2015 Nismo Tech versus Base Cayman

STICK_SHIFT

Hi folks! Long term lurker, first time poster.

I'm in the market for a summer car, and two of the top contenders for me are the 370Z and Porsche Cayman.

I had a chance to test drive both today and here are my thoughts on the two:

STEERING: Seemed to be pretty much a draw. I'd be more than happy living with either one. I might give the nod to the Nismo just for the Alcantara on the steering wheel, though.


HANDLING: Again, I didn't notice that much difference here. Or maybe I should say that while I noticed differences, I didn't really have a preference. Which surprised me, since the Z weighs about 500 pounds more than the Cayman. I didn't really get a chance to drive the cars super hard, though, so maybe the Cayman's virtues are more obvious if you take it to the track. Oh, and the Cayman I test drove didn't have the LSD.


BRAKES: Again, I wasn't pushing either car super hard, but the brakes in both of them seemed great.


CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION: This is a hard one. I found it noticeably easier to get smooth shifts on the Cayman, but the automatic throttle blips on the Nismo are cool. Overall, though, I still probably have to give the nod to the Cayman.


ENGINE: Here is one area where the Cayman just slaughters the Nismo. The Cayman's engine just loves to rev and sounds glorious. The Nismo's engine is noticeably less refined, especially when the revs start to climb above 5K.


EASE OF ENTRY: The Nismo seemed to be a bit easier to get in and out of than the Cayman. Getting in and out of the Nismo seemed basically like getting in and out of a normal car, where I felt like getting out of the Cayman was a little closer to crawling out. The Nismo's only an inch taller than the Cayman, which shouldn't make that much difference, but maybe there's something other than height involved.


SEATS: The seats in the Cayman are great, but the seats in the Nismo are AWESOME! In the interest of full disclosure, though, I never liked leather seats, so just the fact that the Nismo seats are Alcantara would be enough to sway me.

If I had to nitpick, I'd say that the seat controls on the Nismo are a little hard to access, but I don't mess around with my seat that much once I set it up the first time.


STORAGE: The Cayman wins this one easily. The Cayman's trunk isn't that much smaller than the Nismo's and the Cayman has storage under the front hood, as well. However, neither the Nismo nor the Cayman could fit the suitcase I brought with me.


TECH: Can't really compare, since the Cayman I drove was a bit of a stripper and just had the base stereo with no nav.


LOOKS: This really surprised me, but I have to say that I liked the looks of the Nismo better. Not that the Cayman is ugly, but the Nismo just seemed to have more presence. Part of that could be that the Nismo was Solid Red while the Cayman was Bland Grey.




As you might have surmised, the Nismo really impressed me. Far more than I thought it would since the car seems to get slagged on almost everywhere.

If both cars cost the same, it would be a hard call. I'd probably get the Cayman just because the engine is so ace, though.

The thing is, the cars do not cost the same. Not even close. By the time you add HID headlights, Bose stereo, navigation, 19 inch wheels, an upgraded interior, and a rear-view camera to the Cayman, you're looking at close to $70K!! That's more than 50% more than the cost of the Nismo!


I know that the Nismo gets criticized for being expensive, but, in this comparo, it looks like a bit of a bargain to me.

DCNISMO

Get a used Cayman S is you really want one. A well optioned one that is about three years old will be about the price of a new Nismo. Plus it should be certified. Go to Rennlist.com and read all about them. i had a 2010 Nismo, then 09 CTS-V, now a 07 911 C4S..all good cars and each one had plus and minus associated with them. The adage...if you buy a Porsche then buy the best one you can afford...rings true. The car magazines have done numerous tests of the Cayman versus a Z, you can find them online.

Uxi

I wouldn't want to own a used Porsche. Maintenance is a whole different world and out of warranty would scare the **** out of me.

Plus I can't seem to avoid $10-15k in options on their online configuration thing. :crazy:

STICK_SHIFT

I don't think I've seen one between a 2015 Nismo and a Cayman, so I'd be interested to read one. Can you provide a link?


Exactly.


Yeah, as I pointed out in my original post, a Cayman optioned equivalently to a Nismo tech is $70K!

DCNISMO

There is nothing wrong with a used Porsche. Mine has 53 k miles and I bought it with 43 k miles. Porsche has the best rated certified program. They are not hard to work on and the parts are really not that expensive. Yes I used to be afraid too, but it's not scary. Let a rich guy take the first hit on depreciation. Mine runs like a top and I've modded it with exhaust and tune. Best value right now is a used 996 turbo.

jordyking

I just came from a cayman s 987.1 to a 2015 nismo...and it was a big change..the Z is definitely less refined..a little rough on the edges..stats on paper and reviews get slaughtered in comparison to the cayman..there's just so much about the 2015 nismo that Nissan could have improved on..but with that being said..it depends what you're into..if you like to mod I can tell you the community for that is a lot smaller and good parts are harder to come by. And I bought a 06..you want to stick with 987.2 and above caymans as the Z has oil cooling problems the cayman before that had oil starvation problems..they added an AOS in the later models.

But personally I'm more of a jdm kinda guy and there's no other front engine, read wheel drive car better than the Z at this price range...so gl with your decision..btw Chris Harris on YouTube gave a pretty good review between the frs, cayman, and the Z.

DynamicT

I just don't think it's a fair comparison given the price differential. Fully optioned it's not far off GTR money and that would totally and utterly murder a base Cayman in every department.