Porsche Cayman S Review
Published: 25th October 2006
Porsche Cayman S
The test car came with the optional smooth leather interior, which features detail stitching and adds £1,150 plus £126 for the embossed head restraints, while the standard seats have Alcantara middle panels. The sports seats are very supportive and comfortable. They both have 6-way adjustment - the standard format is electrically operated backrests and manual fore, aft and height adjustment. The test car came with the optional, all-electric, 12-way seats with pneumatic lumbar support. There is a further option of adaptive sports seats that have adjustable side bolsters for extra comfort and support.
I have mentioned the CD auto changer under the bonnet and the standard CDR-24 radio/CD with four speakers; two in the dash and two in each door. Upgrading to the PCM or Porsche Communications Management system (£1,921) buys sat-nav, MP3 compatibility and the ability to add telephone communication. Furthermore, an electronic trip computer that can record up to 1,500 journeys and download the information to a laptop or similar, is also available with this system.
There is more still - the Porsche Sound Package Plus comes with 9 speakers or there's the BOSE Surround Sound System with 10 speakers for £859. To be honest, I can't see where they could fit ten speakers. The cabin is not exactly cramped but it is, after all, no more than half the size of a normal hatchback.
Another option fitted to the test car was the anti-dazzle rear-view and wing mirrors, including rain-sensing wipers at £353 and it was with some amusement that I realised that the Elegant and sporty Cayman S has provision for a roof rack or roof transportation system, as Porsche call it.
The Cayman S is a mid-engined coupe, hence the lack of rear luggage space, and houses the new 3.4-litre, 6-cylinder petrol engine, developed from the 3.2 unit found in the Boxster S. In conjunction with the snappy, 6-speed manual gearbox, as opposed to the £1,760 Tiptronic S automatic transmission, it is capable of propelling the car to a top speed of 171mph (where legal) after a 0-62mph dash of 5.4 seconds.
