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Porsche Cayman (2012-2016) review - Interior and tech

Everything you could ever want from a sports car

Evo rating
Price
from £39,694
  • Too good to be regarded as 911’s budget alternative
  • Styling still jars from some angles; fantastic GT4 sold out far too quickly

Interior and tech

As it’s a two-seater sports car, you wouldn’t expect the Porsche Cayman to be particularly practical. However, you might be surprised by how much luggage you can take with you. The tailgate lifts to reveal a shallow load area, although Porsche claims that it has a volume of 275 litres.The two deep bins either side of the engine cover are useful, if a little awkward tricky to use, but the deep glovebox features a pair of twin cup-holders and another pair fold out from the dashboard.

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The driving position is appropriately low-slung and, from behind the wheel (itself rather wonderful), the dash layout has plenty of traditional Porsche touches, including overlapping dials and  neatly stacked buttons flanking the gearlever. Materials and build quality are first rate.

Standard kit isn’t exactly generous but does include Alcantara-trimmed sports seats with electrically adjustable backrests, 18-inch alloy wheels, a CD stereo with a 7-inch colour touchscreen, auto headlights, air conditioning and a universal audio interface offering a multitude of connectivity options. In addition to this, the Cayman S gets larger 19-inch alloy wheels with larger front brake discs from the 911 Carrera, a partial leather interior and Bi-Xenon headlights.

The GTS gets special badging, darkened rear lights, excellent sports seats, 20-inch alloys and an upgraded interior, all of which make it feel that little bit more special. Feeling quite a bit more special, though is the GT4 which gets, as standard, more deeply sculpted sports seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara, a smaller GT4-specific steering wheel, Porsche Torque Vectoring with a rear limited slip differential and a sports exhaust. Porsche has even left some creature comforts in, including a DAB radio and climate control. Options include even thinner shell-back carbon-fibre seats and a Sport Chrono Pack with a ‘Track Precision’ app.

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