BlueCayman14's 2014 PORSCHE 981 Cayman S

I’ve had my new Cayman S for two months now, so here are my initial observations. I traded in my 2008 Lexus GS460 so that is really all I have to compare it to. We bought a preconfigured new car (only 7 miles on the odometer) from Porsche of Newport Beach after searching the web site for the best configuration for us. The discount off MRSP was a little over $5,000.
Pros
1. Looks – it is absolutely gorgeous in person and we love the Sapphire Blue Metallic. The interior is standard Black. I would have loved a lighter leather package but you can’t get everything you want unless you want to wait months for a special order. The 20� wheels look awesome but almost bordering on ridiculous, the reviews are right when they say the brakes look small.
2. Fun to drive – I chose the Cayman S as a fun daily driving sports car, not a race car. I don’t care that it doesn’t have 400+ hp. The handling is insane and the power is more that I will ever need living in Southern California.
3. PDK – much more intuitive than I expected, always choosing the right gear (Sport mode). In my opinion, the default (normal mode) is only there to achieve good EPA ratings, however when the engine is cold, I do wait a few miles before I switch to Sport for the remainder of the day. I’m still in the <2,000 mile break-in period so I am being extra careful. Also, why spend $80k on a Porsche if you keep it in normal mode???
4. Gas mileage – Highway driving really is 30+ mpg. Mildly aggressive city driving is mid 20’s.
5. Frunk – much more storage than I would have guessed, even usable for a Costco run if you don’t go crazy.
6. Touch screen – not perfect but I prefer touch screens to other cars with dials and touch pads.
Cons (none are deal breakers, just irritants)
1. Stereo – The Bose stereo sounds horrible. (Engine sounds great!)
2. Analog speedometer – A complete waste of real estate, totally unusable. I remember the old 911’s had numbers at every 30 mph and dashes at each 10. That looked better and was more usable that numbers at every 25 mph and dashes every 5. Luckily there is a good digital speedometer below the tach.
3. Navigation – A little slow calculating routes and the resulting map with the 3 routes to choose from is too cluttered to see, so I just choose option #1.
4. Left foot is cramped due to the bulge for the wheel well.
5. Not the most comfortable car for a passenger, my wife prefers me to drive her Mercedes when she is with me. But not always, she is a good sport and loves how the Cayman looks!
6. The red door-lock light on the top center of the dash. Whose BRIGHT idea was that ?!?
Wish list
1. Rear backup camera
2. Keyless entry and ignition (I know it’s an option, but none of the dealers order it for their inventory)
3. I wish California didn’t make me install the front plate!
Other comments
1. My analog Chrono in the center dash was defective on delivery. The dealer had to order a replacement.
2. I noticed all my custom settings were set back to the default after a couple of weeks. But that is what happens when you use a different key, they are intended for 2 different drivers with 2 different settings. Just FYI in case it happens to another newbie.
3. Would I buy the same car again if I could go back in time? YES!