I have had the chance to sit in the new Cayman a few times and my left arm is almost up against the inner door panel. On the other hand, I have some room in my 991. What surprised me is that the dimentions, at least the outside dimensions published, suggest that there is virtually no diffenence in these cars widths - certainly not enough to account for the difference in interior space. What is up with that? Am I looking at the wrong numbers?

 

The Cayman is a beautiful car . The improvents over the last gen are enormous . The cabin is certainly different in that the roof is lower, the mid engine is right next to the driver , and the sensation of being in a more compact car is present . On the other hand (and i hate to say this) .. I think its better looking than a 991 .. but what stops me from buying one is that I would want a 911. I need the comfort and spaciousness . I enjoy knowing that with each 911 is an automotive multi decade icon .

But bang for the buck .. Cayman is a nice car !! Nicely speced a Cayman S runs 82K. Nicely speced a 991 runs 127K . That's a 45K difference making the Cayman quite a comparative bargain for someone who wants one of Porsches most recent success stories. That 45K can make just about anyone get a lot more comfortable .

 

Yrralis
I was not being critical of the Cayman/Boxter, just curious as to why such a small difference in outer dimensions translates into such a big difference in inside dimensions. I will not likely buy a Cayman/Boxter because I always wanted a 911 and because its narrower width inside was not comfortable to me.

That said, the new Cayman/Boxter is stunning, likely a better track car, and a bargain. It is hard to see buying a 911 base when you can have a Cayman/Boxter S for at least $20k less. It is going to be a branding issue for Porsche-they may have managed to do something no one else has, provide a suitable competitor for the 911. And with calls to make the 911 a mid-engine in some quarters, I think the future of the classic rear engine 911 is murky.

I love my 991, but I can see people choosing the new Cayman/Boxter. I just want to know why it is cramped inside between the seats and doors.

 

that's why i got rid of my RS60 Spyder back in the day. Just too small for a 6'3" man like myself.

 

The design is different . The roof is significantly lower . Without the rear seat the driver has the absence of that immediate space even though thee is a huge amount of compartment space in the rear trunk . Plus it has a front trunk . The space simply is more hidden from the drivers perceptions of spaciousness . As for the doors --I have never noticed this . I feel that most of these cars are intentially somewhat snug fitting compared to a SUV or a sedan but that's got to be expected.
That's just all part of the design despite the dimensions on paper .

 

My daughter's comment at the launch event was that she likes the new Cayman, but likes my 911 better - because it has rear seats, which means she can ride along when there are more than 2 of us out. I'm 6'2" and found the Cayman to be cramped feeling as well - both the older model and the new one. My 991 is ('just') a base, but much more practical for me, and plenty fast. And just so beautiful, with that bit of fun rear-engine weighting to make the drive unlike anything else. And damn, did I mention how beautiful the Guards Red is? I may have left that out, so I guess I should just say it again just to be safe.

Of course, the new Cayman is good looking too, and is also a great car. I was definitely impressed that it was almost the same dimensions as my car while giving up so much interior space - I had figured the car would still be smaller. Now... well, it's almost as enormous as a 991! People will need larger garages and driveways, highways will need to be widened, etc.

 

after looking at both cayman and 911, why didn't porsche make the engine for the cayman s with same output as the base 911? aren't they the same engine?


sorry to veer off subject

 

There are a number of threads (many many pages) talking about that, most likely marketing reasons even if that marketing choice resulted in some engine differences. But why single out the base engine - why not the S engine for that matter, right? Or, circling back to this threads topic, would there be no room left in the cabin at that point?

 

The Porsche 960 coming out should solve that issue, it will be crazy expensive though. So it's obviously a marketing thing.

 

Because they could.

Porsche had to save something for the base. I suspect that mere mortals (like me) wouldn't notice the difference. Then again I never noticed the difference between the S and my Base ...am I reigniting that debate?

 

Because may just be the answer.

Are you reigniting that debate? Well, that depends on whether you mean a base or S with PDK or MT, right? PDCC? (OK, time to go find another thread to read! )

 

BTW, there is nothing "base" about that beautiful ride of yours. Never had the desire to buy a red car. But I have always appreciated those who did! It is funny how important color can be. Someone here just recently posted pics of their new 911 in agate with the platinum wheels. It looked great. But I just saw that same comb on a new Boxter S and Wow - it looked bad a$$. I love my car in PtAg. It was a sentimental choice as the car (or more properly allowing me to take on the debt) was a silver anniversary gift. But I love 911s in red, white or blue. Other cars in these colors - well. Just a matter of taste. Enjoy that sweet ride! And pray they don't make the Caymen roomier or weare going to have to make some tough choices!

 

Why did they give the Cayman S more power than the Boxter S? Why is the new turbo $ more than $200k out the door. Why are the electronics in Porsches behind their other brands, even VW? Why is there that stupid fake key in the "keyless entry" system?

Why? That's Porsche.

 

The previous BMW 5series in where I live has a 523 and a 525 variant. Both are 2.5 litre engine but of course the 525 churns a little more power. This is really beyond my comprehension on what the dealer was doing. At least what Porsche doing makes marketing sense

 

Thanks, I definitely didn't go into it with red as my final choice but just fell in love with how it looked. It really is over the top in terms of visibility (definitely more attention getting than really anything I've ever owned, which is just not my style), but every time I'm driving and have the hood/mirrors in my line of sight or when I walk to/from the car I just think... beautiful! A bit outside of my comfort zone, but sometimes you just have to push it a little bit.

PtAg is totally classic, beautiful, and perhaps just a touch more understated! And Happy Anniversary - that's a great present!

Yeah, if they took the Cayman, gave it some instant history, maybe moved the engine back to make some more cabin space - say 2+2 seating? - I think they might be on to something. I'd definitely consider a car like that.