2007 Cayman – a real Porsche priced well and loaded for fun

There are some great sports cars for around 50 grand in showrooms across America.

One of our picks for people who value value and the Porsche driving experience is the all-new Cayman.

We are not speaking of the higher horsepower and more expensive Cayman S, which entered the marketplace as a 2006 model, but the 2007 Cayman with less horsepower, dialed-back torque and a more affordable sticker price.

This Cayman has more-than-adequate performance and all of the amazing handling characteristics of the Cayman S.

We’re tempted to call it Porsche Lite, but that would diminish the goodness that comes with the Cayman. There are still plenty of sinful automobile calories to be had in this new treat that landed in showrooms just a short time ago.

Granted, there are just 245 horses and 201 pound-feet of torque available from the 2.7-liter flat six, 50 fewer ponies and 50 fewer foot pounds than found in the S. But the smaller powerplant is asked to move just 2,865 pounds in a typical Porsche mid-engine setup.

And therein lays the beauty of this little beast.

The engine, which uses a variable valve timing and lift system, propels the two-seater with gusto accelerating from 0 to 60 in about 5.5 seconds and finishing off a quarter mile in around 14 seconds at 100 miles per hour as measured by several automotive publications.

It does this with handling so good that even bonehead drivers can get by with inglorious mistakes while charging hard and fast through the back-road twists and turns. The mid-engine setup offers such wonderful balance, together with an intoxicating engine note directly behind the driver’s head, that it has to be experienced to be fully understood.

And it does this while delivering 32 miles to the gallon on the highway, 23 city. That’s a sizable difference from the S, which is rated at 27/20.

The gorgeous body is unmistakably Porsche and with almost all the styling cues of the S. You would be hard pressed to tell the two apart.

The wonderment is the price tag, an un-Porsche-like amount, although still lofty for the budget-minded shopper.

The base Cayman has a sticker price of $50,195 including destination. A myriad of options are available and several may be worthwhile. But our test car was devoid of extras — the lone exceptions were Porsche-lettered floor mats and color-keyed seatbelts — and we were as happy as a clam in chowder with the standard equipment.

The really tempting extras are a six-speed manual transmission, which comes bundled with Porsche Active Suspension, and 18-inch or 19-inch wheels. We might opt for the six-speed in place of the standard five-speed at $2,680 and we would consider 18-inch tires for another $1,235.

If you must have the Tiptronic five-speed automatic it will cost you $3,210 and it doesn’t come with the active suspension, which will run another $1,990. And if you must have the 19-inch wheels, figure in another $2,785 to $3,175 depending on style.

Audiophiles may demand the upgraded Bose surround system with 11 speakers in place of the four-speaker base setup. That will add $1,665 to the bottom line.

Obviously extras are expensive, so wisely balance your desires with your pocketbook.

The Cayman comes in at $9,500 less than the S, so if your “must have” list starts approaching 10 grand, you might as well climb behind the wheel of a Cayman S with its 50 extra horses and 0-to-60 time of around
5 seconds for a base price of $59,695.

The bottom line here is that extras aren’t necessary. The standard five-speed is as precise as any in autodom and with its relatively low first - and second-gear ratios gives the Cayman a great feel off the line.

If you expect to run your Porsche near its limits, the 18-inch tires may be worth the extra cash. But we found the Z-rated 17-inch performance rubber adequate for our needs.

In fact our test car was so unnervingly agile in our familiar cornering stretches of law-enforcement-devoid roads that we just quit pushing it after a few miles for fear that the big hand of misfortune would slap us down at any second.

This was accomplished with the audio equipment muted so that we could revel in the wonderful tunes supplied by the engine.

The Cayman is one of the newest creations of Porsche, derived from the Boxster roadster platform. It has been referred to as a Boxster with a steel roof. In fact, the mechanicals and the interior layout of the Cayman are nearly identical to the Boxster, which entered the marketplace in 1997 and was first offered in the higher-performance S version in 2000.

So now you can have it either way. And if you want the open-air Boxster, it’s less expensive than the Cayman with a starting price around 46 grand. Go figure that one. Convertibles are usually harder to build and are at the top of the price equation.

Porsche hopes to sell about 7,500 Caymans in the U.S. over the next 12 months. And based on sales of nearly 6,000 through the first 10 months of 2006, that goal appears conservative.

If you think something less than a Porsche 911 Carrera is not a real Porsche, than you haven’t experienced the Cayman S. And if you think the Cayman sacrifices too much of the S muscle, then you haven’t experienced its hypnotic attractions.

It’s a blast to drive whether to work or play. And worth every penny of 50 grand. Just be very careful when selecting from the incredibly long and appealing options list.