Quote:
Originally Posted by ND40oz
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeelToeShift
I don't agree with the former of your response. The BMW was literally made to be a track car and that is how BMW markets it too. The fact that the M2CS has a much harsher suspension and it less compliant as a street car says all you need to know about how focused it is.
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I guess I need to go drive the Cayman GTS 4.0 because the M2 CS is one of the most compliant street vehicles I've driven short of something with air. Certainly rides a lot better than my Mini and the M2 Competition. |
Agree. It's not a track car ar all. Fantastic road car that is quite capable on a track. The Cayman is a track car not so much fun on the road.
"Feel And Fun Matter, Big Time
The delivery is the defining difference. The Cayman's strength is also its (relative) Achilles' heel: It belongs on a racetrack, and it just doesn't find its magic on the street until you're on the bleeding edge. Problem is, that's really asking for trouble considering how fast it is. You just can't get into a cosmic groove with this car until you're driving right to the absolute limit of the road; it feels like a dance on the very edge of sanity with no margin left before catastrophe. You just wish you could enjoy the GT4 more before you extend yourself to such a hair-raising level.
We're not saying whatsoever the car isn't enjoyable before the last tenth. Rather, this 718 is so good and so precise and so isolating that it doesn't feel like you're really challenging it until the last bit, and that makes it less exciting to drive in most realistic circumstances than it should be. A lower-spec Cayman isn't as quick, but it tends to feel more emotional, more engaging, and more fun on the road. Again, though: If track work is your bag, the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 is your lunch.
The ABS issue Pobst reported is part of the problem. American roads are even bumpier than the Streets of Willow, and often in braking zones. It's one thing to feel the pedal momentarily go wooden and the braking g-forces drop when you're staring down a wide-open runoff area on a track; it's another entirely on a mountain road. The thing is, the Porsche will stop. The feeling only lasts a split second, but it shakes your confidence. It takes at least a half dozen of these "oh crap" moments before your brain accepts the car will stop regardless of what the pedal tells you in the moment.
Rear damping is also an issue Pobst reported during our last Best Driver's Car competition. Although the Streets of Willow's small, high-frequency bumps didn't trigger it, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca's few big bumps better approximate real-world mountain roads. Driving on California's famed Angeles Crest Highway, it felt as if the front and rear ends weren't working in sync. Just as Pobst said, the rear is underdamped, leaping off of bumps after using up all of its short suspension travel on the compression stroke. It just never feels fully settled, even if it hangs on like a rusted vice grip."