Exterior

As I mentioned earlier, if you’re not a Porsche person you might not be able to tell the difference between a Cayman and a 911. What you really need to know is that the Cayman costs about $34,000 less than the 911 base model. Of course, it doesn’t have the same driving systems as the 911, but it’s a fantastic entry into the world of sports cars. It’s meant to compete with the BMW Z4 and the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class. No, it ain’t cheap, but it’s not expensive if you’re talking sports-car budgets.

My test car was Carrara White, which admittedly isn’t my favorite car color. When I was at the Porsche event, there were a bunch of great-looking colors, including Speed Yellow, Guards Red and Arctic Silver Metallic. These colors showed off the Cayman’s sleek exterior much better than the white. I wasn’t too disappointed test-driving the white Cayman; it certainly got noticed out on the road. It sounded like a Porsche and it looked like a Porsche; what more could you want in a sports car?

This car loves to be driven, and it dares you to push it. Its braking was excellent. My newfound braking ability during turns was a great lesson in driving and vehicle dynamics. I learned a little of this during my time on the closed course, but I could certainly use more practice. Fortunately, Porsche has a driving school (and even a Women’s Only course) that teaches these skills and more.

This car begged me to accelerate out of corners and find roads with plenty of turns. The Cayman was fast off the line at the stoplight, to be sure, but she was a real treat on twisty back roads. (I was going the speed limit, of course.) What I loved about the Cayman was that she’ll hang in there as you learn to drive her and give you a thrill, even if you’re not Bob Bondurant (a former Formula One racecar driver and now the owner of a racing school).

I drove the Cayman on a drizzly day, and it didn’t get sketchy on me. This had a lot to do with its weight distribution, I’m sure. I felt safe and happy making the 60-mile trek home in the Cayman, but I was relieved not to have to figure out how to drive it in inclement weather on the fly.

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Not Really
Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Groove On

shopping around: At cars.com

• Side-by-Side Comparison
• Auto Loan Calculator

• Build your own
• Check for Rebates

key exterior: Features

available exterior: Colors

Take the Next Steps at Cars.com

Shop for a car

New

Used

Certified

Make

Model

Search Within 10 miles 20 miles 30 miles 40 miles 50 miles 75 miles 100 miles 150 miles 250 miles 500 miles All

of

Your ZIP

Powered by Cars.com

Make

Model

Search Within 10 miles 20 miles 30 miles 40 miles 50 miles 75 miles 100 miles 150 miles 250 miles 500 miles All

of

Your ZIP

Powered by Cars.com