‘22 GR86 vs 2010 Cayman (987.2)
 

Worth a look, enjoy!

https://youtu.be/FCy_tD8n-HI

Who does a head to head between cars that are 12 years apart?

It's an interesting thought experiment - on one hand look what kinda performance you can get for 30k now vs 45k+ back in the day, and on the other hand, hey look at this old car that was ahead of its time.

porsche's are special, i guess

A car enthusiast. You’re right, the general public wouldn’t cross shop these two, but a car enthusiast might look at other cool cars for similar money, albeit older ones.

I would cross shop these two cars.

It's pretty much a redo of the old Chris harris 370z vs 86 vs used cayman. With the current GR86 power it becomes very compelling.

I bought a 2011 Cayman 2.9 early in 2019 and drove it back to back on the street and at the track vs. my '17 PP throughout the year. Idea was to keep the one I liked best overall. I kept the BRZ and it wasn't even close. The hydraulic steering in the 987.2 is only OK if you ask me. Feel is honestly not the best, kinda heavyish but not in a good way, seemed to mask feel as if it has too much caster, and kickback is a real thing with it. Also it's way too slow on-center, and the variable rack is noticeable and for me highly annoying. And the steering wheel is too big! I would have LOVED to transplant the BRZ's quicker steering (and smaller steering wheel) into the 987... 2.9 flat-6 sounded super-sweet (esp w/ Borla exhaust), but I found the power/torque curve to be a bit boring. Torque is falling off gently with rpm from midrange on up to the extent that I would have to look at my dyno sheet to convince myself that I should rev to redline every shift to optimize performance at the track. Whereas the BRZ's 2.0 has a rising torque curve up to ~6500rpm and feels like it pulls harder (relatively!) from there up to redline. The Porsche's engine feels less rev-happy, which makes some sense given the same 7400rpm redline and it making 91hp/liter vs. 2.0 BRZ making 102.5hp/liter. Porsche's sport seats were the best thing about the car, LOVED them! But I found switchgear to be less ergonomic and with subjectively *worse* haptic feel.

Most importantly, the BRZ was/is fricking FUN and engaging to drive even at 2/10ths going to the store in town. Porsche was mostly aloof, and god forbid I forgot to smash the "sport" button, otherwise throttle response made the car feel sloooow for 99% of street driving.

I sold the Porsche, and honestly I don't really miss it. I would have *missed* the BRZ...

Against a 981 or 718 might be different. But then there’s the cost difference. Per dollar the twins are the most fun for sure. Flat V6 sound better then 4 banger all day though.

about to meet up at Pitt Race with my buddy in a 2014 Cayman S.. he's probably a slightly better driver so i don't really have a choice but it'll be fun to see if we can mix it up a little. we'll probably swap cars for at least a partial session for our own comparison. he got his car a few months ago and it was like $60k so definitely not a real performance or price comparison, but still fun.

i think that if you have $30-40K for a car, the cayman would be fun 2nd or 3rd car, but because of the concern for reliability and maintenance, it probably loses a lot of appeal in that market space. the GR86 is a really fun plug&play car but it's not quite mid-engine feel if that's what someone's after. also the back seat might be mandory for someone who wants to be able to haul a couple kids around once in a while (me).

I currently have a 2020 Hakone 86 and a 2008 Boxster (base). For the strictly street driving I do, I believe the biggest difference in feel between the two cars is due to the final drive ratios. The Porsche is geared taller than the Toyota. At 3000 RPM, the 86 is at 65MPH in 6th, while the 987.1 is at 75MPH in 5th (base 2008 Boxsters have 5 speeds). The Boxster offers a top down driving experience plus the sounds of the 2.7L flat 6, which you can't get in a twin. The 86 offers more lively engine/transmission/steering responses.

Oh, and the steering wheel in the Boxster IS too big.

I mean, I'm literally cross shopping both so I think it makes sense. Again, on paper performance is very close - they are both tried and true drivers cars that fill a similar niche.

It's either a difference in the two generations, or MT/AT, but for me I can cruise at 80mph in the Gen2 AT in 5th or 6th gear and be well under 4k RPM. Pretty sure 6th was under 3K but I haven't had it on the turnpike in a while.

(I remember because I drove it back on the highway to get home, and I was switching between 5th and 6th to vary the engine load and I wasn't at all concerned about being close to 4000 RPM in either gear.)

I have cross shopped this car.

New, doesn't always mean better, especially when it comes to specific tastes of certain car enthusiasts.