[kiznarsh]

My Cayman was my DD from last April till last month when I got myself the highly coveted E39 M5. I've always wanted one (especially in Sterling Gray), as I feel they're the last true analog M car with a timeless design that has aged quite well. Plus now I have a much more practical car for hauling gear and more than 1 passenger.





The clutch on the M5 is pretty light, the seating position is obviously higher, and the shifter is very sloppy though I'm waiting on a new short shifter and new bushings that'll help it dramatically. Lately I've been driving it for 7-10 days in a row, then back into the Cayman and I swear it feels like I'm in an F1 car.

The Cayman clutch is significantly stiffer and it takes me a good few miles to get used to it again. Sometimes I question whether I'm actually in gear..."that throw seemed awfully short." My whole body just seems a lot more flat too, like I'm lying down instead of sitting.

Anyone else have trouble driving the Cayman without needing any adjustment period? Maybe it's just me.

 

[mrg02d]

My problem is driving my Lexus is350, my work car, after driving my Boxster s. Dang did Porsche ruin my Lexus for me.

 

[1028Caymn]

The reverse situation of 'how easy is it to drive another car after getting used to the Cayman' is much harder for me.

Everything else is a poor substitute.

(So I have to use a little voice in my head to keep reminding me why I'm driving the other car. Like "it seats more people" or "my dog is with me"... )

 

[kiznarsh]

The reverse situation of 'how easy is it to drive another car after getting used to the Cayman' is much harder for me.

Everything else is a poor substitute.

(So I have to use a little voice in my head to keep reminding me why I'm driving the other car. Like "it seats more people" or "my dog is with me"... )

I get the experience is nowhere near the same, but surely other car is still easier to drive, no? Or are you saying you're just bored since there's no driving engagement?

 

[Ukthunderace]

My daily driver is my 335 that I have had going on forever now. The thing that catches me out when I get into the Cayman is recalibrating my speeds into and out of corners, braking markers, etc. It is like going from a Harley to an Aprilia and it never gets old. Every time is a reminder of just how good this car really is.

 

[ViCiouS]

My problem is driving my Lexus is350, my work car, after driving my Boxster s. Dang did Porsche ruin my Lexus for me.

Man I feel you on this! I've been driving a 2017 ES350 loaner for almost 2 months (long story), finally get my Cayman S back tonight full time. Porsche definitely ruined driving other cars for me.


I think having to drive other cars is what's difficult to get used to, not driving the Porsche.

 

[CinciOH]

Oh, boy, good question and good thread!

My daily driver is a 3 months old GTI, had Golf TDI for almost 4 years before that. To add fuel to the fire, I often have to drive rentals in the Mon-Fri mix. I usually insist on smaller cars, but this week in San Francisco, I was driving GMC Terrain (I believe that is the model name) - go figure. So, what happens when I get back to Cayman on the weekends? Well, first off, it reminds you how sloppy you drive in about first 30 seconds. Yes, even after a week in GTI. It is unbelievable how much cotton thickness there is around almost all the other cars and how bad you can drive and still feel smooth as Kimi Raikkonen. Then you slide into the Cayman and ... yeah, thought so, let's go through another 15-20 miles through corners drill to get smoothness back and only then start enjoying the car all over again. Uncanny how Porsche does that.

It doesn't happen every weekend, but if I didn't drive it for two weeks, then it is for sure. Going back to normal? Well, it is actually easier than going from "normal" to Cayman. Again, once you get to the terms you are now driving completely different car and adjust for it (very quickly, not even 1/2 mile), then it is much, much easier because it is simply so much easier to drive these cotton-wrapped appliances and feel like you are doing a great job of driving them properly then to go from that into Cayman that tells you and makes you feel every single driving mistake you made even at 20 mph.

Then I think about converted-into-race car Porsches and then, ultimately, purpose-build open wheel race cars and wonder ... how in the world do they drive them? How does it feel to drive a lap in THAT?! Probably horrible for untalented drivers like myself. I would still like to try it one of these days, though.

 

[darcus]

the big thing i notice is how i'm used to the heavy steering in my cayman. when i drive other cars, the wheel feels like i'm spinning the wheel of fortune wheel.

 

[kiznarsh]

My daily driver is a 3 months old GTI...

Oh man I miss my GTI. I had a MK V for 5 years and really enjoyed it. I'm convinced I'll own another one at some point. I never realized how light the clutch was until I got my B8 S4 though. First time I went back to driving the GTI after the S4, it felt like my foot was gonna go through the floor! Is yours a manual?

Again, once you get to the terms you are now driving completely different car and adjust for it (very quickly, not even 1/2 mile), then it is much, much easier because it is simply so much easier to drive these cotton-wrapped appliances and feel like you are doing a great job of driving them properly then to go from that into Cayman that tells you and makes you feel every single driving mistake you made even at 20 mph.

Speaking of transmissions, most appliances are automatics with torque converters so they truly are uninspiring and easy to drive. Just sit in, select 'D', and press the pedal, then wait for something to happen. I think in those situations, going back to the Cayman wouldn't be as difficult since my left foot would not be used to anything else.

This also got me thinking about valet drivers but once again, most cars aren't manual these days.

 

[1028Caymn]

I get the experience is nowhere near the same, but surely other car is still easier to drive, no? Or are you saying you're just bored since there's no driving engagement?

I would consider other cars (especially automatics) as 'easier' as in nearly numb and definitely boring (which is not how I normally define 'easy'). There is no significant feeling from the act of driving.

OTOH, the Cayman is 'easy' in the sense that it is almost telepathic/effortless in seamlessly doing what I want.

 

[AndyA6]

For me it's like coming home. My daily is an A4 which is a nice car but the Boxster is so much more fun!

 

[Anand]

My Boxster S with the stick is the most fun I have in a car when it is a warm and sunny day and I am driving on back roads, top down, SE on. It is bliss. Top up, in the cold, it feels like a noisy coffin. The former I get to do maybe 30 times a year.

But my commuter a Volvo XC60 is the antithesis of my Boxster. It is a softly sprung, tall wagon with no steering feel, weak brakes, no handling to speak of but a comfortable highway ride for my sleep-deprived 4.15 AM commute. So I drive two diametrically opposed cars and am becoming schizophrenic as a result.
I am going to start lithium soon.

 

[scoale]

Great thread! Honestly, there are so many cars I like for so many different reasons. There isn't really much adjustment from one car to another, I just love driving. I go back and forth between my E92 M3 and 981 BS and, less frequently, my E60 535. Honestly, I love them all! They offer very different experiences. The M3 is a coupe with a high revving V8 coupled with a DCT transmission. You are all familiar with the 981 BS. Mine is a stick w/ PASM, manual seats, and PTV. The 535 M Sport is an automatic coupled with a twin turbo six, and has 4 doors. In summary, a great mix of coupe, convertible, and sedan, different transmissions, naturally aspirated and turbo engines. If I could only have one car...probably a Cayman S and I would be torn on transmission. I also think about a 911, of course, but I honestly haven't driven one I enjoy as much as the 981. Just love the 981's weight/power/size balance.

 

[TheFlyingMouse]

Great idea for a thread!

My Cayman S is a completely different driving experience from anything else I've ever tried.

It's telepathic and precise in ways that more "every day" cars have a hard time matching. It rewards you for being an attentive driver, and makes you look like an idiot when you goof up. Mistakes are amplified because of the low polar moment and how tight and heavy all of the controls are. You can actually get a little tired from holding the wheel around a steady state corner. Fully actuating the brakes requires quite a lot of effort. Most other cars I've driven would let you push the pedal all the way to the floor if you even think about braking hard (even after a brake flush!) In the Cayman, I often find myself having to make a conscious effort to press down harder after I've spent some time driving another car.

The controls and instruments are all in the right places and you really get the sense that Porsche put the driver interactions ahead of everything else. Getting into the car in the morning to go to work is a lot like lowering yourself into the cockpit of a WW2 fighter. You have to get into the car with all your appendages in the right order or you find yourself hung up in some way.

By comparison, my wife's MINI "swims" down the road; you always feel like you have to correct for torque steer as the surface changes, but it usually heads back the other way in short order. In the end, you're better off being a little less reactionary. As for the controls, you have to reach down to get to the stick, which is very unnatural feeling. The clutch, brakes, and gas pedal are all so light that my feet sway on them with every jostle from the over-stiff suspension and run-flat tires. Visibility is generally better than in the Cayman, but I'm always having to figure out how to orient my right knee so it isn't wedged against the lower dashboard. Hopping in is a matter of opening the door and sitting down. You don't have to stick a leg in and use it along with a hand on the side of your seat to lower yourself down.

Do I have to get used to the Cayman again after driving my wife's car for a while? Yes, but it's much harder going from the Cayman into another car because I have to get used to all of the idiosyncrasies. Getting back into my car is like reattaching myself to the physics of driving.

...

Now if you want a truly different experience, go take a manual transmission John Deere tractor for a spin and haul some rocks around. The first time you saddle up one of those will take all of your concentration, and your neck bones will wear out while you figure out how to be smooth on the clutch. You're definitely connected to the machine on a similar level as a 981, but it's all about attention to detail and thinking through each decision before you act.

 

[iiagdtr]

By comparison, my wife's MINI "swims" down the road; you always feel like you have to correct for torque steer as the surface changes, but it usually heads back the other way in short order. In the end, you're better off being a little less reactionary. As for the controls, you have to reach down to get to the stick, which is very unnatural feeling. The clutch, brakes, and gas pedal are all so light that my feet sway on them with every jostle from the over-stiff suspension and run-flat tires. Visibility is generally better than in the Cayman, but I'm always having to figure out how to orient my right knee so it isn't wedged against the lower dashboard. Hopping in is a matter of opening the door and sitting down. You don't have to stick a leg in and use it along with a hand on the side of your seat to lower yourself down.

Do I have to get used to the Cayman again after driving my wife's car for a while? Yes, but it's much harder going from the Cayman into another car because I have to get used to all of the idiosyncrasies. Getting back into my car is like reattaching myself to the physics of driving.

My wife has a Mini as well and this is all exactly as you describe. The Cayman is quite a bit larger than the Mini but the Mini's doors make it far easier for entry/exit. Our garage is a bit tight and being tall my gyrations - especially the exit - must be some advanced form of yoga.

My Honda Pilot which is my old company SUV, is utilitarian transportation. The Cayman is still new enough I have to check the garage often to make sure it is still mine....hold on...yep still there.

I think the biggest thing I have to overcome from driving the Pilot to the Cayman was the fact I was driving the Porsche after the Honda. A bit surreal and took a while to make the mental adjustment from "I am not worthy" to working on overcoming that goofy grin.

 

[Snip's]

Love my new 981S.... A truly special car...

My DD is a manual JCW MINI Cooper with some suspension tweaks...

A real joy making a run to work and back on the city streets...

And then the weekends are for my P-car with it's PDK and PSE and those wonderful downshifts....

Sort of both ends of the spectrum...

 

[OttawaSteve]

My Genesis sedan is soft, quiet and comfortable but boring. Zero steering feel. The Cayman is more like a living thing. A work of art rather than a transportation appliance. The Cayman is also the easiest car to drive I have ever experienced. It would be more challenging with the 6M, but I cannot imagine it being difficult to drive.

 

[husker boxster]

Anyone else have trouble driving the Cayman without needing any adjustment period? Maybe it's just me.

Nope. My other car is a Boxster S. :cheers:

 

[CinciOH]

Oh man I miss my GTI. ... Is yours a manual?

Yes, both cars are 6MT.

I also find extremely curious how many here have a wife that drives MINI with MT - I do, too. Uncanny.

Speaking of transmissions, most appliances are automatics with torque converters so they truly are uninspiring and easy to drive. Just sit in, select 'D', and press the pedal, then wait for something to happen. I think in those situations, going back to the Cayman wouldn't be as difficult since my left foot would not be used to anything else.

It is not the transmission (or only transmission), it is everything. For example, in most other cars you turn the steering wheel and somehow and somewhat the car settles into trajectory through the corner and the whole motion seems very smooth. Even when you are really not that smooth with steering. In Cayman, you will feel it even at very low speeds, it just tells you you are driving ham-fisted immediately. Same with brake application and, even more so, with brake release. This does require a bit of speed, though. And so on.

Long story short, I often need some time to readjust myself to properly driving 981. Once that is done, pure bliss

 

[KCZ]

The reverse situation of 'how easy is it to drive another car after getting used to the Cayman' is much harder for me.

Everything else is a poor substitute.

(So I have to use a little voice in my head to keep reminding me why I'm driving the other car. Like "it seats more people" or "my dog is with me"... )

^This. I don't have any problems switching between cars but going back to my Xterra requires a great deal of caution due to the increased weight and less robust brakes.