite honestly a serious letdown). The new car's shifter's throws were longer than that of the S2000, but the engagement was very mechanical and positive. Its something I would genuinely enjoy shifting gears in - even after owning an S2000.

Handling wise I was stunned at just how solid the car felt. The entire thing felt incredibly rigid, well isolated, and completely stable through corners. Driving the S2000 back to back and it is comparatively loud, harsh, and flexy. The sound that came from the Cayman's Sports exhaust was pretty awesome too. It was loud and aggressive on-throttle, then when you left off you heard a series of crackles, burbles, and pops like I've never heard while driving a car. You can push a button on the center console, and a series of flaps close in the exhaust system, quieting the whole thing down when you're on long trips. Even with the sports exhaust engaged, there is surprisingly no drone at all in the cabin. A system like this really puts to shame every aftermarket exhaust i've ever heard. It's all of the goodness with none of the compromise.

Originally Posted by basscase

What do you think of the gearing? I understand the tall ratios (83 mph in second!) to be the biggest 981 annoyance.

Originally Posted by S2020

Last year. I test drove a Cayman (at low speed), wasn't impressed with it. to be fair, didn't push it very hard at all so the car couldn't shine like it was designed to*.
Did the salesman encourage you to push the car?


*this is my history of car testing. Drive it slowly in residential area then decided the car was boring. After buying cars for a few months and becoming more familiar with them, found out how good the cars are. Happens every single time I buy a sports car.

Originally Posted by rnye

Looks sweet! Will be relocating to Atlanta soon maybe we can meet up at some point for a sports car pilgrimage to the mountains (129)