Porsche Cayman (981)

The Ultimate Model Guide

3rd Generation Porsche Cayman (2013 - 2016)

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The 981 Cayman was – and remains – a benchmark car, and when it arrived as a 2013 model year car. It was getting closer to the 911 in terms of desirability and performance. The design was sleeker and more modern than the odd-looking earlier generation and it still looks great today. It got a longer wheelbase, wider tracks and lower overall height. The front and rear views of the 981 stay true to the Cayman with some distinct differences. The headlights become slightly sharper and more square. The air intakes up front are also sharper and somewhat more aggressive with new LED array daytime running lights filling the round fog lamp openings. In the rear there is a new wider aero wing that integrates into the taillights to deliver a smooth uninterrupted body line. 

Beyond these obvious differences in physical dimensions, the body of the 981 uses Porsche's newest weight savings design of mixed steel and aluminum construction. Aluminum makes up 44% of the 981's chassis, including the front and rear body, floors, doors, and front and rear trunk lids. Despite the fact that this body uses less steel than its predecessor, its torsional rigidity has been increased by 40% while chassis weight has gone done by 100 pounds, resulting in a gross vehicle weight loss of 66 pounds. The 981 sits on larger wheels than the 987, with 18 inch wheels standard on the Cayman, 19 inch standard on the Cayman S and optional 20 inch wheels available on both. These wheels are fitted with new improved tires that provide 7% less rolling resistance than those available on a 2013 Cayman, resulting in better efficiency. Longer wheelbase, wider track, less weight, bigger wheels and higher torsional rigidity are sure to deliver improved driving performance.

The new interior has very little in common with the original.  We're dealing with a clean sheet of paper here and it looks great. The center console is higher with the sifter that's much closer to the steering wheel. The dash top is flatter, further away and the Sport Chrono stopwatch is recessed nicely into the dash top, eliminating the wart that drew so much criticism in the 987s. Controls are made up of many high quality push buttons logically located around the interior and able to give instant access without menus or drill downs, the way all sports cars controls should be. The door panels are new, modern, elegant and very Carrera GT. The door's storage pockets swing out now, replacing the armrest doors of the 987. They offer a bit less storage than the 987 door pockets, so a little storage has been added in front of the door pockets and on the sides of the center console. The steering wheel tilt and telescopic controls are now electric, making it possible for the wheel to move in and up during exit and for the system to memorize different driving positions.

The instrument cluster is similar to the 987 cluster in the fact that it displays 3 round gauges to the driver, but that's where the similarity ends.  The new 981 cluster has a color LCD display in the right and left sides making it possible to display far more information. For the first time since 1997, Porsche has given a sports car other than the 911 an oil pressure and oil temperature gauge, (though displayed digitally without an analog gauge), once again addressing complaints about prior versions.

The power train of the 2014 Caymans are probably the single biggest carry over item from the previous model. The 9A1 engine first appeared in 2009 and continued on into the new 981 Caymans. The biggest difference we see in the 981 is that the Cayman engine displacement has been reduced from 2.9 liters back down to 2.7 liters (like it was in 2007).  But before you cancel your order or jump to the S model take notice that the new smaller Cayman engine actually makes 10 horsepower more than the big brother it has replaced, producing 275 horsepower and propelling the new Cayman from 0-60 mph in as little as 5.1 seconds - actually faster than a 2006 Cayman S while delivering 32 mpg on the highway (when equipped with PDK and Sport Chrono Plus).

The Cayman S engine displacement is unchanged at 3.4 liters. Power is increased by 5 horsepower to 325, shooting the S from 0-60 mph in just 4.4 seconds while delivering as much as 30 miles per gallon (PDK & Sport Chrono+). There are two transmissions choices available in the 2014 Caymans, both carrying over from 2013.  The Cayman and Cayman S come standard with the 6 speed manual gearbox, which means the 5 speed manual has officially been retired. The 7 speed PDK is available as an option in either model.

Note: We haven't lost our minds. We are classifying the second generation Cayman as the third generation Cayman on this website. The reason is simple. The Cayman (project 981C) and the third generation Boxster (project 981) shared the same mid-engine platform and many components. Since both the Boxster and Cayman have stayed in lockstep, it made sense to to align generations for the purposes of research. This is why you will see the second generation Cayman referred to as the third generation Cayman on our site.