I'm obviously going to be biased in my opinion but I'll try and keep it as neutral as possible.
Cayman S
I've owned the Cayman for around 1 year, during this time I've covered about 5000 miles both short and long journeys. In my opinion I think the Cayman is overhyped. When I was looking I browsed a lot of forums and read a lot of comments about the Cayman and comparable cars and the consensus was that the Cayman was the superior car, it had A LOT of praise. I found that it was a great car when you really pushed it, but for the rest of the time it was just ok. It didn't really feel very special when just driving normally.
For example the engine sound didn't really come alive until after 5000 rpm which unless you're revving it out all the time you don't get to hear that frequently. Off the back of that the gearing of the PDK meant that you could only rev it out in first and just about second gear before you're up to the speed limit, then you spend the rest of the time in the "boring" part of the rev range.
Saying that though, the PDK was a fantastic gearbox. Very quick to change gears and the feel of the paddles when changing gears was much better than the F-Type. Even by swapping my plastic paddles for aluminium on the F it wouldn't feel anywhere near as nice to change than the PDK.
I think as a sports car or track car it is really good, the cornering ability was impressive and it felt like you pivoted around corners from the middle of the car rather than getting pulled/pushed round like typical engine layout cars, but driving around roads normally it just wasn't great.
It definitely felt like a more raw car, lots of mechanical noises in the cabin and a firm ride meant that it felt like a throw back to the older style cars of less technology, even the electric steering felt like it did a good job of giving feedback. It felt like it was on the right side of old, still very modern enough to use daily and the interior has aged really well, but with the feel of an older more analogue driving experience.
My main dislikes and why I ended up moving on:
- Not that special when driving normally
- Noise from the engine wasn't that great unless redlining it
- The raw feeling inside was fun for a while but ended up getting a bit tedious
- Started to get concerned with reliability as it was a 2013 car with 59,000 miles
F-Type
This brings me on to the P450. It's heavier and doesn't feel nearly as agile as the Porsche, but that was expected. What I didn't expect was that the F is dramatic everywhere! Driving slowly around corners I can kick the back out a bit and it feels really playful, something I couldn't really do with the 981 as well due to its engine layout. The Porsche was serious where as the F isn't. However if you need to go fast and accurate around a bend then the Porsche has you covered.
And then there's the sound. My F has a GPF which I was worried about but wanted the facelift as I prefer the looks of exterior and like the new technology inside. On the drive home from the dealer I was a bit gutted that below 3,500 rpm it was really disappointing. So the second I got the car home I removed fuse 15 for the exhaust flaps and bugger me its a different car. The pops and crackles coming out of the exhaust even creeping along at 1500 rpm in first gear is fantastic! Genuinely must be the best sounding GPF car in existence.
The looks, sound and playfulness of the F when driving at slow speeds is so much more fun than driving the Porsche at the same speeds that I'm so glad I made the move. That was the one thing I wanted in a car, to be able to have fun all the time not just when on the limit.
The interior in the F-Type feels nicer too. Maybe down to age but the Porsche feels functional and that's about it.
Things I don't like about the F:
- Steering feel isn't as nice as the Porsche. The Porsche felt heavier but in a substantial way compared to the F that feels too artificial
- The paddle changes do let the experience down a bit. They're fine but like clicky switches compared to the clunk of the Porsche changes.
TL:DR
Porsche:
- Great performance car when you're pushing on but a bit boring when driving normally.
- Engine noise not particularly great except when revving out
- Revving out was a bit difficult due to the gear ratios meaning you could barely get to the top of second before hitting the speed limit
- Felt raw like an old school car but still new enough to feel like a nice place to be
- The badge, it was nice to own a Porsche but I'm not really a badge snob so moving wasn't an issue. And its not like a Jaguar is a rubbish brand!
- Started to feel old
F-Type:
- Way more fun at normal speeds
- Sound is fantastic even through a GPF once fuse 15 is removed
- Steering is fine, not as good as the Porsche though even though it has electric steering
- Paddle gear changes are a bit weak compared to the Porsche, PDK is better although the ZF is still a great box
- Not as surgical as the Porsche but that's not necessarily a bad thing, depends what you're after
- More GT like than the Porsche which is what I'm after
- Nicer interior
And then some pics:
Before
welcome and enjoy.
