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Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:10 am
by DandyDon
Currently I have a Macan S petrol which is due for renewal in March next year. I've been offered a good trade in price and have been tempted to change to a Cayman (too many visits to the showroom!!). I no longer need a car as big as a Macan so......


Has anyone moved from a Macan to a Cayman. I'd appreciate your experiences.

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:27 am
by happy days
I have the roofless version, the 718 Boxster. Two different animals, the 718S is definitely a real sports car. And I can compare it to a Macan as I currently have one of those too.

The Macan is more comfortable, that's for sure, and the driving position affords so much more vision all round (except in roofless mode). It handles well for a 2-tonner too. But at the end of the day it's still a 2-tonner and you can't change the laws of physics. Also, it's handy for when you need to transport a wheelbarrow or an extra passenger, or both.

The 718 fits like a glove, is comfortable and has all of the creature comforts of the Macan, but it feels so different to drive. It goes like a rocket and grips and grips and grips.The dash and controls are all pretty much the same, except for the controls for HVAC and unlocking the doors after driving off. But you'll get used to those. It's reasonably practical too with two boots and accepts a reasonable amount of luggage but is pretty useless for carrying awkward sizes or long stuff unless you can drop the roof (which you won't be able to do on a Cayman).

The length of the doors can be very restrictive when attempting to exit the car. They are seriously low, and I mean seriously low. In a public car park with the totally ridiculous 2" gap that those bastarding architects spec nowadays between spaces, it can be a struggle to get the doors open sufficiently to afford the driver a decent exit. In the Macan, you can slip out and drop down; in the 718, you have to twist around and climb up. Which can be difficult. For shopping we nearly always take the Macan. It's MrsH's daily driver whereas I take the Boxster. Mind you she works 50 miles away and I work 7 away so with our Macan being a diesel, it's a no brainer for her to use it.

I travel quite a lot for work at certain times of the year, and I always take McCann (as she's know in our house - I'm not telling you her first name...) as it really is a motorway mile muncher. However for tootling around at the weekend we usually take the Boxster. For weddings and family gatherings it's aways the Boxster unless we have the kids home.

Either way, you won't be disappointed. I would ask your OPC for a loaner for the weekend and see if you can live with the Cayman.

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:30 am
by ScotMac
I'm sure someone here has. I have also heard great reports about the Cayman - great drivers car etc..

Unfortunately I still (occasionally) require the 5 seats etc.. :(

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:57 am
by Retired
DandyDon wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:10 am Currently I have a Macan S petrol which is due for renewal in March next year. I've been offered a good trade in price and have been tempted to change to a Cayman (too many visits to the showroom!!). I no longer need a car as big as a Macan so......


Has anyone moved from a Macan to a Cayman. I'd appreciate your experiences.
I’ve driven a 718 Cayman S at the PEC and, in the last couple of days, on the road.

It’s a brilliant car to drive. Cornering / handling exceptional, has limits you probably shouldn’t approach away from a track. Quicker steering than a Macan ( IMO the Macan would be improved with quicker steering) which makes progress along a twisty road a delight; no wheel twirling just small inputs. Comfortable to be in. Ride really rather good on bumpy roads. Car had PASM.

Road roar quite loud, varies quite a bit according to road surface, but I think I would find it wearing after a while.

I really loved driving this car, it’s good looking great to drive, high quality build and I really wanted to come back from my test drive and place an order.

But I didn’t place that order because of the engine. The power and the power delivery is great, but it makes an awful noise. It’s not the volume (which is quite high) but the sheer unpleasantness of the sound coupled with a less than smooth delivery. I know it’s a 4 cylinder but I regularly drive 4 cylinder cars which are way smoother than this Cayman engine.

For me the engine is a big part of the sports car experience and this engine is a big drag on that experience. I’m not comparing the 718 with the previous 981, just considering it on its own merits.

I really wanted to buy a 718 and keep asking myself if I could live with the engine and, reluctantly, I think I couldn’t.

I think if it was a weekend toy (mine would, be if not completely, but mostly a DD) I might think differently.

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:03 am
by spook
Mrs Spook and I have recently sold our Macan S Petrol and we also considered buying a 718 Cayman and test drove both the Cayman and Boxster.

In our opinion the 718 was not refined enough for us (maybe age) , nothing wrong with the drive, handling etc. but we did find the suspension a bit hard, like driving a Macan on 21"s without any suspension on some roads (LOL!) but it is a sports car.

However the main negative for us was the cabin noise (again it a sports car) short trips were not a problem, an hour no problem but anything longer we found it very tiring along with the suspension being a bit too hard for our liking.

We had a Boxster for 2 and a half years previously and did not have any problems , as retired put maybe its the F4T engine that really put us off.

So we have plumped for a 911.

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:33 pm
by DandyDon
Al, thanks for your comments. Much appreciated.

Spook, can I take it that you have retired? If so, is the 911 going to be your only car? If it is how do you think you will overcome some of the limited practicalities of the 911? I'm recently retired too and my wife has a Q3 so we don't need two SUV's. I think her car is one we can run into the ground (only 20k miles) but she wants us to have one car so the key question is ....would a 911 work as an only car?

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:54 pm
by Virage11
I would consider a Cayman GTS vs a 718...more character...or, as Spook above, a 911. Depends on your driving style...if you like fast driving at sensible speeds (if that makes sense, ie more cornering focused), then the Cayman is your best option.

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 4:14 pm
by spook
Hi DandyDon,

Yep, I applied for early retirement 10 years ago aged 52 ! Obviously that was before the age limit increased to 55 ( which I knew it was going to do). My wife also finished full time employment at the same time and worked part time for a couple of years after and is also fully " early retired now".

The 911 will be our only car as it suites our requirement, The weekly shopping will go in no problems and we went food shopping in the 718 Boxster we borrowed just to be sure.

I think the only thing we ever transported in our Macan was a 55" inch Flatscreen, the odd plant, tins of paint and the weekly shop .

It may mean if we visit garden centres or require wood, aggregate etc we'll just hire a van or pay for delivery and I would not have put sand, stones or cement in the Macan anyway.

We always holiday in the US and use airport taxis (£83 return for 40 miles each way) therefore we don't need luggage space for long holidays. If you go off for a couple of days you can get enough in.

We bought a sound surround home in a Mercedes SLK (had to unpack it) but there is always a way.

When we had the Boxster we also had a Mini Cooper S ( 2 and half years) and that didn't give us any problems, and were running a Mini Cooper now until the 911 arrives (Mar 18) they are just unsociable vehicles because you can't give any body a lift , unless you have really small friends LOL !

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:25 pm
by DandyDon
Thanks, Spook. Now I just have to get Mrs D to read your comments, fully understand them and it's 911 here we come. Maybe a call to Mrs S might help?!?!?!

Enjoy your 911 when it comes.

PS: Carrera or Carrera S or something more exotic?

Re: Thinking of moving to a Cayman from Macan S

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:07 pm
by spook
Thanks, we have configured a Carrera 2 with quite a few nice options (£14k ish) , the build is on my signature below. It's all the performance and handling we need.

I'd still advise you to test drive the 718 and see what you think but its too harsh (F4T) for us.
Mrs S also likes that she can put her handbag / coat on the rear seats in the 911 because the 718 has no space behind the
front seats just engine :o

We don't have a build slot yet, deposit paid and should know in December and we are just waiting for our OPC to get a C2 or C4 in as a demo for an eeeeextended test drive.

Just to let you know a
New 911 will be out in 2019 with a new chassis ! and probably the Panamara dash however If i waited that long I would not able to afford it.
The new chassis is then going to underpin the 718's from 2020.