Here's a first look at what Porsche Cayman buyers will see when they get behind the wheel.

The long-awaited newcomer's cabin will look familiar to Boxster owners; the recently facelifted drop-top has loaned much of its switchgear to the firm's new entry-level coupé. This official picture shows the distinctive sculpted instrument binnacle, as well as twin round air-vents above the LED information screen. However, elsewhere it's all change, thanks to the Cayman's metal roof and practical hatchback. At the rear of the seats there's a small stowage area, which leads into a shallow 260-litre boot.

When the car hits UK showrooms in November, buyers will be able to choose from a range of options. Full spec details have yet to be confirmed, but they're expected to include body-coloured interior panels and leather upholstery in the stowage area.

It's too early for official prices, yet the initial entry-level Cayman S is expected to cost about £44,000. A less powerful version will join the line-up, but the Boxster's 220bhp base 2.7-litre engine is unlikely to feature. A more powerful model is also on the cards, although sources say a turbocharged flagship has been ruled out.

It is early morning and Porsche's engineers are peeling back the disguise that covers the secret Cayman S, exposing it to the world for the first time. There is not a spy photographer in sight, but we have joined the test team putting the car through its paces in South Africa.

There is no doubt that it looks fantastic. Out in the early morning sun, the newcomer appears even hotter than its bigger brother, the 911. Pitched as an alternative to the Mercedes SLK and BMW Z4, it is set to hit UK showrooms in November at £44,000.

Flared wheelarches and a steeply sloping hatchback give the Cayman S a unique look. The design owes much to the Boxster, but the new car is more of a mini-911 than a hard-top version of the roadster. The 3.4-litre six-cylinder engine develops an impressive 295bhp and 340Nm of torque. Capable of sprinting from 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds, the Porsche has a 170mph top speed - but it is clear there is more to the Cayman S than performance alone.

Power is fed to the rear wheels via a precise six-speed manual gearbox, similar to the unit used in the Boxster S, but tuned to give shorter shifts.

Porsche's VarioCam Plus system - offering variable valve timing and previously reserved for the 911 - promises better performance at high revs. Even at low speeds it has a spectacular effect on the engine note, which sounds as aggressive as the 3.6-litre 911 Carrera's.

The cabin feels snug, yet is surprisingly roomy given the car's compact dimensions. Unlike the bigger 911 coupé, there are no seats in the rear, but this is a sacrifice that we think potential buyers will happily make.

Even over the ruts of our challenging test route, the Active Suspension Management delivers a smooth ride. In sport mode, it stiffens the dampers, improving stability and grip and sharpening steering responses. Switched off, the ride becomes more comfortable as the dampers slacken. Porsche's Ceramic Composite Brake system is also offered and gives massive stopping power, requiring surprisingly little pedal pressure to operate at extremes.

Over a winding road this machine feels every inch as involving as a 911 Carrera, and in some situations it betters the bigger car. The new hard-top helps stiffen the chassis, but without losing the character of the Boxster's roof-down driving experience. In fact, the Porsche team has managed to add to it by carefully honing the exhaust note and reducing wind noise.

However, our drive in the new Porsche coupé is no joyride. Engineers' observations are logged and every evening a report is sent to a development team in Weissach, Germany. Findings are then checked back in the workshop to be sure of the results. Our Cayman has been fine-tuned over the course of nearly 1.2million miles.

Testing is almost complete, but the Cayman's story does not finish there.Derivatives of the coupé rumouredto be in development include a lightweight RS and an entry-level edition. Each version promises to leave its class rivals trailing, while even the legendary 911 might finally have a worthy rival.

At a Glance
0-60 mph 4.8 sec
0-¼ mile 13.3 sec
Top speed est 171 mph
Skidpad 0.96g
Slalom 71.7 mph
Brake rating very good

STUTTGART, GERMANY — When the Boxster was introduced, enthusiasts applauded its mid-engine/rear-drive layout and hailed its outstanding handling. In fact, some have argued that cornering at the limit, the Boxster transitions much more progressively than its rear-engine/rear-drive 911 sibling. However, the Boxster's convertible-only body style and lesser power always ensured a significant image and performance gap between it and the 911. Especially as Porsche engineers continuously improve the 911's handling with each modern iteration.

So when Porsche announced the production of a faster, hardtop version of the Boxster called the Cayman S, we took notice.



Start with the Boxster's already beautifully balanced chassis in a closed-top model. Add more body rigidity and more sporting suspension tuning, and wrap it all up with a higher-output flat-6 engine. Conceptually, this newest Porsche sports car shares the same powertrain/chassis configuration with many of today's topline race cars and high-performance exotics — the mighty Carrera GT included. Will the Cayman S overshadow the venerable 911?

To answer this question, we covered nearly 700 miles in Germany to explore the capabilities of the Cayman S. We visited a racetrack for instrumented testing, drove on twisty roads through the Black Forest and rocketed along empty stretches of the Autobahn for on-road handling and high-speed evaluations.

The Cayman S's 3.4-liter flat-6 is based on the Boxster S's 3.2-liter engine with a 2.0-mm increase in bore. The aluminum cylinder heads are lifted directly from the 911 Carrera, but use the more aggressive-profile camshafts from the Carrera S's 3.8-liter engine. Along with this setup comes Porsche's VarioCam Plus system that optimizes efficiency at idle and maximizes power output at part to full throttle. With the increase in horsepower, the crankshaft needed to be made stiffer by increasing the diameter of its main bearing journals by 3.0 mm. And a stronger aluminum crankcase is fitted that is nearly identical to the one found on the 911. The Cayman S's 3.4-liter flat-6 engine puts out 295 bhp at 6250 rpm and generates 251 lb.-ft. of torque between 4400 and 6000 rpm.

Its 6-speed manual transmission is the same unit found in the Boxster S, but with shorter ratios in 1st and 2nd gears for better low-speed thrust. Triple-cone synchromesh is installed in the first two gears, while the rest are equipped with two. The gearbox is precise and offers short throws, helping the Cayman S to accelerate quickly. On the test track, standing-start acceleration runs with the traction control turned off produce significant axle-tramp, but then it settles quickly. Zero to 60 mph is accomplished in 4.8 seconds, and the quarter-mile mark is reached in 13.3 sec. at a speed of 106.2 mph. Compared with the 911 Carrera, which weighs about 120 lb. more but has 325 bhp and 273 lb.-ft. of torque, the Cayman S is 0.3 sec. slower to 60 mph, and 0.4 sec. off the 911's quarter-mile time while traveling about 2.0 mph slower. This puts the car right smack in the middle between the Boxster S and the 911 Carrera, of course by design.

Our test car came equipped with the pricey (est. $8150) Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) — 13.8 in. at all four corners — which are able to slow the Cayman S quickly. Full ABS-application stops from 60 and 80 mph require 110 ft. and 190 ft., respectively. Though these distances are similar to those of the Boxster S and the Carrera armed with regular steel rotors, the advantage of having PCCB is that after repeated usage, there is no hint of fade and the pedal feel is rock-solid every time.

While the Cayman S is slower than the 911 Carrera in acceleration, it shines in the handling department. Imagine combining the fluidity of the Boxster S and the sharpness of the 911's turn-in, and what you have is an agile and responsive sports car. Helping to make this possible is a chassis re-inforced by the closed top and an additional crossmember behind the cockpit. With the body rated 2.5 times stiffer in torsion compared with the Boxster S, Porsche engineers were able to tune the front/rear strut-type independent suspension more firmly. A new jounce/rebound stop spring is added in the damper strut to reduce body sway while cornering. Couple the suspension to the nicely weighted and communicative rack-and-pinion steering, add the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and the Cayman S handles the turns with utmost stability. On the track, switch the PASM to Sport. This lowers the car by 0.4 in. and turns on the firmer damper control map. The Cayman now follows every steering input with immediacy but little commotion, giving the driver the confidence to attack corners aggressively. When the chassis does get upset, its rotation is so progressive and linear that anyone will feel there is plenty of time to correct. The Cayman S recorded an impressive average of 71.7 mph through our slalom test, outpacing the 911 Carrera's 68.7-mph result.

On the road through the Black Forest, the Cayman S snakes through the bends with absolute composure. Even though the pavement is damp from an earlier rainstorm, the car never loses traction when driven at a moderate pace. And when you do carry a bit too much speed into a corner, the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) traction and yaw control intervenes ever so softly to keep all four wheels on the asphalt and the car pointed in the right direction.

To ensure high-speed stability, especially on Germany's Autobahnen, Porsche engineers have taken great care in optimizing the Cayman S's aerodynamics. The drag coefficient is 0.29, placing it between the Boxster's 0.30 and the 911's 0.28. Much attention has also been paid to reduce lift by designing a smooth underfloor and by adding a small lip spoiler up front and a split-wing spoiler at the rear. The wing extends automatically when speed exceeds 75 mph, and retracts when the car slows below 50 mph. According to the factory, at 167 mph, the front and rear see an increase in axle load of 15 lb. and 31 lb., respectively.

With traffic heavy at times due to construction on the Autobahn, it is difficult to find long stretches of empty road, but we did manage to take the car up to 150 mph a few times, with nothing exciting to report other than seeing the speedometer needle climbing up the dial at a good clip. At speed, the coupe is rock-steady. Just hammer the throttle, hold the steering wheel straight and look ahead.

If you see the Cayman S fast approaching in your rearview mirror, it would be difficult to distinguish it from a 911 (or a Boxster), unless you can pick out the unique foglamps integrated into the horizontal bars that span the bumper's outer air intakes. In profile, the Cayman S is less flattering because of the unusually high roofline that almost turns the greenhouse into a bubble in the middle of the car. By far the best angle for the car is the rear three-quarter, where you'll appreciate the complex concave and convex curves of the rear fenders meeting the rear hatch.

The interior of the Cayman S is very much like the Boxster's. The instrument panel is handsomely designed and covered in soft leather. The seats are supportive for aggressive on-track fun or weekend getaway cruises. Building on the already spacious luggage capacity of the Boxster, the Cayman S gains a rear storage shelf just aft of the seats. With cleverly designed netting to keep items in place, it is the perfect place for small items. In the back, the luggage compartment is nicely highlighted with a stainless-steel trim piece across the rear shock towers.

The MSRP for the Cayman S is $58,900, again placing it above the Boxster S but below the 911 Carrera. There are no official plans for a lower Cayman model, nor a Club Sport version, though rumors say Porsche is working on them. The Cayman S will go on sale in the U.S. in January.

All in all, the Cayman S is a wonderful sports car. Fast, nicely balanced and a pleasure to drive. With its performance so close to the 911 Carrera, will it become the new star of the family? No way. Porsche is adamant that the 911 will continue to be the top-line performance car (not including the limited-production Carrera GT). That's why the engineers have deliberately designed the Cayman S's performance envelope just below that of the Carrera. While this is understandable because of the 911's legacy, one can't help but see that there is so much potential in the Cayman S. With an engine of the same output, it could easily outpace the Carrera. I'd bet a few potential owners are already thinking about this.

Acceleration
Time to speed Seconds
0–30 mph..... 1.8
0–40 mph..... 2.6
0–50 mph..... 3.7
0–60 mph..... 4.8
0–70 mph..... 6.1
0–80 mph..... 7.9
0–90 mph..... 9.7
0–100 mph..... 11.7
Time to distance
0–100 ft..... 2.8
0–500 ft..... 7.3
0–900 ft..... 10.5
0—1320 ft (¼ mile)..... 13.3 @ 106.2 mph

Drivetrain
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Gear Ratio Overall ratio (Rpm) Mph
1st 3.31:1 12.84:1 (7200) 44
2nd 1.95:1 7.57:1 (7200) 75
3rd 1.41:1 5.47:1 (7200) 103
4th 1.13:1 4.38:1 (7200) 129
5th 0.97:1 3.76:1 (7200) 150
6th 0.82:1 3.18:1 est (6950) 171
Final drive ratio…….................................…3.88:1
Engine rpm @ 60 mph in top gear….......……2400