Porsche’s head of design, Michael Mauer, said in a recent interview that the new Cayman coupe has lost the “modesty” of the current model to become a real sports car in its own right. Porsche unveiled the latest version of its entry-level coupe at the Los Angeles auto show last Wednesday. The Cayman sits below the 911 and shares much of its structure with the new Boxster roadster, which went on sale earlier this year.
Mauer described the current car as looking too modest and compared it to a “shy kid” afraid to speak out in the company of its bigger brother, the 911. This time the car has been designed to be more muscular and aggressive. “We wanted to give the car a new visual message, saying much more clearly, ‘I’m a real sports car’,” Mauer said.
The Cayman was Porsche’s slowest selling car last year in Europe, with sales of 1,987. The Boxster sold 3,168 and 911 sales were 11,579. The new Cayman goes on sale in February in Europe and in spring in North America. Prices start at 51,385 euros for the entry level version in Germany. The standard Cayman and the faster S version are powered by a mid-mounted six-cylinder engine, with the entry unit dropping in size from 2.9 liters to 2.7 liters compared to the current car. The new engine now uses direct injection and makes an extra 10hp to take it to 275hp. The 3.4-liter engine in the S also gains direct injection and increases power on the current car by 5hp to make 325hp. Both engines are 10hp up on power compared to the equivalent Boxster.
Porsche said the new Cayman is up to 40kg lighter than the current model, thanks in part to aluminum used for the doors, trunk and hood. Standard fitment of start-stop helps reduces fuel consumption to 8.2 liters per 100km for the standard car and 8.8 1/100km for the S. The optional dual-clutch transmission reduces consumption further. The 60mm longer wheelbase has in turn created a longer rear screen. In the trunk, Mauer has included a non-structural metallic bar detail clearly visible between the two prominent suspension turrets.
