Porsche Cayman (Typ 981c)

When you think about the Porsche Cayman, the first thought of you that this is just a ragtag hardtop version of the Porsche Cayman with the design that is not quite exciting to look at. Although, the design is rather bland, this is rather known to be one of the best handling cars in the history because like the Boxster cousin, the Cayman is the more agile car that gets you away from anyone before they discovered you're not. For this new version, the Cayman tries to become more tail-happy and more athletic than the previous model it replaces.

2014 Porsche Cayman

There's more to like about the new Porsche Cayman (Typ 981c) rather than noticing it has the same design as the latest Porsche Boxster 981 because being one of the most athletic and the most agile cars ever made for the market, the new Cayman really tries to open up some curves and grooves you like some New York jazz music with a hint of engine revving, a taste of Georges St. Pierre's flying punch on your face, and a bullet to the head that really ends all boring conversations you are facing with.

On the manifesto, the Cayman starts at 51,385 Euros and that pricing sure knows that it's cheaper than the latest Porsche 911 Carrera (Typ 991), that makes it good value for the Porsche fans around here. What you get on this standard model is a 2.7-litre engine mounted in the middle which produces 275PS of power and 290Nm of torque. Also, this is the first time this Porsche broke the magic 100 hp per litre displacement barrier for sports car engines because its specific power is 101.6 hp/litre. Sounds tempting to us but for those who want more power, the Cayman S model is offered with the improved 3.4L boxer-6 engine which comes with added 5HP more to the previous power output, therefore it's 325PS of power and 370Nm of torque.

In the S model, 0-100kph takes about five seconds and top speed of 283 km/h. in a 6-speed manual configuration. Sounds quick and if you're opting for the optional 7-speed double clutch transmission, the 0-100kph time is improved but the top speed with suffer. Still, who would want the double clutch as an alternative to the manual transmission because the digest shows that double-clutches shift faster than manual tranny? Neither do care about this mumbo-jumbo. He he he...

2014 Porsche Cayman interior

On the track, the new Cayman loves to eat corners more than Pac-Man munching a million dots. Every time when the new Cayman is ready on the track, it always goes "Eat em up! Yum yum!" every time when its overall enthusiasm is all fired up but what about on a normal day-to-day basis? Well don't get all "OVERALL ENTHUSIASM, OVERALL ENTHUSIASM, OVERALL ENTHUSIASM, YEE-HAW" on us because as a driver's car, the Cayman's not that desperately impractical because it has a boot on the front which is big enough to fit yourself of telling your friends that you've got a picture of yourself being bitten by Pac-Man.

Sadly though, like any other Porsches, the dashboard of the new Cayman is extremely confusing and it takes a man with an IT Qualification to operate the Cayman's features such as the ignition, the traction control, the parking brake, the optional Sport Chrono, or any other stuff you can find on the dashboard. This is a bit more complicating that operating a DSLR camera on the first try or a challenge from a Minute to Win It game.

Although despite a couple of drawbacks, the new Cayman is a reasonable machine that sure knows that OVERALL ENTHUSIASM really flows through your veins when its ready and thanks to some numerous track-munching enhancements and the comfort for day-to-day driving, the new Cayman sure knows how to balance it out. It's all work, all play, for this baby Porsche and I have to say, this car is more than welcome to become every man's dream car if they can't afford on the 911.

Photo: Porsche