Porsche Cayman S India review, test drive

The Porsche Cayman S is touted to be the best sportscar in the world. But how does it fare on Indian roads? Time to find out.

Published on Sep 05, 2013 05:51:00 PM

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Porsche Cayman S India review, test drive

Now I know the Cayman is meant to be more about the way it drives than raw performance, but Porsche’s new-generation engines are so explosive towards the top end, 321bhp here feels more like 375. This is because Porsche’s new downsized engines have been made especially high-revving to allow them to attain higher power outputs. I think they’re among Porsche’s best engines ever. Maximum power comes in at 7400rpm, the PDK flick shifts you to the next gear just before 8000rpm and this results in a serious whack in the back. The crazy short stroke and big bore pistons sure help, as does the variable valve timing and lift. What enhances the experience tenfold is that every run to the top of the rev band is accompanied by a crisp deep-chested snarl from the exhaust.We revel in the brutal way the Cayman shifts from first to second in Sport Plus, snapping the rear a bit sideways when the ESP is off; and the quick steering makes it such a dolly to catch. It’s just so playful.

As the road opens up, we get an opportunity to exercise the engine a bit more in the higher gears – again, we’re pleasantly surprised. Performance is seriously good. So good, in fact, that the Cayman is only 0.3 seconds slower than the 911 Carrera 4S to 100kph. And the difference at 150kph isn’t more than a second either. Using Porsche’s launch control, we cover 0-100kph in just 5.3 seconds, with 200kph reached in 18.9 seconds.It’s only much later, on the rollercoaster down to Poladpur, that I get to really exploit the best bit of this car – its handling. Lumpy and wet tarmac cause me to initially take things easy on the twisty bits, but the Cayman is so inherently friendly and inviting, I soon get past using just the midrange before executing a shift-up. More power and performance normally corrupt handling, at least to some extent. But the effortless manner in which this thoroughbred chassis takes up the slack just goes to show the rarified altitude at which the Cayman is operating.