[ul2fly]

My 07 2.7 is in for a new RMS, no biggie its covered under warranty.

Was happy to see that they were giving me the 2.9l, although the DFI 3.4 would have been fun to drive, but the 2.9 allows me to see the differences in the same basic platform.

Just put 80 miles on the 2009 2.9l loaner, and there is just something different. Gone is the air-cooled whirr/whine, replaced by a (best I can describe) "numb" sounding engine. The exhaust is less throaty, but the engine is very smooth.

Noticed that the whole car takes on a different feel, communication was not as good, an un-connected feeling altogether. But then I flip over to see the TPMS is reading 26 front and 28 rear....hey that explains it! So soon as I'm home we'll fix that, upon filling the tires to the preferred pressure for me 32-37, I look in the door jamb and see the spec is 30 and 31....whoa huh! I decided to push ahead and fill it to the same 32-37 so I can see what the car feels like. Took it out for 10 min or so and the car feels closer to mine. Wonder why they changed the PSI rating in the rear??

So with only 80 miles and in the rain all the way, its hard to feel the claimed 20 Hp gain that the 2.9 boast. For now the biggest difference is in the 6 spd transmission and lack of engine whine. On the topic of transmission I still prefer the solid feel or “tactical snap” of the 5 over the mush of the 6.

The engine is no doubt an improved design, but the new sound and feel is more “V6” than familiar boxer sound. For me having owned a air-cooled 911 prior to the Cayman, this is almost a jump that removes some of the Porsche from the new car. There is a part of me that thinks “Porsche” held back on changing to the new engine, to lure in the air-cooled purist. Almost like a evolution for potential new customers coming from the older air-cooled engine sound. There is no way to know why they waited, but had they not waited and put the new engine in the Cayman at launch date back in 06, I bet they would have lost more than a few sales. But now that the Cayman has seen great success, we almost welcome any changes that would improve our cars. The only clincher in my above “theory” would be that the 997.2 received the same treatment.

There are some other changes like led lighting, softer leather, different radio, climate controls, window buttons, and lack of a crazy man with a Cosmoline gun at the factory…...lols
All of these are equal or better than the old car, but not a reason to rush down and trade my ole 987.0.0

 

[Hi_Fi_Guy]

Agreed. My previous Porsche was an '02 Boxtser 2.7 5-Speed. Engine LOVED to be revved and the shifting was very snickety-snick.

I test drove a 2010 Cayman S and I can see why some reviews are referring to it as the Porsche Camry. I'm sure it is superior in every possible way but it is so isolating as to feel completely disconnected from the experience. In practice this refinement will probably sell more cars but it left me feeling blah about the driving experience (of course I still like driving 993's and 914's so I may not be the target audience).

Ended up buying an '08 Cayman S. More visceral and connected feeling in every way if a bit more engine whine getting through the bulkhead and into the cabin. The six-speed is a bit like a knife stuck in a tub of butter compared to the 5-speed but in no way bad or sloppy, just missing a bit of the bolt action performance the 5-speed offered. All in all the car just feels so much more alive than the 2010. Whatever the differences the 2008 pushed my buttons where as the 2010 left me feeling drowsy.

All that said, I still want to slap whomever left the AUX-IN port off the CDR-24!!!

 

[JamesThomas]

By no means do I mean to discount anything you are observing. It's interesting though that there is a quite a strong psychological dynamics behind incorporating into our own personal identify those things which we are familiar with.....be it a religion or a car.

If anything such dynamics makes your feelings and observations even more valid...not less. Which is part of what makes life such an infinitely beautiful experience. Thankfully, no one sees through the very same lenses.

Sorry...I'm in a weird mood tonight.

 

[engnr1]

Agreed. My previous Porsche was an '02 Boxtser 2.7 5-Speed. Engine LOVED to be revved and the shifting was very snickety-snick.

I test drove a 2010 Cayman S and I can see why some reviews are referring to it as the Porsche Camry. I'm sure it is superior in every possible way but it is so isolating as to feel completely disconnected from the experience. In practice this refinement will probably sell more cars but it left me feeling blah about the driving experience (of course I still like driving 993's and 914's so I may not be the target audience).

Ended up buying an '08 Cayman S. More visceral and connected feeling in every way if a bit more engine whine getting through the bulkhead and into the cabin. The six-speed is a bit like a knife stuck in a tub of butter compared to the 5-speed but in no way bad or sloppy, just missing a bit of the bolt action performance the 5-speed offered. All in all the car just feels so much more alive than the 2010. Whatever the differences the 2008 pushed my buttons where as the 2010 left me feeling drowsy.

All that said, I still want to slap whomever left the AUX-IN port off the CDR-24!!!

If I wanted refined, I'd have gotten the Zed-4 or the TT. Part of the charm of the 987.0 is the circa-1982 911 sound of the engine with the window down, as the sound bounces off the walls of parking garages and small-town buildings at night.

 

[xdamage]

I have to agree the sound is part of the allure. A small part, sure, but so is the scent of perfume on a beautiful woman. Can you do without it? Sure. But if you have a choice in the matter it's the subtle details that make all the difference

 

[Cayman S]

...Gone is the air-cooled whirr/whine, replaced by a (best I can describe) "numb" sounding engine...

You know that your Gen 1 Cayman isn't air-cooled, right?

 

[Interpol]

Say what you will, and do whatever floats your boat, but I've owned both a 2006 and a 2009 CS, and if I had to choose again, I'd take the 2009 in a heartbeat, no hesitation.

Besides, all you need to do is bolt on a Borla exhaust on either a Gen I or II, and the sound/feel is glorious across the board.

 

[ccarver]

Another perspective. Have been driving every '06-'08 S I can, to get a good impression of common characteristics.
After driving multiple '09-'10 S's back to back with the Gen1, I agree and disagree with the above comments.
And this is also coming from a previous 914/240Z owner ie. cars that are loud and connected.
Porsche seemed to find a way to dampen the vibrations/responses that were intrusive while maintaining the feedback/response.
The tire pressure note is a good one too as the G2's were normalized at 33/35 cold for the drives.
On a couple common routes for test drives, the G1's had a common vibration response on road irregularities.
At high enough speeds, the G1's would feel unsettled over these irregularities to the point of needing to back off the speed.
With the G2's, the car seemed to absorb/dampen the NVH to the point where the car felt more connected and stable.
I felt better able to push higher speeds with the G2 in real world street driving.
Another interesting characteristic was that PASM felt better than non-PASM in the G1's
while the non-PASM suspension felt very well sorted and as capable as PASM in the G2.
One of the G2's had the sport shifter (same as GT3 shifter) and the action felt just about perfect.
The G2 exhaust is slightly quieter which seems to expose induction noise marginally.
One funny characteristic of the G2's was what sounded like increased rear deck insulation, which ended up
making the car sound more like it had the more distant engine location in the 911.
The DFI engine felt a little more responsive off idle with a slightly stronger mid,
but where it seemed to make the biggest difference was above 5K.
The G1 felt a little flat above 6K while the DFI seemed to want to rev to the extended 7500 redline more aggressively.
In many ways it felt similar, although in a more subtle way,
to the evolution from the 996GT3 to the 997GT3, PASM differences aside.
Certainly the G2 will feel less impressive at the new rec. ~30psi level, and that might be part of what was going on above.
Get the pressures back up and the car was enough to convince me out of a GT3.

 

[ul2fly]

You know that your Gen 1 Cayman isn't air-cooled, right?

Yeah air-cooled radiators filled with pink glycol-based distilled schtuff. Yet made to sound like a turbine look fan that blow's air over the finned cylinders to stay cool. "That" sound is no longer there on gen 2.....I'm thinking the Porsche Camery statement kinda rings.....a very small kinda, but true.

Someone has a post in another thread saying that their gen 2 engine ticks/taps...this 2.9L does not.

:gossip:

 

[ul2fly]

Say what you will, and do whatever floats your boat, but I've owned both a 2006 and a 2009 CS, and if I had to choose again, I'd take the 2009 in a heartbeat, no hesitation.

Besides, all you need to do is bolt on a Borla exhaust on either a Gen I or II, and the sound/feel is glorious across the board.

^ Thats cool :cheers:
Not saying the old/new was better/worse, just noting the differences. I'm sure that an exhaust system would do wonders, but the sound I'm refering to is gone for good. For now we will just accept it as the sound of progress. Oldschool and porgress are hard to use in the same sentance....lols

There is a bit of history lost with every new model, let us hope that failed RMS IMS and oiling issues will be lost with it.

So what tire pressure does the 09 CS say to run? What PSI do you run?

 

[Interpol]

^ Thats cool :cheers:
Not saying the old/new was better/worse, just noting the differences. I'm sure that an exhaust system would do wonders, but the sound I'm refering to is gone for good. For now we will just accept it as the sound of progress. Oldschool and porgress are hard to use in the same sentance....lols

There is a bit of history lost with every new model, let us hope that failed RMS IMS and oiling issues will be lost with it.

So what tire pressure does the 09 CS say to run? What PSI do you run?

The recommended pressures for my 18" Continentals are 30psi front and 37psi rear.

 

[Hot Nikon]

"By no means do I mean to discount anything you are observing. It's interesting though that there is a quite a strong psychological dynamics behind incorporating into our own personal identify those things which we are familiar with.....be it a religion or a car.

If anything such dynamics makes your feelings and observations even more valid...not less. Which is part of what makes life such an infinitely beautiful experience. Thankfully, no one sees through the very same lenses.By no means do I mean to discount anything you are observing. It's interesting though that there is a quite a strong psychological dynamics behind incorporating into our own personal identify those things which we are familiar with.....be it a religion or a car."

There you go, being all esoteric and abstract again. You're just trying to make my head hurt.


I like shiny things.:beer:

 

[Carl_Docklands]

My 2.9 Box whirrs and whines like a good 'un but you do need the Sports Exhaust to get the good sonics

 

[hikejohn]

Having owned a 2007 CS (traded at 33000 miles) and got a 2009 C (not the S)...I specifically did not want another S since I use it as a daily driver and don't plan to race...DE or public roads...while the S is a little faster (my 2009 is just getting broken in) but in real world conditions, for me, the 09 seems to have a bit more torque at lower rpms which is useful for driving around...it seems to be noticably quieter and rides much better (both car has 18" S wheels and factory 6 speed MT)...the factory setting for tire air pressures is higher on the 07S than the 09....haven't spent much time playing with that yet...both cars have a sport shifter...which really IMO should be standard from the factory...the 09 gets (only about 2400 miles on it) about 22 mpg versus the 07S at 17-18 mpg on roughly the same driving routes...the steering felt a little more precise on the 07S versus the 09 but the O7 had Michelins and 09 has Conti 3 at lower air pressures (I suspect that this might even out if air pressure is increased on the 09)...the 09 gives me the feeling of a higher quality interior and better fit and finish than the 07...even though the 07 had more leather....so far I greatly prefer the 09...but remember I am not racing

 

[008]

Haven't heard these comments about the 2.9 as it's not DI.

 

[hikejohn]

Just for your information another reason that I didn't go for the "S" is their use of the DFI...from what I have read it sounds like that technology isn't quite ready for prime time...Audi, VW etc vehicles have received alot of comment about "gunky" deposits being formed...and cured by taking off the head...or something like that is manually clean them out...some spectulation is that such deposits are encouraged by not driving the car enough so that the engine doesn't get hot enough to burn off all the uncombusted by products on a regular basis....just the pics and talk of these problems showing up in the 40-70K mile range was enough to further encourage the selection of the std Cayman....with which I am very happy....

 

[Croctor]

"By no means do I mean to discount anything you are observing. It's interesting though that there is a quite a strong psychological dynamics behind incorporating into our own personal identify those things which we are familiar with.....be it a religion or a car.

If anything such dynamics makes your feelings and observations even more valid...not less. Which is part of what makes life such an infinitely beautiful experience. Thankfully, no one sees through the very same lenses.By no means do I mean to discount anything you are observing. It's interesting though that there is a quite a strong psychological dynamics behind incorporating into our own personal identify those things which we are familiar with.....be it a religion or a car."

The Roman cynic Monimus observed years ago "All is Opinion"

 

[prm1177]

So soon as I'm home we'll fix that, upon filling the tires to the preferred pressure for me 32-37, I look in the door jamb and see the spec is 30 and 31....whoa huh!

I noticed that the dealer always under-inflated the tires of my Cayenne. I always suspected this was to soften the ride, since folks referred to it as a "hard riding SUV".

 

[ul2fly]

Update

So 200 miles, and my opinions haven't changed much. But there is a notable difference in the gen I vs gen II. To set the record straight on the new 2.9L, the engine is hands down the better design. Exhaust systems should be flying off the shelves for this one, its just too quiet!

The 20hp is noticed in the mid range, as the engine winds out you really have time to think about changing gears. Basicly what I mean by that is the 2.7l pulls hard right up to redline, this 2.9l seems to drop off a bit more as it gets close to redline. Low end is improved, but really its mid range that shines.

The good thing is that there may be a bigger power gain with an aftermarket exhaust, where as the 2.7l didn't prove any notable gains with an exhaust. Maybe Porsche left a bit on the table with the 2.9L so in the future we may see them unlock another 10hp within a couple years.

Before I had driven this car I believed that anyone that was on the fence about a G1 3.4 or a G2 2.9 should choose the 2.9 if price were comp. Now I'm sure of it.

This car may be less of the old and more of the new, but I think they did it at just the right time, the car will produce new buyers, as well as keep the old ones happy.

 

[DWF]

Re: Update

So 200 miles, and my opinions haven't changed much. But there is a notable difference in the gen I vs gen II. To set the record straight on the new 2.9L, the engine is hands down the better design. Exhaust systems should be flying off the shelves for this one, its just too quiet!

The 20hp is noticed in the mid range, as the engine winds out you really have time to think about changing gears. Basicly what I mean by that is the 2.7l pulls hard right up to redline, this 2.9l seems to drop off a bit more as it gets close to redline. Low end is improved, but really its mid range that shines.

The good thing is that there may be a bigger power gain with an aftermarket exhaust, where as the 2.7l didn't prove any notable gains with an exhaust. Maybe Porsche left a bit on the table with the 2.9L so in the future we may see them unlock another 10hp within a couple years.

Before I had driven this car I believed that anyone that was on the fence about a G1 3.4 or a G2 2.9 should choose the 2.9 if price were comp. Now I'm sure of it.

This car may be less of the old and more of the new, but I think they did it at just the right time, the car will produce new buyers, as well as keep the old ones happy.

I had a hard time deciding between a used S and a new '09 base. I did not have enough time behind the wheel of the used ones to truly make a valid comparison. However, I went with the new base at a fantastic price and could not be happier. For me to have steped up to a new S would have been much more than the usual $10K difference of a comparably equiped non S given the price I bought mine for.