Best Handling Car in America, per C&D

[Mako Koiwai]

The Porsche Boxster (Spyder!) won this Car & Driver Best Handling Car Under $100,000 test: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/com ... ison_tests

Interesting that a convertible won. Typically there are always complaints that losing the top turns the car into a flexi-flyer.

Car & Driver thought this Boxster might be the best handling Porsche. Anyone have any opinion or knowledge how the Boxster compares to the Cayman?

[Bill Schenker]

Well! They obviously didn't test MY car!

Doug!!! Set the boys back at the Home Office straight!!!

;)

[Arthur Grant]

BMW claims C&D editors and staff prefer BMW 3 Series for thier personal rides, wonder if this will change their minds.

Lets just say I look forward to reading the article and looking at the test data.

[Rad_ Delgado_]

The Boxster never lost the top, it was the Cayman that gained one. The car was designed as a roadster. I had 2 Boxsters and they drove nicely, they are cheap too.

The Boxster Spyder is a different animal, it has a lower and plenty stiffer suspension, and it is lighter, it is a fine car but not practical. In a few months there is a Cayman coming with the Spyder goodies.

Cayman vs. Boxster, I'll take the Cayman, it is practical, lots of storage, not too heavy (under 3,000 lbs base) and great on the road.

[George Schilling]

Well! They obviously didn't test MY car!

Doug!!! Set the boys back at the Home Office straight!!!

;)

I get the feeling that one of the requirements to be included in the test was that the car actually runs.

[Mako Koiwai]

I'm surprised that C&D seems to have the entire article on-line ... from their current issue?

[Bill Schenker]

...I get the feeling that one of the requirements to be included in the test was that the car actually runs.

Wait a sec.! Weren't you guys searchin' for parts in Lincoln, while mine was purring like a kitten?

[George Schilling]

...I get the feeling that one of the requirements to be included in the test was that the car actually runs.

Wait a sec.! Weren't you guys searchin' for parts in Lincoln, while mine was purring like a kitten?

Ummmm......aaahhhh. Nevermind

[Christine Grice]

Well! They obviously didn't test MY car!

Doug!!! Set the boys back at the Home Office straight!!!

;)

Uh... Doug doesn't work for C&D...

[Mako Koiwai]

Aren't C&D and R&T both, perversely, owned by the same company, ie. Home Office = Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc.

[Bill Schenker]

Aren't C&D and R&T both, perversely, owned by the same company, ie. Home Office = Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc.

Pppttt. Bingo!

(Once again, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" reference)

P.S. I forgot to mention: I'm almost sure I make the sub-$100k requirement too.

[Kurt Rahn]

BMW claims C&D editors and staff prefer BMW 3 Series for thier personal rides, wonder if this will change their minds.

Doubt it. Practicality wasn't a criteria; they focused solely on how a car handled using both subjective and objective criteria. BMWs are still one of the best compromises on the road.

Lets just say I look forward to reading the article and looking at the test data.

You won't be disappointed; great read.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

The Boxster never lost the top, it was the Cayman that gained one. The car was designed as a roadster. I had 2 Boxsters and they drove nicely, they are cheap too.

The Boxster Spyder is a different animal, it has a lower and plenty stiffer suspension, and it is lighter, it is a fine car but not practical. In a few months there is a Cayman coming with the Spyder goodies.

Cayman vs. Boxster, I'll take the Cayman, it is practical, lots of storage, not too heavy (under 3,000 lbs base) and great on the road.

+1 The Boxster handles well, but the Cayman's lighter and that gives it an even more telepathic feel.

[Leonard Cachola]

I'm surprised that C&D seems to have the entire article on-line ... from their current issue?

They waited a few weeks before putting it online.

[Doug Rowse]

The Boxster never lost the top, it was the Cayman that gained one. The car was designed as a roadster. I had 2 Boxsters and they drove nicely, they are cheap too.

The Boxster Spyder is a different animal, it has a lower and plenty stiffer suspension, and it is lighter, it is a fine car but not practical. In a few months there is a Cayman coming with the Spyder goodies.

Cayman vs. Boxster, I'll take the Cayman, it is practical, lots of storage, not too heavy (under 3,000 lbs base) and great on the road.

So, where is the Boxster/Cayman Spyder going to class? AS?

[Steve Towers]

So, where is the Boxster/Cayman Spyder going to class? AS?

I certainly hope not. The current edition of the Cayman (or M3 for that matter) is many years more advanced than my 2000 'Vette. The C5 was meant to be a 1994/1995 release. Due to infighting at GM, the car was set back several years. The technology is early 90's, which no doubt contributes to many of the ongoing problems of the C5 Corvette.

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

The Boxster never lost the top, it was the Cayman that gained one. The car was designed as a roadster. I had 2 Boxsters and they drove nicely, they are cheap too.

The Boxster Spyder is a different animal, it has a lower and plenty stiffer suspension, and it is lighter, it is a fine car but not practical. In a few months there is a Cayman coming with the Spyder goodies.

Cayman vs. Boxster, I'll take the Cayman, it is practical, lots of storage, not too heavy (under 3,000 lbs base) and great on the road.

So, where is the Boxster/Cayman Spyder going to class? AS?

Feb FT: 4. Stock: per the SAC, the following new listing item is added, effective immediately upon publication:
Porsche Boxster Spyder (‘11) SS

April FT: 1. Stock: The following new listings, effective immediately upon publication, are added to Appendix A:
Porsche Boxster and Cayman (non-S) (2009-‘10) AS

[Doug Kott]

Well! They obviously didn't test MY car!

Doug!!! Set the boys back at the Home Office straight!!!

;)

Bill's Miata, hands down!!! [Shameless plug...check out my Nationals story in the Dec. issue, soon to be online. Videos too!]

Yes, CD and R&T are both owned by Hachette Filipacchi Media, but our edit offices are in Newport Beach and theirs are in Ann Arbor, Michigan. So we're competitors and family at the same time. Nice that the revenue is going into the same coffer.

Cayman's an excellent pick; BMWs, Audis are pretty amazing too. You can chart, graph, analyze all you want, but "best handling car" is always going to introduce some subjectivity. Look at our slalom test, for instance. All else being equal, it favors cars that are narrower and understeer a little more. A car that's a little more "pointable" with brake and steering inputs might not do as well in this test...so is it worse? Or better?

I like the Cayman, but I wish Porsche brought it in below an equivalently spec'd Boxster, as the tin top's less expensive to manufacture. Of course, the marketing guys nixed that one in a hurry!!