21 Jul 06
Finally a side road appeared. By this stage I cared not at all where it went, I just had to get out of that traffic. And now I think I know how Alice felt when she went through the looking glass. In an instant my world changed. This road was as deserted as the one I had just left behind had been clogged, while the image on the (optional) sat nav screen showed me it had more bends than a diver that's surfaced too fast. I needed no further persuasion.
And at first I was slightly disappointed. Just as it's dangerous to give a car a load of power without equipping it with the chassis to match, so it is a recipe for compromising driving enjoyment to give a car a peach of a chassis, but not the power to exploit it. As you'd expect, the Cayman has fabulous steering, incredible grip and massively powerful brakes, despite their diminished specification. What it appeared to lack is that kick in the back to make the most of it all.
In fact, and as I discovered, you can make even this standard Cayman perform as a Porsche should: the problem is, you really have to work at it. The engine will deliver decent power but towards the top of its rev-range. Peak torque is not even reached until 4,600rpm, so you have to keep it bubbling away around at least those revs if the performance is not to become sluggish. And if you drive it like your pants are on fire, it is indeed as responsive, wonderful and inspiring as you'd hope any Porsche coupe might be. But it does make you try awfully hard for the privilege.
