Porsche Cayman S and 911 Carrera in comparison: two corporate brothers in a sports duel

You know Peter Falk? Sure, you will say, that's that bumbling detective with the cigar and the rickety Peugeot 403 Cabriolet. With this answer you prove that you have a sense of the car - but also that you are not Porsche are aficionados. Because someone else immediately thinks of another Peter Falk: legendary engineer at the Stuttgart company, long-time racing manager and behind the wheel of a 9 11 one of the most talented masters of the slip angle in the Porsche world, which is well-stocked with experts ever had an appearance.

Peter Falk, long retired, still drives a Porsche today. But not a 911. A Cayman serves as a retiree's car , the Coupé based on the Boxster with the middle instead of the classic Porsche rear engine. A question of money, the spindly gentleman smiles when asked, and gets right to the heart of the matter. Because even the most powerful and most expensive version of the Cayman, which bears the additional letter S on the rear, costs around 20,000 euros less than the cheapest version of the 911, the Porsche Carrera without S. In this comparison, both compete with the new dual clutch transmission, which is only one which presents a variety of ways to upgrade your own Porsche.

Enormous prices for little special equipment

Because the Porsche price list is a source of tears. They can run down your face for joy, because the child in man will find pretty much everything here that is worth dreaming of. Or out of anger, because for some minor details truly shocking prices are being called. Would you like to have the Cayman air vents in the dashboard painted the same color as the car? Here you go, 625 euros. Not just the frames, but also the slats? Porsche is happy to hear your request, 821 euros please. But regardless of whether the calculation, which seems more revealing than a penthouse model, leads the customer into the financial crash caused by gambling addiction: This is what is called market prices, and we will be careful not to scold those who are willing to pay them . It's just thatPorsche's core clientele who don't pay close attention to money.

For her there is only one real Porsche, the classic with the number 911. She willingly pays more for that than for a Cayman. In Elfer circles, it is often viewed as the student loan model for all those who cannot afford the real thing. The Cayman team, thinking upright about the value of money and of course free from reputation addiction, holds back bravely: How do you justify the extra price of the 911, where is the proud 20,000 euros? In terms of engine power, there is just 25 hp difference, while the more powerful 911 achieves a marginal lead in terms of the performance measured by auto motor und sport . It is no better than the Porsche Cayman, and it is not handier. After the latest facelift, the two even have the same engine - the brand new design that first made its debut in the Carrera and is now also available in the mid-engine models. The differences are limited to the details: in the Cayman S, the six-cylinder boxer hides a different crankshaft with a smaller stroke. The pistons have to travel 77.5 millimeters, compared to 81.5 millimeters on the Carrera machine. That adds up to a displacement increase of 178 cubic centimeters, the volume of a modest motorcycle engine. The technical data, of course, suggest different characteristics of the 3.4 and 3.6 liter versions of the new Porsche engine.

Both engines a cause for joy

The Carrera engine needs less speed for its higher performance, it also develops more torque with less Revolutions of the crankshaft. In the acceleration measurements in the upper gears, with which the elasticity of an engine is documented, there are no differences, which is also due to the fact that the tested version of the Carrera weighs 53 additional kilograms on the scales. When driving, however, a different impression is created. The Cayman six-cylinder has a more pointed performance character, it is more dependent on high engine speeds, but also revs up a bit more joyfully.

To leave the church in the village: These are marginal differences that only exist in the reveal direct comparison of the two sports cars. In general, both engines are a cause for joy for those people who have not yet succumbed to the concentrated torque of modern turbo-diesels, who appreciate the jubilant revving of a freely breathing gasoline engine with relatively small cylinder units as well as the very wide usable speed range, which is almost starts above 1,000 rpm and only comes to an end at well above 7,000 rpm. This is what sports car engines should feel like - with the Porsche engine adding one more top thanks to its boxer design. Similar to the one that has also become rareIn-line six-cylinder - or the classic V12 with a cylinder angle of 60 degrees - such a boxer runs in a perfectly balanced manner with its opposing pistons. No mass forces or moments, as the physicist calls disruptive influencing variables. The boxer does not tip over in the engine mounts when accelerating, and it shows no vibrations when revving up. One could, an impressive proof of the running culture of historical engine builders, place a coin vertically on the running engine. If the engine were visible in the Porsche. But the owner does not enjoy this - with the Cayman, where the engine is located in front of the rear axle, even less than with the Carrera. Both engines are mechanically absolutely quiet, as velvety as turbines.

Both of them master the subject of sports cars

The only acoustic accessories are the intake and exhaust sounds. And differences can definitely be heard in their composition. The latest Porsche engine also sounds typical again - even if it is no longer as aggressive as it was in the days when the legal noise regulations were not so stringent. But the sound remained unmistakable, with the Porsche Cayman going one better in the speed range between 5,000 and 6,000 rpm when it runs through it under full load with the throttle valve wide open. Then the influx of combustion air culminates in a piercing trumpet: melodious when you hear it for the first time, rather annoying on the motorway, where you often stay in this area. So drive slower - or faster, because above 6,000 rpm the noise becomes quieter again, and the engine sounds like an engine and not like a fanfare fanfare gone wild. The 911, obviously made not only for a more affluent but also for a more mature customer base, does not need such clay capers. He maintains his unmistakable Porsche pronunciation over the entire speed range - serious, not intrusive, but still so audible under steam that no one can get the idea that this is not a thoroughbred sports car, but a renowned two-seater for the graying gentleman. The fact that the 911 rolls more smoothly and offers the somewhat smoother suspension comfort overall could fit into this cliché format, but both master the subject of sports cars to a similar degree of perfection. Something like one would not expect given the different conceptions. Whether middle or rear engine - both whiz around the corners, both steering systems cut through the curves as razor-sharp as the expensive Damascus knife through the fish fillet.

Both offer driving dynamics control that doesn’t neglect the dynamics, which takes the sharpness out of the tail pivot inherent in both drive concepts through a late and well-measured intervention. Both are cars that show how much fun driving can be, what a great invention it isAutomobile represents. Driving a Porsche can be an end in itself, which may not be politically correct, but is still a pleasure. Ultimately, it is of secondary importance that the Carrera is a bit faster on the racetrack than the weaker Cayman. Also, no decision can be based on the speeds determined in the driving tests that meet the requirements of expert knowledge. Consumption is in a similar area, the brakes are first class in both. In the form of the Cayman S, you get a full-fledged Porsche. No “when-I-grow-I'll-be-a-911” kid. It is logical that it is therefore very close to its more expensive brother in the double test. Who doesn't mind? The 911. He turns away and shows us his - no contradiction please - much nicer back.