I like oddball comparisons like this. We are used to comparisons of cars in a similar class. I like this. Grasping the differences through a video is much more practical and easy to do when the cars aren’t so closely related.
Extremely impressive driving and presentation. Few people realize how hard this is to do. Huge kudos to you! Incredible how quickly the GTR builds up speed. Gotta drive one again now.
I Have owned a 2012 R35 and currently own a 987.1 S. After 6 years of DCT I needed a manual. The faster replacement for the Nissan is british, mid-engined and orange: 720S. But I have just a much fun in the Cayman as I do in that! And the 6 years in the R35 were amazing too. You can't go wrong with either.
Had a 09 GTR, I did absolutely love it, but it just had so much performance that it wasn't really accessible around town, you had to be on the highway or high speed twosties to really enjoy, would love to get into a P car at some stage, and 720s yes that's the dream also, sounds like the perfect blend of a gtr and porsche, but I def do miss the gtr, it is a monster
I'd also suggest that the Sparco racing seat negatively impacted it's daily drivability (besides it's lack of padding and snugness, ingress/egress, etc.). My daily driver is a Cayman R (manual with sport seats and some modest handling modifications). I don't find it very harsh at all, and yesterday fit two golf club bags in the back and a medium-size cooler in the frunk - practicality at its best! All that being said, I enjoyed your review despite the fact that you preferred the GT-R (which I appreciate for what it is, but will always choose the more driver-focused ride). With a normally-aspirated Porsche flat-6, manual transmission, hydraulic steering, no driver aids (or even any buttons on the steering wheel!), the Cayman R is very much the driver's car.
That's true - the bucket seat transmitted every little bump in the road up into my spine lol. I imagine the optional Porsche bucket would do the same. Really needs Sport seats if you're going to daily drive.
couldn't you buy a used cayman s for considerably less than a cayman r? I feel like you could snag the s and still have plenty left over for aftermarket goodies to make it as good if not better than the r and still plenty cheaper than either the r35 or the cayman r 🤷♂
Great point! But there's something to be said about owning a higher end factory version of a given car. Mods would certainly make a lower end model drive better for less money. But personally I wouldn't put a modified Cayman S on the same level of desirability as a 987 R or GTR.
@@Zygrene you're definitely right about the desirability factor, the only way it makes sense to me to buy the R over the S is the rarity. I personally just couldn't get over spending more than needed if my main goal is performance. nice review keep em coming :)
@@dadhats I think you are on the right track of thinking, especially if you wanted a cayman you could daily or drive to work a few times a week. Roads in Los Angeles and California in general suck and the stiff springs and shocks the Cayman R and Boxster Spyder come with are pretty harsh for regular drives around town. Great for the track or canyons though. I tend to agree with you though... The price premium of the Cayman R or Boxster Spyder give you pride of ownership points, but you could achieve 95+% of the driving experience with a Cayman S and dial it in to what you are comfortable with as far as daily driving suspension add ons. By the way, an ECU tune will get you close to 350 hp in both the Cayman S and Cayman R because they are essentially the same engine with slightly different ecu programming from Porsche. A tune will equalize any power differences.
Slightly biased as I own a cayman R, they are a fair bit more than the S, but they have Aluminium doors from the GT3, different body kit, different suspension, lighter wheels, slightly different exhaust manifold which makes them sound slightly better, by the time you’ve added all that up you can see where the money goes… I’d certainly get an S if I my main goal was track use though
Conclusion. If you can afford both, own both. GTR for going to gapplebees and extreme grip track days, Cayman R for carving up canyons and feeling the essence of the machine.
I work in racing so I’m around some interesting race cars and track toys. Gotta say those GTRs truly cheat physics in ways that I’ve never experienced. The amount of braking force for something that heavy blew me away, the mid range torque hit and bring able to easily crest 150+ on the back straight of VIR in stock form just doesn’t add up. You can get yourself in some real trouble, real fast on the streets in one of those.
I was lucky enough to rent one from Hertz and while the acceleration was amazing, the braking in a 0-100-0 test actually gave me and a buddy of mine a headache.
I love the way your face was just lit up with excitement as you drive the GTR. As an owner of an R35 I have to say it's incredibly enjoyable to drive and practical. It's great to see someone else experience this and hopefully drown out a little bit of the internet noise of the GTR being too video gamey, just a fast heavy car, bla bla bla. Cayman R is v cool car but honestly is out of its depth here. Thanks for the video!
I was honestly blown away by the GTR. People seem to love or hate it, and I can confidently say I'm in the former group. It's probably the ONLY automatic AWD performance car I can say that about.
This is your best Head to Head vid yet IMO. Although not compleatey apples to apples in power or AWD vs RWD, being of the same model year, and used R level performance cars in the same price range this is a valid comparison indeed. Having experienced the absurd tech performance of the R35 I kina knew the Cayman didn't stand a chance, but I still liked watching it stomp the Porsche anyway. 👍 BTW, having a stuffed animal banging on the RVM was a GREAT visual representation of performance. Seriously, you should use one in all your vids.
Maybe it was due to the aggressive tires and alignment of the Cayman R in this video, but I found it too harsh for daily driver duty. Even my old 2006 Cayman S was borderline. But that's just me.
Enjoy your reviews. I have had quite a few Porsches. Carrera Ss, GT3RS, GT4. I found the GT4 mid engine chassis is well balanced, high confidence feel on the road, much easier to handle the car in the corner. The GT3RS(997.2) got a precise steering feel, much powerful acceleration, although the rear engine weight I found it more risky to toss it around on the canyon run as I live in trabuco canyon.
@@CarsMeetsBikes it really does. I have a lotus Elise that does all the mountain duty and GTR has been for roll racing events but this vid has me thinking.
Thanks for the video! Its just very interesting for me to watch this because I have a full bolt ons tuned R35 and a 987.2 Caymen S. I love both of them very much.
Outstanding choice to compare! Your analysis of differences was excellent. I am a Porsche owner but based on your evaluation I think I might just come to the same conclusion you did. The joys of lively handling are becoming scarce as cars become heavier and heavier.
@@Zygrene The tune could cause the power spike in the mid corner. I remember the stock GTR power delivery was quite strong but not as fierce as this one.
I actually own both! (2016 GTR & 2019 Porsche Cayman [PDK base])-I can definitely daily both, although I hate sitting in traffic in the GTR. When I’m in the mountains the Cayman is my go to as I’ve tried taking the GTR, but coming out of the corners I noticed that after I start to pick up speed I need to tap the brakes already to enter the next because it’s so quick lol. Great review tho!
IMO the GTR is more practical in every way and the reliability is proven. I just got a 997.2 and id choose it over the GTR but all out speed isn't what I care about.
I really like that your driving on a canyon road! Although most of the cars you review might be driven on a track from time to time, so I'd love to see a track comparison, to see how the cars feel and behave when pushed hard, (as well as on a canyon road). To have both perspectives of the cars. I know it is a lot to ask for, and I understand that it is probably logistically difficult to to this. Maybe in the future? I think it would add value to your videos. You have probably thought about it and I would like to hear your thoughts. :)
If I become a Dentist or a Nurse, then first I would buy a big suburban house, and next either a Nissan GTR or Porsche Cayman. 😂 But now that I think of it, I’d be saving a lot of money if I chose a Nissan Z, Toyota Supra, BMW M240i, Honda Civic Type R, or Subaru WRX STi instead.
Thanks for the review! I don't think most people respect the nuances of weight / power / AWD and how the engineering governs the "fun factor". In pure racing lighter really shines, then again you could gut a GTR for racing also :)
GTRs are incredibly capable and fast, and a Cayman R can really only match up with it on a tight, twisty road (and of course aesthetics). But...you can get 98% of the Cayman R experience (and better in some ways) for HALF the money with a 987.2 S. 100 pounds heavier and (supposedly) 10 hp down from the R, but more than $30,000 cheaper. In fact, that's just what I did.
In the past, I probably would've dismissed the comparison. Not not so much now so I appreciate that you made this video. Having said that and having owned a 7.1CS, a 7.2Spyder, and now a 7.1GT3, I highly recommend the Lotus Evora (and would be curious of your thoughts particular to rawness v daily in relation to the R35 and 7.2CR)
I reviewed a 2021 Evora GT a few months ago, video's on the channel. I think the order goes like this most to least raw: 987.2 R, Evora GT, GTR. It's closer between the GT and GTR.
@@Zygrene I've driven C7 Gran Sport, Z06 and the C8 (although casual around the streets), and for the money they are impressive proposition. Which is their goal. Forget the C7, just drive the C8 if you can and it'll be hard to beat (for the money).
See if you can get your hands on a NA cayman or 911 with the TPC turbo kit. This made caymans quicker than 911 turbos in many cases, and as you know TPC is a Porsche racing team so they do things right. It’s very balanced & fun. You can’t tweak them though for more boost easily because TPC is very serious about retaining the perfect balance they gave itafter all the R and D they put into these packages a decade ago
It’s hard to get the sales data for the cayman r for some reason. But I’ve read they sold over 5000 of these in North America. Production was limited to 2012 model years in North America. I think they sold it in Europe as both a 2011 and 2012. They aren’t that rare.
According to the archive of Porsche Classic the Cayman R was built in these numbers: 2010: 10 2011: 977 2012: 151 resulting in 1138 vehicles ever built. Can’t post links here for proof, so just use your favorite search engine for checking.
Had a 2012 GTR. I always told people that this cheated physics to me. Never tracked it but i live in the mountains and Holyshit it surprised me. I ended up ruining the GTR by building motor n trans, made 946awhp. Only car i ever lost to was a TT Lambo at TX2K17. Thing is GTR got too fast to enjoy on the mountain roads and only was enjoyable racing someone in a straight line. I ruined it. Also speeds of over 180mph comes up too quick
The 3.4 in the 987.2 seems a bit more rev happy than the 3.4 in the 987.1. I can't comment on 987.2 S since I haven't driven one, but the 987.2 R is definitely stiffer and less forgiving than my old 987.1 S.
I like oddball comparisons like this. We are used to comparisons of cars in a similar class. I like this. Grasping the differences through a video is much more practical and easy to do when the cars aren’t so closely related.
Maybe similar prices?
Extremely impressive driving and presentation. Few people realize how hard this is to do. Huge kudos to you! Incredible how quickly the GTR builds up speed. Gotta drive one again now.
Thanks for the kind words! And very cool channel!
@@Zygrene Thank you!
I Have owned a 2012 R35 and currently own a 987.1 S. After 6 years of DCT I needed a manual. The faster replacement for the Nissan is british, mid-engined and orange: 720S. But I have just a much fun in the Cayman as I do in that! And the 6 years in the R35 were amazing too. You can't go wrong with either.
What I'd do to get behind the wheel of a 720S!
@@Zygrene Come to the Nürburgring and look me up when you are there!
Had a 09 GTR, I did absolutely love it, but it just had so much performance that it wasn't really accessible around town, you had to be on the highway or high speed twosties to really enjoy, would love to get into a P car at some stage, and 720s yes that's the dream also, sounds like the perfect blend of a gtr and porsche, but I def do miss the gtr, it is a monster
I'd also suggest that the Sparco racing seat negatively impacted it's daily drivability (besides it's lack of padding and snugness, ingress/egress, etc.). My daily driver is a Cayman R (manual with sport seats and some modest handling modifications). I don't find it very harsh at all, and yesterday fit two golf club bags in the back and a medium-size cooler in the frunk - practicality at its best! All that being said, I enjoyed your review despite the fact that you preferred the GT-R (which I appreciate for what it is, but will always choose the more driver-focused ride). With a normally-aspirated Porsche flat-6, manual transmission, hydraulic steering, no driver aids (or even any buttons on the steering wheel!), the Cayman R is very much the driver's car.
That's true - the bucket seat transmitted every little bump in the road up into my spine lol. I imagine the optional Porsche bucket would do the same. Really needs Sport seats if you're going to daily drive.
I was shocked how many golf sets I could fit in my CR!
I also don't find it harsh and we live I pothole country
couldn't you buy a used cayman s for considerably less than a cayman r? I feel like you could snag the s and still have plenty left over for aftermarket goodies to make it as good if not better than the r and still plenty cheaper than either the r35 or the cayman r 🤷♂
Great point! But there's something to be said about owning a higher end factory version of a given car. Mods would certainly make a lower end model drive better for less money. But personally I wouldn't put a modified Cayman S on the same level of desirability as a 987 R or GTR.
@@Zygrene you're definitely right about the desirability factor, the only way it makes sense to me to buy the R over the S is the rarity. I personally just couldn't get over spending more than needed if my main goal is performance. nice review keep em coming :)
@@dadhats I think you are on the right track of thinking, especially if you wanted a cayman you could daily or drive to work a few times a week. Roads in Los Angeles and California in general suck and the stiff springs and shocks the Cayman R and Boxster Spyder come with are pretty harsh for regular drives around town. Great for the track or canyons though. I tend to agree with you though... The price premium of the Cayman R or Boxster Spyder give you pride of ownership points, but you could achieve 95+% of the driving experience with a Cayman S and dial it in to what you are comfortable with as far as daily driving suspension add ons. By the way, an ECU tune will get you close to 350 hp in both the Cayman S and Cayman R because they are essentially the same engine with slightly different ecu programming from Porsche. A tune will equalize any power differences.
Slightly biased as I own a cayman R, they are a fair bit more than the S, but they have Aluminium doors from the GT3, different body kit, different suspension, lighter wheels, slightly different exhaust manifold which makes them sound slightly better, by the time you’ve added all that up you can see where the money goes…
I’d certainly get an S if I my main goal was track use though
Conclusion. If you can afford both, own both. GTR for going to gapplebees and extreme grip track days, Cayman R for carving up canyons and feeling the essence of the machine.
I work in racing so I’m around some interesting race cars and track toys. Gotta say those GTRs truly cheat physics in ways that I’ve never experienced. The amount of braking force for something that heavy blew me away, the mid range torque hit and bring able to easily crest 150+ on the back straight of VIR in stock form just doesn’t add up.
You can get yourself in some real trouble, real fast on the streets in one of those.
The power and brakes are impressive as expected but the cornering ability is what really blew my mind
I was lucky enough to rent one from Hertz and while the acceleration was amazing, the braking in a 0-100-0 test actually gave me and a buddy of mine a headache.
I love the way your face was just lit up with excitement as you drive the GTR. As an owner of an R35 I have to say it's incredibly enjoyable to drive and practical. It's great to see someone else experience this and hopefully drown out a little bit of the internet noise of the GTR being too video gamey, just a fast heavy car, bla bla bla. Cayman R is v cool car but honestly is out of its depth here. Thanks for the video!
I was honestly blown away by the GTR. People seem to love or hate it, and I can confidently say I'm in the former group. It's probably the ONLY automatic AWD performance car I can say that about.
@@Zygrene have you driven a 911 turbo S?
Love seeing an R35 on the channel, always wondered what they felt like in the canyon and not only on a straight line/drag race.
This is your best Head to Head vid yet IMO. Although not compleatey apples to apples in power or AWD vs RWD, being of the same model year, and used R level performance cars in the same price range this is a valid comparison indeed. Having experienced the absurd tech performance of the R35 I kina knew the Cayman didn't stand a chance, but I still liked watching it stomp the Porsche anyway. 👍 BTW, having a stuffed animal banging on the RVM was a GREAT visual representation of performance. Seriously, you should use one in all your vids.
Awesome comparison vid. Love that you really put the cars through their paces during your testing.
I’d take the more driver focused car. The CR is pretty livable as a daily. Glad to see the CR is a manual!
Maybe it was due to the aggressive tires and alignment of the Cayman R in this video, but I found it too harsh for daily driver duty. Even my old 2006 Cayman S was borderline. But that's just me.
@@Zygrene ya that could definitely be it! Enjoyed the video
Great comparison!! I love my GTR but when I was buying it I was also cross shopping a GT4 and other vehicles including a cayman-R great video!!!
Enjoy your reviews. I have had quite a few Porsches. Carrera Ss, GT3RS, GT4. I found the GT4 mid engine chassis is well balanced, high confidence feel on the road, much easier to handle the car in the corner.
The GT3RS(997.2) got a precise steering feel, much powerful acceleration, although the rear engine weight I found it more risky to toss it around on the canyon run as I live in trabuco canyon.
Really enjoying the latest uploads!! Great channel
Great review! I’ve only taken my GTR out in the mountains once but watching this makes me want to set it up for just that.
Wat
I’m crying for your GTR because clearly it needs more touge
@@CarsMeetsBikes it really does. I have a lotus Elise that does all the mountain duty and GTR has been for roll racing events but this vid has me thinking.
Thanks for the video! Its just very interesting for me to watch this because I have a full bolt ons tuned R35 and a 987.2 Caymen S. I love both of them very much.
God bless you sir
Outstanding choice to compare! Your analysis of differences was excellent. I am a Porsche owner but based on your evaluation I think I might just come to the same conclusion you did. The joys of lively handling are becoming scarce as cars become heavier and heavier.
10 years later that R35 still feels untamed.
Gotta wonder how much of that is due to the stage 2 tune. Curious what a stock GTR with 100-150whp less feels like.
@@Zygrene The tune could cause the power spike in the mid corner. I remember the stock GTR power delivery was quite strong but not as fierce as this one.
@@Zygrene I have a completely stock 13 and it is very playful with things in R mode
I have a cayman R pdk with carbon Fiber seats one of 250 ❤ nice video... I would not trade it for a gtr anyday thou.
I have a 2016 981 Spyder and a 2024 Model Y Performance. Need two cars, imho.
I actually own both! (2016 GTR & 2019 Porsche Cayman [PDK base])-I can definitely daily both, although I hate sitting in traffic in the GTR. When I’m in the mountains the Cayman is my go to as I’ve tried taking the GTR, but coming out of the corners I noticed that after I start to pick up speed I need to tap the brakes already to enter the next because it’s so quick lol. Great review tho!
IMO the GTR is more practical in every way and the reliability is proven. I just got a 997.2 and id choose it over the GTR but all out speed isn't what I care about.
Nice driving, I liked the video 👍🏼
Great review!! Can't wait until you drive a 992!
I really like that your driving on a canyon road! Although most of the cars you review might be driven on a track from time to time, so I'd love to see a track comparison, to see how the cars feel and behave when pushed hard, (as well as on a canyon road). To have both perspectives of the cars.
I know it is a lot to ask for, and I understand that it is probably logistically difficult to to this. Maybe in the future?
I think it would add value to your videos. You have probably thought about it and I would like to hear your thoughts.
:)
If I become a Dentist or a Nurse, then first I would buy a big suburban house, and next either a Nissan GTR or Porsche Cayman. 😂
But now that I think of it, I’d be saving a lot of money if I chose a Nissan Z, Toyota Supra, BMW M240i, Honda Civic Type R, or Subaru WRX STi instead.
Be safe bro love ur content
Thanks for the review! I don't think most people respect the nuances of weight / power / AWD and how the engineering governs the "fun factor". In pure racing lighter really shines, then again you could gut a GTR for racing also :)
GTRs are incredibly capable and fast, and a Cayman R can really only match up with it on a tight, twisty road (and of course aesthetics). But...you can get 98% of the Cayman R experience (and better in some ways) for HALF the money with a 987.2 S. 100 pounds heavier and (supposedly) 10 hp down from the R, but more than $30,000 cheaper. In fact, that's just what I did.
In the past, I probably would've dismissed the comparison. Not not so much now so I appreciate that you made this video.
Having said that and having owned a 7.1CS, a 7.2Spyder, and now a 7.1GT3, I highly recommend the Lotus Evora (and would be curious of your thoughts particular to rawness v daily in relation to the R35 and 7.2CR)
I reviewed a 2021 Evora GT a few months ago, video's on the channel. I think the order goes like this most to least raw: 987.2 R, Evora GT, GTR. It's closer between the GT and GTR.
Hey Fenton, what do you think of F80 M3 6 SPD manual vs this GTR more for DD, but occasional track days?
I bought a 2007 cayman with 87k miles and i totally love it!
For that price range, C7 Z06 comes to mind as well. Or even a C8 3LT. Not a C8 fan but can't ignore the value per performance.
Still haven't driven a C7 or C8. Hope to change that soon!
@@Zygrene I've driven C7 Gran Sport, Z06 and the C8 (although casual around the streets), and for the money they are impressive proposition. Which is their goal. Forget the C7, just drive the C8 if you can and it'll be hard to beat (for the money).
@@Zygrene Hopefully you can find a GT350/350R to review soon too!
Great comparison!
See if you can get your hands on a NA cayman or 911 with the TPC turbo kit. This made caymans quicker than 911 turbos in many cases, and as you know TPC is a Porsche racing team so they do things right. It’s very balanced & fun. You can’t tweak them though for more boost easily because TPC is very serious about retaining the perfect balance they gave itafter all the R and D they put into these packages a decade ago
One is a driver's car, one is an amusement park ride.
Very nice and well done. Thank you !
I could not own a sports car that wasn't a stick...but over 400 hp would be an exception.
I think I'd be scared of maintenance on the GTR. I read how much the proprietary gearbox oil costs.....like a grand!
Nissan GTR is actually 3916 lbs according to C&D last test in 2019. Not 3800 lbs.
I would 1000% go for the Cayman. The GTR is still a beast of a car though.
Great video!
It’s hard to get the sales data for the cayman r for some reason. But I’ve read they sold over 5000 of these in North America. Production was limited to 2012 model years in North America. I think they sold it in Europe as both a 2011 and 2012. They aren’t that rare.
According to the archive of Porsche Classic the Cayman R was built in these numbers:
2010: 10
2011: 977
2012: 151
resulting in 1138 vehicles ever built. Can’t post links here for proof, so just use your favorite search engine for checking.
I had a Cayman S and it had to be driven really hard to enjoy it. I now have a C6 and enjoy it a lot more at lower speeds.
in the gtr your hands are shaking like crazy but in the cayman its like your on a sunday drive lol
How a 3800 lb car takes a corner like that....you are absolutely correct in questioning that :D haha
Nannies
what fuel did you put in the GTR? they are super fuel sensitive. Might have been a little slow because of the crappy Cal 91
I believe it was just 91. Still felt damn fast
Used Evora 400 or higher mileage Evora GT, M2 Comp. Nice review. Thx
Finally an R35 GTR
997 turbo seems like it would combine a bit of both these cars
Nxt video. Toyota prius VS ZR1
Had a 2012 GTR. I always told people that this cheated physics to me. Never tracked it but i live in the mountains and Holyshit it surprised me. I ended up ruining the GTR by building motor n trans, made 946awhp. Only car i ever lost to was a TT Lambo at TX2K17. Thing is GTR got too fast to enjoy on the mountain roads and only was enjoyable racing someone in a straight line. I ruined it. Also speeds of over 180mph comes up too quick
How does it compare 987.2 & .1?
The 3.4 in the 987.2 seems a bit more rev happy than the 3.4 in the 987.1. I can't comment on 987.2 S since I haven't driven one, but the 987.2 R is definitely stiffer and less forgiving than my old 987.1 S.
Good luck finding a GTR that hasn't been absolutely beat or modded to death
you shouldn't be changing gears in corners
What about a C8 Corvette? For$65-$80K you can get one of those brand new.
neat
Tune the gtr even further and it'll be beating the 911
loveeeeeee this review, Gtr is pure sex :)
Porsche has traction cuz it makes no power
S2000 is more better