SENIOR EDITOR FOR NEWS BOB GRITZINGER: It's hard to bitch about a drive in any Porsche, but this Cayman somehow left me wanting for more. Don't get me wrong, the car is spectacular in many ways--steering, handling, styling, braking--but somehow, it falls just short of my expectations, especially at this sticker price. Start with the power, which is strong but runs out of punch before I expected, and it doesn't provide the same accompanying symphony as other Porsches, or what you'd hear in a Boxster S, top up or down. I kept looking for the Sport button, but it's not there in this model, so the engine always felt a little underwhelming compared with what I knew was possible.
The interior and comfort and convenience features also seemed lacking at this price, with what seems like little attention paid to the driver interface. The controls are there, but punching up the right button while concentrating on driving isn't as intuitive as one might like. Steering-wheel-mounted redundant buttons would help.
All that said, again, it's hard to complain about any Porsche. At the same time, when a company sets a high mark, it needs to meet or exceed it every time. This Cayman may not.
