By James Bergeron
Photo Gallery:
2009 Porsche Cayman
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I wish summer would come sooner. Every year, it seems like the hot weather does not arrive in the capital until mid-August, and when it does come, so does my yearly Porsche review. Not that I’m complaining about it: it simply would be nicer if both summer and the Porsche arrived earlier. Last year, it was the Boxster and Boxster S back-to-back (view the review here) in early September; this year it’s the Cayman and it is happening in late August.
The Cayman is arguably the best looking Porsche in company’s line-up, and ever since its introduction, many have wished Porsche would just drop in the flat-six from the 911 or 911 Turbo so this mid-engined machine could pummel the competition. But Porsche wouldn’t want to step on its own toes and ruin the 911’s heritage, so the Cayman still shares engines with the Boxster from which it was derived — although, lately, this isn’t a bad thing.
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Porsche used to be a little low on the power totem, but they have upped the ante over the past few years: the base Cayman is now outputting 265hp from a 2.9-litre flat-six, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at.
My base model tester carries a few options, but nothing crazy: the rare Aqua blue paint is a $970 option because of the metallic flake; BiXenon Headlights for $2,130 is a little steep considering they can be had in some compact cars these days; 18-inch Cayman S wheels for $1,690; colour-matched floor mats for a reasonable $130; another $130 for an iPod interface and $950 for Bluetooth. The big one, though, is the transmission: a whopping $4,660 for the seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission.
I had a chance a few months ago to get behind the wheel of a PDK-equipped Cayman S on the track. This week’s tester gives me a chance to live with the PDK for a week on the streets, so I will be sure to let you know how I feel the transmission fares daily use by week’s end.
2009 Porsche Cayman
MSRP as tested (excluding destination): $75,745
For more information on Porsche and the Cayman visit Porsche Canada
