I'm curious to know everyones thoughts on the positioning of Cayman vs. the base 991. I mean, with the exception of the rear seats which are pretty much useless except for say a Toddler, why wouldn't anyone get the 20k less Cayman S vs. the base 991?

In fact, I saw the Car and Driver magazine or maybe it was Road and Track which showed the Boxster S pretty much the same performance as the base 991. With the new lighter Cayman, I bet it will beat out the base 991 and be positioned between the base 991 and the 991s.

So again, not sure or wondering why Porsche is positioning and making the performance numbers so similar as to isolate the 991 even more. Not sure what you guys think. And, yes I know the 991 is more like a GT type car vs. the Cayman S, more of a sports-handling car. 20k is a lot after-all.

 

They are different class of car (under the same brand), really there is nothing to compare.
Same goes to M3 vs M6 and the likes

 

A lot of "options" for the Cayman S are standard on the base 991. I bought a pretty basic 991, and a comparable Cayman S would have been about the same price. And I wanted the back seats (plus they help with lowering insurance) so I could take my kids to school and take them places in the car.

In todays sports car buying market, having two solid offerings (Cayman S and 991) with slight differences is a great move. Keeps more buyers in the fold. I think it is brilliant, btw. It doesn't matter if one beats the other...it is no longer meant to be progressive. The Cayman S tops out as a great sports car and perfect for the track, while all the lux options on the 991 make it a great sports car that can also be a great luxury car.

That said, I like the Boxster more than the 991 Cabriolet. If I had wanted a convertible, I would have gone the new Boxster route. But I like having a roof.

 

Exactly, surprising though it is!

Both are excellent cars, but drive them back to back. It your ultimate measures are straight line speed and price, there are other makes that will better suit you.

 

Just picked up a 991 last weekend coming from a 2011 Cayman. Always had 911 envy while driving the Cayman. I just don't see that envy going away, even if the performance numbers are the same. but now I have 991 S envy. I guess you always want what you can't have...

 

There is EVERYTHING to compare! And tons of magazines are making the comparison. Same engine. Same front end. Almost the same ****pit with just a slightly different dashboard. I have no preference Cayman or 911, but to say there's nothing to compare is absurd. They are extremely similar fortuantely or unfortunately.

With all due respect, I doubt it. I'd like to know the options you got on the basic 991 and let's put those same options (as well as what comes standard on the 991) on the Cayman S and look at the price, I bet there's still a big difference.

 

For the lower price the cayman S should be attractive compared to the 991. Let's also not forget it does not have the fundamental defect of the 911 i.e. a rear engine.

 

Sure, but it trades that for the fundamental defect of 2 seats.

For the streets around my house, that's a much bigger problem. (And I do like the Cayman.)

 

In a sports car I wouldn't call two seats a fundamental defect. In fact, i wouldn't be stretching if I said two seats and mid-engine should be synonymous with sports car. Rear engine is a design flaw that has to be compensated for and porsche has done a decent job at that.

For those wanting more seats, there are plenty of sedan/suv options. Also the seats in the 911 are impractical. But I still like the 991, it's fun and extremely capable when it comes to performance. But my rear seats are virgin, totally unused.

But Cayman S just makes more sense over a base 991 coupe.

 

I'm not sure I understand why you went with a compromised 2+2... Now that makes no sense!

Anyway, I know I'll get use out of the rear seats with my kids around town, so I don't personally see the problem with a beautiful sports car with great performance that happens to be usable in (my) normal life. (And thanks, I do have a sedan and SUV as well.)

But I'm actually more amazed that you've never had more than 1 friend or family member in your car. Never any cross-town bar-hopping? No spur-of-the-moment road trip, etc? (I just assumed you were younger if you don't get the idea of kids who can jump in the back, but maybe not. (?) )

 

Yeah... magazine, I love the part when 991s won over LAMBORGHINI Aventador . If I have no preference in automobile, instead of a 911, toyota ft86 will do just fine

 

Amazing how many matchbook engineers think that.

Gary

 

Bar hopping? Road trip?? My 35 pound 4 year old is a tight squeeze in the back, and thats without the bulky child seat thats even bigger than her. Those things are purely for show so anything bigger than a jack russell terrier ain't gonna survive back there, let alone an average adult. I feel claustrophobic just reading your post.

As for the op's topic, I think it's a trending theme with some companies nowadays to allow the younger demographic accessibility into their brands by making an "entry" car with a strong statement. Take for example BMW's 1M. With it's lighter weight, superior balance and real world performance similarities, it definitely stepped on the toes of the now 70k M3 while coming in at 15-20k less. As a result it grabbed the new wave of M enthusiasts who couldn't afford the legendary M3's rising admission. With the 911s averaging the 100k+ mark, what better way to grab more market share than to shove the entry cayman into the almighty 911 territory, all at a much more attainable price point. I just wish that porsche didn't use 94% of the same materials inside for cars with such disparity in price levels. I mean at least BMW had the courtesy to designate interiors fittingly throughout their entire line up.

 

Rear seats are a big deal and the main reason I went the 911 route vs Cayman. I use mine a LOT more than I ever thought I would. A cramped rear seat beats walking. I really do wish Porsche would engineer the Cayman to it's maximum potential and not to fit a marketing slot.

 

Well, the back seat usage was in a spacious 944 fresh out of college, I'm by no means claiming I (or my friends) would want to do that in our 40's in the 991. But my kids will be fine - my sons can adjust the seating on the passenger side and have enough space, my daughter is still smaller and can fit behind me. No child seat taking up space either at this point. If all 5 are going somewhere, it's the sedan or SUV, but there are a lot of times that's not the case.

I don't mean for long touring - road tripping was state-to-state, not cross country(!), but that flexibility was a big deal when it was the difference of a friend having to drive a second car or coming along.

Anyway, the difference between answering 'can you drive xxx and their friend back from yyy' and answering:

'sure, I'll have to take the sedan'
'sure, I'll take the 911 and they can squeeze in back'
or 'tell that kids parents to f-off, I'm going to take the Cayman'

is fairly major in all cases, one in terms of what I want to drive, the last answer possibly being socially questionable.

Roundabout way of saying that even if 0-60 is similar, the cars are not.