2009 Porsche Cayman

Stopping the car are bigger, 911-size brakes (ceramics are available-at $8150) necessitating a half-inch widening of the standard wheels; together, they're suspended by recalibrated springs and shocks. Available in the back is a mechanical, limited-slip differential ($950), though lighter-effort steering is at the ready to help you stave-off any directional confusion that still manages to escape the diff. Meanwhile, new software aids include brake-based hill-holding and launch control (we saw a two-way zip-to-60 average of 4.5 seconds without even trying -- way faster than the 4.9 seconds Porsche is officially stating). Porsche claims a 171-mph top speed.

Most important though, both the 2009 Porsche Cayman and Cayman S's are powered by brand new sixes based on the architecture of the fresh 911 units. Among the pair's advances are lighter weight, greater stiffness (now with closed-deck blocks), a simplified timing chain, two-piece crankcases replacing the previous four-part ones (plus their separate bearing cases), twin-chamber stainless-steel exhausts, and oil pumps that dynamically match their engine's needs. The base 2009 Porsche Cayman's displacement is now 0.2 liter closer to Cayman S's, jumping to 2.9 liters with its output climbing to 265 horsepower (up 20 horses). The 3.4-liter's output swells to a hearty 320 horsepower from 295, largely on the basis of the introduction of direct injection. Notice that this engine's oomph is within a 5-horse Briggs & Stratton of the 2008 911's 3.6-liter's-and buttoned into a car that's roughly 100 pounds lighter.

The Porsche Cayman now has an engine displacing 2.9 liters, which develops 265hp, an increase by 20hp over the prior 2.7-litre model. The 3.4-litre power unit in the Cayman S now features Direct Fuel Injection, and delivers 320hp, up by 25 bhp.

When combined with the PDK transmission, the new 2.9 liter engine in the 2009 Cayman delivers 31.0mpg, which is approximately 10% better than the previous model with the Tiptronic S automatic transmission. Increasing fuel economy by an even more significant 15% to 30.1mpg, the 3.4 liter Cayman S with PDK offers an even greater saving over its predecessor with Tiptronic S.