new 370Z video vs. Cayman S
 

In my opinion this is the most fair review to date...

I'm still waiting for the 370Z vs the regular Cayman. I don't think Nissan named the "S" model and the 370Z more than made it's goal of matching the car they actually said they would. A better comparison would be the 370Z vs. Cayman and NISMO 370Z vs Cayman S.

The fact that the Cayman S (direct injection w/320 hp) was up against the heavier 370Z GT and was only 0.1 second quicker (0 to 60), really cements Nissan’s goal for selecting it as the benchmark.

Those times also prove Brits can't drive.






I kid...I KID!! :D

Having owned both I prefer my Cayman S with PDK. However, for the money I don't think anything out there tops the Z when it comes to bang for the buck. Also, you have a lot of money to play with in mods before you get to the Cayman S/PDK price point.

If you enjoy tweaking a car the Z is probably the way to go.

Wasn't it also going off the '08 Cayman S which I believe has lesser specs than the '09? Not sure on this but I think I read that somewhere...

Actually, considering typical development time of 3-4 years, more likely the 2005-6 Cayman...

Isnt this a repost? ... Saw this vid ages ago on this site...

The main difference isn't really performance as much as the finesse and finishing touches. You can mod a 370Z all you want, but it won't make it have the feel and smoothness that they describe for the Cayman S. I love my 370Z and I'd buy it again over a Cayman S, but some of the differences between the two can't be evened out with bolt-ons or other mods.

I like the brute nature of the 370. And the Cayman does look like a girlie car compared to the Z....loved that description in the video. Girl has hips!

I don't understand why the Z is compared to the Cayman S. The Cayman S's base-price is exactly double that of the Z's. Why stop there? Why not just compare the 370Z to the GT3? At least their shape is somewhat similar.

I think a comparison to the base Cayman is more fitting, even though it starts out $20K more than the Z does. On top of that, we all know how fast a Porsche's MSRP will balloon once you start adding options. Check enough boxes, and a base Cayman can easily run north of $90k.

A comparison-test is only useful if both cars will be cross-shopped in the market. This is certainly not the case.

One of the cars I tested along with Z was Cayman S. There is no doubt it's a much better car than Z but for my money, there was no question between the two. Similarly equipped Cayman S was almost twice as much.

Lots of truth in what you say. This is what most people miss in these debates about the more expensive cars. The feel they provide, feedback, visceral experience is really what you are paying for. Given the means, I'd have both, because to me, the Z is that good. It will always be difficult to replicate that "feel" those cars give you.

I know on some other forums a few people have sold off their GTR's for this reason, it just didn't give that experience they were looking for.

Maybe true, but is "finesse" and "finishing touches" really worth the price of a SECOND 370z?????????!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've always thought german cars, especially porsche are insanely overpriced for what you get. I mean, performance wise, the cayman s even fully equipped is only marginally faster than the Z. If I had the money to buy a cayman s, I'd rather buy a 370 z as a summer/weekend car, AND a lancer evolution as a wintery/daily driver car, both of which are barely any slower than the cayman.

It's not that they are comparing the 370 to a Cayman S because it's similarly priced and both sports cars. It's that a HALF PRICE vehicle can perform NEARLY THE SAME as a double the price car. That's the grand feat. And bravo to Nissan for bringing such performance at a steal of a price.

Of course on the other hand, you could also pick up a 30k Evo9 (or 10) and with 2 grand into it, be competing against cars triple the price, right?

IF.. they were sitting side by side and the price of each was the same... almost everyone here would buy the cayman S. wouldn't you?

so in the end it just comes down to money..

once upon a time someone who was into extremely high end hi-fidelity sound systems said something like.. 'you pay your last 50k to get that .5 percent (thats 1/2 of one percent) sound perfection'

and so it is with the porsche.. and for those that are a tier or two above porsche.. a ferrari..

its all about the benjamins in the end...

Well, yes. It is worth the price, if that is what you value. Obviously, since you value performance the most, you made a good buying decision if you bought a 370Z. It is a hugely good value for the performance it delivers. But, frankly, the 370Z driving experience is a bit brutish and heavy-handed compared to driving a Cayman/Boxster. I love it myself, but many people find that in day-to-day use, it wears them out to constantly have that level of intensity. One of the reasons the Porsche's succeed so well as high-end vehicles is their broad acceptability not only as performance vehicles but as all-around refined daily drivers.

When I bought my Z, I set out to buy a Cayman. Driving them back-to-back, I found the Z to be more fun. Not better, not faster, but more visceral. That's what floats my boat. I could (barely) afford the Cayman, but I chose the Z because it better fits what I want out a sports car. My wife, on the other hand, strongly preferred the Cayman.

In fact, many of the folks in the upscale area where I live buy Porsche's not to show off their wealth, but b/c they value that specific driving experience. Is it worth twice the price? Yes. For people who value that experience more than the daily intensity of a Z, it is a bargain at the price.

:iagree:drove both liked both,but nissan dealer is local,porsche is 150 miles away.

Just go to www.planetporsche.net or any cayman forum search 370z and you will see that majority of what they all say is that the Z is a bargain for the performance and that they rather like nissan shooting at porsche cause it benefits them (benefits us also). They prefer there caymans of course but most dont bad mouth nissan or the Z at all.