2015 Porsche Cayman Review

This is the first video I've shot that's not simply me driving a car talking to a GoPro. Please forgive the awkward talking and fidgeting and bad camera angles. As I shoot more of these types of videos hopefully they will improve.
/ thegermandriver

[@josephlim8941]

I've got a 987.1 in 2022. I felt the old PCM was severalty outdated. But I love the analog drive and how the shifter is like a finely tune riffle. But doesn't creek or rattle. Solid as the day it was new. Recently, I installed myself the PCCM from Porsche. It provides Apple Car Play, BT, etc but maintains the classic look of the infotainment system. Since this was the only thing bothered me, it's now resolved. I did take a look at 981, I could tell it was 10 years old, and 718 was newest interior. Everything ages, but that's what makes it special from brand new model.

[@richardking4725]

In my opinion the standard headlights are weak, especially on country roads at night, when their beam just doesn’t carry far enough for safe fast driving. My car was an ex demonstrator so I was unable to specify better lights. Expensive to properly upgrade aftermarket and upgrade just the bulbs are said not to last due to overheating. The 981 is still a great car and in my opinion handles way better than 911, 993 that I’ve owned.

[@paulghosal6736]

Recently came across your channel - I like your "keeping it real style". My Porsche journey is very similar to yours. Started last year in a beautiful 2003 986 Boxster S - great car with an intoxicating noise - I loved it, but struggled to use it as frequently as I'd like, because in the day to day world it was sometimes hard work. Cue the 981 - I always wanted a Cayman but wasn't sold on the looks of the 987, as the lines didn't flow well in my opinion. A few tweaks and the 981 has become a work of art. Mine is is identical to the video bar the PDK as I have the manual. The car is almost perfect, my only gripe being the gearing. I know its done for economy but its just too long.

[@markusreimann4744]

Great job! I really appreciated your review on the Porsche cayman. I totally feel you in what you said because i already own a VW Polo GTI and were always interested in driving the Cayman too - looking forward to get one ;)

[@SoCalCitizen]

Great presentation and information, well done! When you’re ready to lower the car, I have a Bilstein PSS10 Coilover set with only 1000 miles for sale. Bilstein is the only manufacturer I would replace Porsche OEM suspension with.

[@EdPrscheTurbo]

Great video. Next on you list should be mods. If you don't have PSE there are several after market exhaust that will add a little more HP and torque. Once you start modding though it's tough to stop :). Just bought Fabspeed TrackTec exhaust and plenum competition package recently for my CaymanS. Good luck.

[@stever41g]

Good review, nice car. Congrats.

[@PShawnFaherty]

Thanks for the video “preview”! I’m picking up my white 981 next week!!

[@jasonkent3658]

Good car good review I'm sorry I'm 48 years old no PDK ever in my eyes yes there are times that you hate a manual but I don't care I'll deal with it simply because in my opinion you can have a pure enjoyable Sports car without a clutch pedal

[@gregglinka7494]

Really liked this video. I will have to watch the others you have on the 981!

[@eddiegray793]

Your right i don't get the round fog lights either

[@BatDimen]

The whole rear actually looks very different to me when comparing the 987 vs 981

[@LFSJR.]

Nice review. It’s nice to see someone really enjoy their car and make it their own. I am currently on my second GTI, a 2013, and I’m thinking about replacing it with a base 2015 Cayman. I briefly drove a Cayman S a while ago but the road conditions and weather didn’t really allow for a good drive. As a fellow GTI owner, do you miss the low end torque when driving the Cayman, or does the rest of the driving experience eclipse any HP and torque shortcomings? I have the APR tune and that turbo is instant power.

[@tabz2804]

Never got an answer huh

[@xkrnxboix]

Congrats again on the 981 Cayman. I'm in the same predicament as you before... deciding whether to get the 987.2 Cayman now or just wait and get the 981. Did you have a hard time finding a well-optioned base Cayman? That always seems to be the case. One thing to look out for when buying Porsches is... don't only look at the well-priced ones, they might be the bare bone model with no options. Make sure you compare the options to the price as well. A similar car that is 2k more expensive might have an additional 10k worth of options.

[@MAXREVS]

If you're deciding between the 987.2 and 981, this video of mine may help? kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYqniZirqcp9f9k

[@MAXREVS]

You come across well and natural, unlike some of the celebrity KZbin car personalities ;-)

[@100thomasmagnum]

Nice review. You really think it needs to be lowered? I don't think it does but i guess it would look and perform a tad better. I like your non yellow Euro style sidemarkers too. Hey you seem to have quite a few mods...wheels, sport steering wheel, etc? How come you didn't just buy with those already on? Hey you didn't mention the awesome leather smell...haha. Again, well done review.

[@100thomasmagnum]

I hear ya. But man, you don't have that leather smell? I got a 981 S myself and I tell ya, the one thing people always seem to compliment about is that "smell" once the door opens. I can't explain, I even called the dealer to figure out ways to preserve the smell. Nobody really knows. So I just clean/preserve with Lexol. Lol.

[@xkrnxboix]

Usually the smell of a brand new car is not just the leather they use, but also the plastics and adhesive used for the interior. Porsches do have a very distinct smell, different from other German manufacturers.

[@capuchinseven]

Dipped my toe with Porsche a year ago to see how I felt about it with a base 981 2015 Cayman. Did worry I'd feel it was down on power and would maybe trade for a newer 981 or 718 S and I'm actually thinking I might stick with it. It needs revving but is not down on power at all and track times vs cars with much more power (such as A45, Audi S3 and 4, in fact it takes RS3 money to match its track times), show this; I love it. Only thing that would make me change right now would be I've considered a PDK and would like a more upto date audio system (although I'm not sure I really care that much when I'm howling up to 8k revs).

[@infinite.static]

Ugh, more of the “track times” argument. We’re not driving on tracks. We’re driving on regular roads.

[@shiftintohigh5564]

This!! Yes considering this!👍👍👍👍

[@brendankeenanFF]

Sounds a lot like my story. First Porsche 987.2 PDK for 16 months. Now 981 S Manual. In love with it. Has heaps of options thanks to first owner. Was only Manual version for sale in whole of Australia.

[@ForgetfulFoot]

brendan keenan Good buy. Not many 981 S manuals around in Australia. I just got a 987.2 base manual here in Adelaide. The 981 s manual would be a hoot to drive.

[@travis8665]

brendan keenan yes, you can have it. i wouldn't dream of a manual car.

[@Swolecat17]

What do you think is a better choice a base 981 cayman or a 2007 997 carerra both around the same price?

[@nomenclature2886]

Fantastic video! I just bought mine a month ago. 2014 base with 14k on the odometer.

[@zuramatkava36]

Can i ask you! how much you pay for 2014 base model?

[@nomenclature2886]

@@zuramatkava36 $40k out the door 3 yrs ago

[@greenboy1976]

I've never driven a DSG GTI but your description of the transmission when in sport mode and drive sounds like the same thing my PDK car does in sport plus and drive. The car does not shift until redline. I only use it when shifting manually otherwise it's far too aggressive on the street.

[@greenboy1976]

I generally drive in sport plus and manual mode when I'm pushing the car a little hard because I enjoy the quicker throttle response and quicker shifts, but I agree, when I am just cruising around in drive I use sport.

[@josephlim8941]

Does the brakes change for 981. 987 S has the 911 brakes(?) vs. Non-S.

[@ThomasMann4]

I like your review and watching your other videos for a longer time. Do you speak German? I live near by Regensburg. Greetings from Germany!

[@savariaxa]

Christian Vogt i

[@richardking4725]

PCMs are subject to total failure on all Porsche models 2014-2018 approx. Mine on 981 failed without warning. £3k to replace if Porsche do it. More recent versions of PCM are more reliable.

[@jianbinluo5774]

what rim is this?

[@luisqueremelmilani5023]

Does your car come standard with Halogen or Bi-Xenons? How is the night driving output?

[@infinite.static]

Mine came with halogen which was standard. Bi-xenon was an option. I upgraded the bulbs to LED for better output.

[@Yeroh]

Color-wise, your car looks pretty much like mine! I have the 19" Boxster S wheels on it, but they're painted black with the silver stripe like yours. Great color combination! I'm also looking to change the standard heated steering wheel to the sports design one, did you feel like it was a worthwhile upgrade? I recently drove a 991.2 Targa 4S with the paddles and liked them a lot, but at ~1100€ I just have a hard time justifying the replacement on the 981.

[@Yeroh]

I've considered a used one, too, but I'm not really sure where to find one. Ebay has a few, but most of them are at best 100€ cheaper, so I feel like at that point I might as well buy the new one. Then again, whenever winter is approaching, I start to appreciate the heated wheel again.

[@kcimages5157]

How difficult and expensive is the Steering Wheel swap ?

[@infinite.static]

Not difficult at all. About 10 minutes to swap out. How expensive it is depends on if you can find a decent used Sport Design steering wheel like I did for $600 or buy a new one for $1,300

[@paull3179]

Cayman base has always been too under-powered with very low torque except the new turbo ones. I had sold a my previous 911 as it felt under-powered and switched to a 4S. Of all my cars I prefer the S4 with the 3.0 engine as it just pulls strongly from .2000 revs right up to 7,000 rpm.

[@capuchinseven]

It needs revving like every NA flat 6 engine, but is not down on power at all and track times vs cars with much more power (such as AMG A45, GolfR, Audi S3 and 4, in fact it takes RS3 money to match its track times), show this.

[@infinite.static]

That would be great if we’re all just driving around a track all day long, but we’re not.

[@paull3179]

I am thinking of getting a 2015 Cayman as they are great cars and fast enough due the light weight and pdk. If I need power I have the 475hp, 390 torque S4 monster. 997's are starting to feel old and I have been looking for a 991 but the prices are still high.

[@marcellusbarrett1869]

Where did you get your 20in wheels and how much did they set you back?

[@ericmcfarland4228]

Where did you get your Euro plate?

[@user-nz8hj2vs9c]

That was a German export plate.

[@Joe-eg7ml]

Does this engine suffer from IMS or RMS issue?

[@MagicAyrtonforever]

NO

[@Joe-eg7ml]

MagicAyrtonforever yea just bought a 16 cs a while ago

[@essel23fly]

Thanks for not having the spoiler up.

[@TheGhostrider999]

Why

[@essel23fly]

@@TheGhostrider999 cuz the car is parked, it’s not going fast. It’s a functional thing in Porsche’s it’s not to look cool. In my humble opinion.

[@TheGhostrider999]

@@essel23fly ok :D

[@kcimages5157]

So is the 2.0 crap ?

[@infinite.static]

The 2.0? You mean in the newer 718 Caymans? It’s not crap, it just sounds like crap. It’s faster than the base 981 with more torque as well thanks to the turbo.

[@kcimages5157]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a 2018

[@infinite.static]

Have you owned a Porsche with a flat 6 before? If not I wouldn’t worry about it. Just read all the reviews. The 718 is a great car and performance wise it’s much better than the 981. Plus now with a turbo, it’s highly tunable. Buy a base 718 and for a couple thousand you can tune it to the same performance as the “S”. But if you’ve owned a flat 6 before and are in love with how it sounds, that’s one strike against the 718.

[@kcimages5157]

@@infinite.static trading a C7 actually.

[@kcimages5157]

@@infinite.static my base gti is faster than the 6 cylinder I drove . The Turbo 4 is much more fun except for the sound lol.