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Motoring | Test Drives

Wheels Car of the Year 2011: Best Sportscar

The trouble for Porsche with the Cayman R is that its so good, it just might make you change that order on the soon-to-arrive 911 Carrera S

By Jonathan Castle, wheels
Published: 00:00 December 30, 2011

Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/ANM
The Cayman R's grip is phenomenal — with the engine sat low and ahead of the driven rear wheels, it always feels planted and secure.

Porsche has a problem with the Cayman, in that the more power it gives it, the better it gets.

Such is the rightness of the basic architecture, that it always seems to be perfectly balanced, poised and responsive — a car that you can drive to the limits and beyond without ever feeling out of control. The trouble is, they also make a thing called the 911.

So the Cayman R is pretty much the best sportscar Porsche currently makes. Sure, there are more powerful cars further up the range, but none of them offers such delicacy and precision. The grip is phenomenal — with the engine sat low and ahead of the driven rear wheels, it always feels planted and secure. And because all the front wheels have to do is steer and brake, the steering provides almost telepathic response: you don't turn into a bend, you merely look to where you want to go and think it through and the Cayman R delivers exactly what you want.

Drive-wise, the PDK gearbox is a revelation, miraculously combining the ease and convenience of a full auto with the directness of a manual. Blipping down the shifts is a pure delight, and allows you to set the car up on the throttle so you're perfectly balanced on entry into a bend. Drive out is meaty and solid, up-shifts thumping home with real authority, and hanging onto a gear until the redline brings a visceral howl from the sports exhaust.

In creating the R, Porsche actually took quite a risk, because the weight savings and power increase offer a bigger thrill than the relatively small improvements suggest. The R is so much more of a driver's car even than the S, and the temptation is to wonder just how much further Porsche could push the concept. Until it makes a Cayman RS, the R definitely wins our Sportscar of the Year award.

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