centurion
Well-Known Member
OK I got the albino white crocodile yesterday at about 5pm. Delivery joy was diluted looking at a new 2008 model year Carrera Turbo red, fully loaded and it was beautiful. More diluted to see a gold Carrera GT LHD there in all its V10 glory. Other notables there was a brand new Carrera C4 Targa with its S$35K glass roof, and the famous Mr. M's snow white C2S. Also there was a lone gunmetal colored Boxster 2.7.
Mine was one of the 5 caymans there ready for delivery, 2 of them Cayman 2.7 and the rest Cayman S. There were only 3 manual cars there, my white croc, the gunmetal box 2.7 and the snow white C2S. The rest were tippys, save the CGT of course.
I drove almost all the routes mentioned in the `nice driving roads in Singapore thread' and my impressions:
1) The most impressive thing about that car was the PASM adaptative suspension. After driving a gaggle of non-PASM Caymans, now I can confidently say that PASM IS A MUST. Please. If you get any mid-engine Porsche, PASM cannot be missed. With PASM the ride was Mercedes AMG/Sport Susp C-Class like (not as soft as the E- and S-) and more comfortable than the 325 but slightly firmer than the 335. It is very quickly adaptative, eg. when tarmac turns to brick, it changes the suspension to be softer. When the suspension is soft and then i take the corners, suddenly the suspension firms up on the outside and FLATTENS the car. At 90kmh medium speed corner the car corners totally flat.
2) The Getrag manufactured option 6-speed transmission is the opposite end of Honda. Honda clicks in. This Getrag feels like heavy duty and you muscle it in. That being said, it is utterly precise, the throws are not too short and not too long, just right. I'm glad I didn't take the short shifter option. The gearbox is over engineered for DEFINITELY sure, you can hear the whir of the synchros very clearly, and they sound very very big synchros and gears. Because I had to short shift (can't cross 4200 rpm for the first 1K km, and can't cross 5000 rpm for 1K to 2K km. ) I went through to 6 very very quickly. At 6 the car still accelerates very strongly, so I believe that it can hit at least 6K rpm at 6th.
The transmission DOES NOT CREEP AT 1ST GEAR unlike what some Americans have mentioned. I stalled the car once during this.
Clutch take up is not too aggressive, not to laggard, just right. It takes up at 2/3 depressed.
There is NO CHANCE to shift to REVERSE accidentally. To shit to REVERSE you need to MUSCLE THE GEAR IN SO HARD that I don't think that some willowy chicks can manage it. As I said the Getrag feels like a heavy duty german heavy machinery.
3) Engine is not a BMW or Honda engine. This engine is not tuned to be smooth, it is tuned for ... there's no better word - `barking'. It barks. Not the deep guttural bark of a V8, but a typical flat-4 or flat-6 bark. You enter 4K rpm and it is barking moderately loud. It feels more like a very highly tuned STI after spending 2 hours in the car. It is not the VTEC bark which is like BRRAAAAAPPP which gives me a headache after an hour. It is not like the C32's V6 which is a more deep throated growl which doesn't make me excited. The engine is very free-revving, so much so you really have to pay very close attention to 1st gear even if you are TRYING to go slow. If it is so ample for the 2.7 manual I think I do not miss the 3.4 which I have driven few times already though not for so long and far. It also does not feel enormously torquey, requiring revs to go fast, but if the revs are so easy to come by, it is so nice! I really confirmed to myself that I made the correct decision to take the 2.7 for the street - I was worried for a while, but now I'm happily confirmed.
4) Steering - The PASM makes you want to take every corner flat out. FLAT. As fast as you can. You never can get enough of the cornering, because no car I have ever driven before can corner without you feeling any tilt, so crazy confident it makes you. The car just ROTATES and points so precisely to the apex. The visibility of corners is utterly perfect for a non-open wheeler, amazing. And I need not talk about the steering's ability to tell you whatever's going on during cornering. Take note - when your steering is not loaded (eg. Straight) you can't really feel anything, not like the ITR where every little stone on the road you can feel. But when you're loaded, you feel all that you need to make the micro adjustments you need to make mid-corner. I think this is also a function of the PASM dampers, because in the non-PASM cars the straightahead movement, the steering was talking too much. This steering only tells you what you need to know, but by no means too chatty until you want to ask him to shut up.
5) Visibility after 2 hours in the car, it is not as bad as I initially thought. It is definitely better than my Honda Odyssey which has the biggest a-pillar in the world. Reversing without a parking sensor was scary after so long with parking sensors, but I got used to it after a while and my paranoia while reversing without a radar evaporated largely after about 4-5 reversing actions.
6) White is a correct color. Nobody seemed to be looking at me at all, even for such an unusual car. Coupled with the fact that all Porsches look the same to the layman it is properly non-descript and a relief.
7) Grip - contrary to my initial reports, they didn't give me a CSC3. They gave me a CSC2. The grip from these tyres, keeping in mind that it has not been broken in yet, is just enough only. You can count on me to upgrade to 18 inch Neez with Michelin PS2 once these die.
8) Service intervals - I'm due in 2 years I think, or 20K km.
9) Driving the CTE - this is my daily driver, and I say, driving the CTE with a manual is OK, but without Johnston and Murphy dress shoes. My god it was painful. I need to keep some driving shoes in the car now, for sure.
All in all I am proud I only stalled the car once, and that's during an experiment.
Mine was one of the 5 caymans there ready for delivery, 2 of them Cayman 2.7 and the rest Cayman S. There were only 3 manual cars there, my white croc, the gunmetal box 2.7 and the snow white C2S. The rest were tippys, save the CGT of course.
I drove almost all the routes mentioned in the `nice driving roads in Singapore thread' and my impressions:
1) The most impressive thing about that car was the PASM adaptative suspension. After driving a gaggle of non-PASM Caymans, now I can confidently say that PASM IS A MUST. Please. If you get any mid-engine Porsche, PASM cannot be missed. With PASM the ride was Mercedes AMG/Sport Susp C-Class like (not as soft as the E- and S-) and more comfortable than the 325 but slightly firmer than the 335. It is very quickly adaptative, eg. when tarmac turns to brick, it changes the suspension to be softer. When the suspension is soft and then i take the corners, suddenly the suspension firms up on the outside and FLATTENS the car. At 90kmh medium speed corner the car corners totally flat.
2) The Getrag manufactured option 6-speed transmission is the opposite end of Honda. Honda clicks in. This Getrag feels like heavy duty and you muscle it in. That being said, it is utterly precise, the throws are not too short and not too long, just right. I'm glad I didn't take the short shifter option. The gearbox is over engineered for DEFINITELY sure, you can hear the whir of the synchros very clearly, and they sound very very big synchros and gears. Because I had to short shift (can't cross 4200 rpm for the first 1K km, and can't cross 5000 rpm for 1K to 2K km. ) I went through to 6 very very quickly. At 6 the car still accelerates very strongly, so I believe that it can hit at least 6K rpm at 6th.
The transmission DOES NOT CREEP AT 1ST GEAR unlike what some Americans have mentioned. I stalled the car once during this.
Clutch take up is not too aggressive, not to laggard, just right. It takes up at 2/3 depressed.
There is NO CHANCE to shift to REVERSE accidentally. To shit to REVERSE you need to MUSCLE THE GEAR IN SO HARD that I don't think that some willowy chicks can manage it. As I said the Getrag feels like a heavy duty german heavy machinery.
3) Engine is not a BMW or Honda engine. This engine is not tuned to be smooth, it is tuned for ... there's no better word - `barking'. It barks. Not the deep guttural bark of a V8, but a typical flat-4 or flat-6 bark. You enter 4K rpm and it is barking moderately loud. It feels more like a very highly tuned STI after spending 2 hours in the car. It is not the VTEC bark which is like BRRAAAAAPPP which gives me a headache after an hour. It is not like the C32's V6 which is a more deep throated growl which doesn't make me excited. The engine is very free-revving, so much so you really have to pay very close attention to 1st gear even if you are TRYING to go slow. If it is so ample for the 2.7 manual I think I do not miss the 3.4 which I have driven few times already though not for so long and far. It also does not feel enormously torquey, requiring revs to go fast, but if the revs are so easy to come by, it is so nice! I really confirmed to myself that I made the correct decision to take the 2.7 for the street - I was worried for a while, but now I'm happily confirmed.
4) Steering - The PASM makes you want to take every corner flat out. FLAT. As fast as you can. You never can get enough of the cornering, because no car I have ever driven before can corner without you feeling any tilt, so crazy confident it makes you. The car just ROTATES and points so precisely to the apex. The visibility of corners is utterly perfect for a non-open wheeler, amazing. And I need not talk about the steering's ability to tell you whatever's going on during cornering. Take note - when your steering is not loaded (eg. Straight) you can't really feel anything, not like the ITR where every little stone on the road you can feel. But when you're loaded, you feel all that you need to make the micro adjustments you need to make mid-corner. I think this is also a function of the PASM dampers, because in the non-PASM cars the straightahead movement, the steering was talking too much. This steering only tells you what you need to know, but by no means too chatty until you want to ask him to shut up.
5) Visibility after 2 hours in the car, it is not as bad as I initially thought. It is definitely better than my Honda Odyssey which has the biggest a-pillar in the world. Reversing without a parking sensor was scary after so long with parking sensors, but I got used to it after a while and my paranoia while reversing without a radar evaporated largely after about 4-5 reversing actions.
6) White is a correct color. Nobody seemed to be looking at me at all, even for such an unusual car. Coupled with the fact that all Porsches look the same to the layman it is properly non-descript and a relief.
7) Grip - contrary to my initial reports, they didn't give me a CSC3. They gave me a CSC2. The grip from these tyres, keeping in mind that it has not been broken in yet, is just enough only. You can count on me to upgrade to 18 inch Neez with Michelin PS2 once these die.
8) Service intervals - I'm due in 2 years I think, or 20K km.
9) Driving the CTE - this is my daily driver, and I say, driving the CTE with a manual is OK, but without Johnston and Murphy dress shoes. My god it was painful. I need to keep some driving shoes in the car now, for sure.
All in all I am proud I only stalled the car once, and that's during an experiment.
