With every new generation of mid-engine Porsche Boxster and Porsche Cayman, they move closer to the performance in the 911. For 2015, both models will probably be offered in base, S and now GTS-the second being the very best of breed to date. The Porsche Cayman GTS in particular ought to havearound 330 hp. In the Cayman, GTS means the 325hp S turns into a bump approximately 340. For all those keeping score, that brings a Cayman to within 10 hp of your base 911 Carrera.
Both GTS versions include the Sport Chrono package and Sport Exhaust, which would normally set you back $4,740 to option up an S model. These two features, along with a software change, take into account the increased performance. Besides the go-faster additions, each gets new front and rear fasciae, bi-xenon lighting (including Porsche Dynamic Lighting System) and model-specific interior trim with either red or silver stitching, together with extra splashes of carbon fiber and Alcantara. Buying a GTS will save roughly $9,000 spanning a comparably equipped S.
2014 porsche boxster driver side front view 15
2014 porsche boxster door card 14
2014 porsche boxster exhaust tip 16
I attended the launch in the latest Boxster at Barber Motorsports Park back in May 2012. I reveled from the newer, bigger car’s added stability, its refinement and how easy it was actually to drive. I also alluded to the fact that it might be slightly underpowered for the abilities of the chassis. Now I needed the chance to drive all three variants of both models in the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, whose asphalt still hadn’t cooled from the annual Motorsports Reunion. The backdrop of this vintage motorsport event is ideal for driving Porsche’s mid-engine family. Right from the start, the middle of the automobile is where the business has chosen to place the powerplant of the majority of its purpose-built racing cars. FromWhile I love these seats and would probably try to get them through the parts department for any new Porsche I found myself buying, they were apparently right behind the most notable in terms of customer concerns about the Spyder. If you want them inside the States, Make sure you contact Porsche Cars Canada And America and make sure they know.
I began my track session together with the base Cayman. Which is good. The longer wheelbase (compared with the earlier generation) can make it easy and stable to drive. In earlier Caymans (Caymen? ), the thought of typical mid-engine snap-pirouettes was always at the back of my mind. The newest car is entirely predictable. And also with stability and traction control active, a few levels of slip from the corners can be done. Steering feel, while not air-cooled Porsche hyperactive, is still about as good as it gets.
2014 porsche cayman 09
2014 porsche boxster rear spoiler 17
2014 porsche cayman passenger side view 10
The 2 are incredibly similar overall, though jumping from base to S is large in terms of performance. It’s difficult to say the S is better, but it’s certainly faster and more capable in every aspect. All the things that define an auto are the same: It rotates into turns dutifully, brakes straight and predictably and puts down power almost in addition to a 911. , although it does feel a little heavier I don’t seem like I want to move the car around as much; I would like to be more efficient and precise within the S. Acquiring a little sideways bleeds off more speed, and getting a bit offline during turn-in takes a bit more effort to get it back. But have it all correct and it will run away from the base car. Driving them back to back really makes the base car feel underpowered. Alternatively, maybe it would be more appropriate to state the chassis feels under-utilized.
The GTS seems to split the difference. For this exercise, Porsche’s GTS cars have manual transmissions. In Sport Plus mode, the automobile will blip the throttle to rev-match on downshifts. While this works seamlessly, the thought of the car heel-toeing for me negates the purpose of purchasing the manual. I freely admit that I’m always faster in PDK-equipped cars, but Porsche’s manual transmissions are some of the best in the industry, and rowing my own does make me smile. About the track, give meInside the Cayman lineup, the GTS is without doubt my favorite. It’s easy to lose yourself in a IMSA GTP fantasy, driving what is like a prototype racer. In high-speed turns, it settles down and grabs asphalt like a machine with higher downforce. Damping rates are firm, but suspension travel is plentiful, even with the .8-inch drop in ride height in comparison with the base cars. It never gets upset by track irregularities or running on the curbing. I can brake late and acquire on the power early; I’m never waiting on the car. After just a couple of corners, I do believe Porsche may shortly remove the term understeer from its vocabulary. High speed, low speed, under braking, hard on the throttle…the car just won’t practice it without being forced. Part of this is torque vectoring, but the majority is just good old-fashioned chassis tuning.
2014 Porsche Cayman S front three quarter in motion
2014 Porsche Cayman S badge 3
2014 Porsche Cayman S headlamp 2
When switching to Boxsters, I decided not to drop down to the base version but opted to start with the mid-level S. The first noticeable thing regarding the Boxster is, ironically, the absence of headroom using the top up. I’m 6’2 and, by using a helmet, my seating position is certainly compromised. Although there is an evident fix, closed-top driving will be the order during the day, so reclining the seat is the best approachis great, full stop. Anyone who doesn’t like this car doesn’t like sports cars. It isn’t quite as precise as the Cayman S-and you should have a tough time pretending you’re nestled in a Le Mans-winning 962-nevertheless it will turn your favorite freeway ramps into switchbacks chiseled into the side of the Alps. It loves to be thrown around over the Cayman S, that could be as a result of the slightly softer chassis, or maybe it merely instills a larger sense of fun. I pulled into the pits after my Boxster S laps concerned that it would render a GTS version pointless.
Sliding my less-than-svelte self to the un-American sport seats in the GTS helped quell my concerns somewhat. First, you select up an inch roughly of headroom with these seats, which (unfortunately) is a moot point for North American customers. The sound of the Sport Exhaust alone is almost worth the sticker price. I can’t imagine buying an S and never getting Sport Chrono and Sport Exhaust, both standard GTS fare. If people would still buy an S, concerns about seeing the point of the Boxster GTS now switched to wondering.the greatest eye-opener during the day. Half a lap into my session and this car is competing for top honors. The simplicity and basic goodness of the Boxster is what connects to the car-guy genes within our DNA. A plain Boxster is comparatively average when it comes to numbers on paper, by modern standards. There exists magic towards the connection you are feeling with this car, though about the track. It offers the closest communication of anything in the lineup. It exists to corner, although it never feels fast. It dives, rolls and squats more than the others, but complaining about too much movement in this Boxster is like wishing a dancer would just stand still and listen to the background music.
Brake pedal actuation is silky smooth and yardstick linear. Whether stepping into or from the brakes, it feels as if the ball of your foot is pressing the pad to the rotor with no middleman to try and include an interpretation. Turn-in may not be as precise or aggressive as the others, but it happens with more rotational yaw. The Cayman GTS bull’s-eyes apexes with sniper-like precision, while the Boxster can be tossed at them, sliding by them in a beautifully controlled drift. The Boxster transforms you into Hans Herrmann drifting a 550 Spyder around Italy in the Mille Miglia if the Cayman GTS making you Hurley Haywood racing a 962 at Le Mans. This test car is optioned simply, and that’s exactly how it must beThe cost gap between a base Boxster and a Cayman GTS is $23,800. It doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story, though a good chunk of change. The base Boxster along with the Cayman GTS are my two favorites, and while they can seem a similar on paper, they sit on the palate as alike as chocolate frozen treats and lemon sorbet.
I will tell you from past experience the Boxster is a phenomenal road car that carves canyons as happily since it commutes. It could handle track days and excel at driver education sessions.
