The Porsche Cayman: Proving why Porsche is the Real Driving Machine

After what had to be 4 weeks of driving around a white 2010 Cayenne (Base, not the new gen.), my parents told me yesterday that Porsche is giving me a Cayman tomorrow to drive around in, which of course made my day.

Fast forward to earlier today, my mom tells me Porsche called and said it was in, so naturally I'm excited and drive right over to Schneider/Nelson to drop off the White Cayenne, with no idea what I'm getting at all. Of course, minutes after I go in, I get a brand new Demo Cayman (basically 2400 miles, PDK, Black/Black, heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, ect.), and I'm ecstatic! Takes me about 10 minutes before I'm totally comfortable the car, but then it feels all too familiar, like my Boxster S.

Now you might argue that they're the same car and I would agree to a degree, but you also gotta realize the differences:

*It's more Rigid and stable due to it having a solid structure as opposed to a convertible top (Which would make it more stable at higher speeds, plus help with handling around a track)

*While it might seem negateible, the slight weight and power difference will make a difference overall

*Due to it having a solid roof, it'll have more windows and thus improves on the Boxster's rather serious weakness: Blindspots! Where as the Boxster is terrible to see out of with the top up (Caused me to miss some turns because I didn't know if someone was coming), with the Cayman, I was able to see that no one was in the lane I needed to change into and thus make the turn I needed to rather than drive miles outta the way. It's definitely day and night and besides reducing any blind spots, I can also see behind me and see if anyone's coming as I back out of a spot (You could argue dropping the top on the Boxster solves the problems, but on a rainy day, you wouldn't do it unless you were crazy)

Now for my driving experience so far. To sum it up in a few simple words:

The REAL Ultimate Driving Machine

Sure, some argue BMW's got that title, but when you got a RWD Mid-engine cars that weights less than 3,100lbs (Boxster/Cayman) that handle on rails, have a sweet sounding sonic wail, have the best transmissions and get noticed everywhere you go (To say the very least, I could go on and on), makes you wonder why they didn't copyright that quote 1st (Of course, BMW's the everyman's Ultimate Driving Machine, but even they wish they had a porsche).

Now of course, I got the Base Cayman, but that doesn't mean it's a wimpy slouch. The 2.9l Flat 6 produces 265hp/221tq and weighs about 2998lbs, so while it's not Cayman S fast, it's still gonna fly!

Porsche rates 60 at 5.4(5.2 w/Sport Chrono), but like most companies, that's conservative, and since I once timed it, I got 60 in 4.6 w/my Boxster w/out sport plus, so my guestimation is it's 5-5.2 to 60, but forget 60, like any Porsche, it's really aimming for 100+mph, so like I say with my Boxster S, it's not 0-60, it's 0-100.

Considering it rained before, the roads were slick, but even so, with stock tires, I took exit ramps at high(er) speed's (45-50mph) and at one point, I turned the wheel where you could feel the G-Pull, and where as most cars would start getting tippy, it held it's own, and mind you, I was on the Throttle the whole time, trying to push the limits.

Of course, I've only had the car for one day, so it's just my initial impressions, but so far, EVERYONE whose driven in it (Bree, my nephew, my Speed Devil Dad) LOVE it. My dad's ALL ABOUT Speed and Handling, and after driving it, he's really impressed, and remember, this is just a base Cayman, I'm pretty sure that if it were a 'S', he'd be going to Porsche to pick up his own. I've driven them all (911 4S Convertible, Boxster S, Cayman, Cayenne S, Panamera 4S) and in my Opinion, this is THE best of them all!

You hear it called the 911 Slayer, and I can see why, the 911 I drove wasn't bad, but they don't have the "Feel" that the Boxster/Cayman have and while I love my Boxster, just driving this one shows me how much better it is in so many regards. You can't compare the Cayenne and Panamera, so of the core 3, if you won the lottery and decided to get several cars rather than 1, you'd want the Cayman S or R (Although if you were gonna get 1, 911 Turbo/S or GT3/GT2).

With it's light weight, perfect transmission, powerful engine, amazing suspension and overall appearance, I can easily say, the Cayman is LITERALLY the ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE! This is definitely one of those "10 cars to drive before you die", even if you can't afford one, you OWE IT to yourself to try one out. You can argue a Corvette is more powerful and ALOT LESS expensive, but drive a Cayman or Boxster for a few hours/days/weeks (whatever you can manage) and you'll understand why they're so expensive and exclusive.

I'm Mike, and this has been my review of the Cayman, enjoy

Formula 1 KERS Tech In Your Everyday Sportscars?

For some reason I tend to do my best thinking while I am behind the wheel. Possibly because of my commute or because the greenie in front of me in their Prius was going no more than 42mph in a 50mph speed limit road preventing from getting me to get where I needed to go. I finally got fed up and was thinking about passing the ugly thing but I unfortunately had little room and a turn was approaching. At that moment thoughts about the F1 Grand Prix at Monaco I was watching previous night popped into my head. I believe it was a couple years ago that I heard that the F1 organization was introducing new technology into their already tech filled cars. The system is called KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and truth be told, it is exactly how it sounds. In essence it works as a typical Hybrid system when it comes to storing and regnerating energy from braking or in F1's case the flywheel as well. In F1, it gives the drivers the ability to use that stored energy from braking as a temporary "boost" in power for short bursts so that they can use it to pass an opponent in order to help them win. I know Ferrari is working on this system and plans on introducing it in their regular car lineup, which brings me to the point I am trying to make. Why not have KERS in your regular sports car??

With CAFE strong arming companies to submit to its regulations, sports cars as we know it are slowly changing whether we like it or not. Raw sports cars are now a rare breed and hybrid powertrains finding their way into cars is only inevitable. KERS would provide sports car a nice boost in power when necessary similar to a NOS system without the drawbacks of blown motors and false egos. With the flexability of using the brakes or the flywheel as a charging system for the electric motor the uses would be beneficial and not just in powergains. Now, don't misunderstand my point. I am by no means saying we should just throw in a Prius drive train in a Mustang and have a good looking appliance, afterall that is sacreligious. What I am trying to get across is that having an electric motor to assist the engine so that you can achieve better fuel economy and more power is not such a horrible idea. If you had asked me this same question last year I probably would have been crying after laughing so hard, however it is something that will probably come to fruitition whether we like it or not. I am all for rumbling V8s, or in my case, high strung rotaries, but having your go and being "green" is not such a bad thing. You can have your cake and eat it too. You can have your 400+hp, and get fuel economy that some may have thought would've been impossible for these big high powered motors. This way, the V8s and other high powered motors can live on and still be enjoyed. I understand the drawback of added weight in the cars with the battery for storing the energy, the electric motor(s) and the corresponding components but in my opinion, it is a sacrifice I am willing to make in order to keep my favorite motors alive in the cars that I love.

Before any of you think that I am a traitor and not a true sports car enthusiast, you couldn't be any further from the truth. I love raw sports cars like the venerable Viper, the Corvette, the Z, etc, but our planets resources are limited and getting consumed as more countries are industrializing and there appears to be no end in sight as more bad news rolls in as talk of electric vehicles becomes a normal topic of conversation in auto forums across the web. What about cars such as the Tesla Roadster, you ask? As it too is a sports car but is all electric. Unfortunately they just don't have the soul and feel of a car with an actual internal combustion engine. Its hard to describe, as any sports car owner would probably sympathize and agree with me. Having the KERS system just provides a little bit of longevity to some of the true enthusiasts that are left remaining in the automotive world. After I die, I don't care what happens, but until then, let me enjoy my sports cars.