2006 Porsche Cayman

The Porsche Cayman was designed to occupy the middle ground between the workhorse 911 – long the bread-and-butter of the Porsche lineup – and the newer, cheaper Boxster. Sharing the Boxster's basic design and mid-engine layout, the Cayman offers a more powerful power plant, better-tuned suspension, and offers a larger optional array of sport features.

The Cayman sports a 24-valve four-cam 3.4-liter flat-six engine generating 295-hp, and sitting on top of a six-speed manual transmission. A Tiptronic automatic transmission is available as an option. A peak torque of 251 lb-ft is present between 4,400 and 6,000 rpm.

The added roof has given the Cayman a much stiffer structure than the Boxster, which, along with modifications to the other stability control elements such as struts and springs has given the car improved cornering ability without sacrificing ride comfort.

Porsche offers only one trim level for the Cayman – the Cayman S. Standard features includes a trip computer; a leather-covered steering wheel, gearshift knob, armrests and handbrake handle and a CD stereo sporting nine – that's right - nine speakers. Available options include full leather power seating; adaptive sport seating; wood, carbon or aluminum trim; rear parking assist; heated seats; and a navigation system. Also optional are PCCB ceramic brake discs and PASM, or Porsche Active Suspension Management, which allows the driver to choose between standard, comfortable mode and a racing-style suspension setup at the touch of a button. The Normal mode is fairly sporty, and responds well to rough road conditions. The sport mode gives a rougher ride, but provides some real racing thrill.

The Cayman shares the stylish Porsche design language; the cabin is roomy and handsome, the seats supportive and elegant. The control gauges are easily read, with the possible exception of the climate controls, which confused this reviewer on first appearance. The Cayman offers two distinct cargo areas – one front, one back – which translates into actual, usable space.

Safety features include torso- and head-protecting side airbags, traction control and four-wheel antilock disc brakes are standard. Electronic stability control (which Porsche calls PSM), is also standard. Crash tests haven not yet been conducted on the Cayman.

With the latest generation of the Cayman S, Porsche returns somewhat to its roots in the 911; providing a true driver's car at a decent price. It's not the best or the fastest out there, but for overall performance for the price, the Cayman S is hard to beat.