No, I am not smoking crack. I am going to compare these 2 cars because I am getting rid of my porsche for the mini (currently going through the Panama Canal).
I test drove the mini with both manual and auto with paddle shifters. My cayman is a manual. The porsche is the 2.7 275 hp engine. The mini is the S automatic with paddles.
Let's get the obvious out of the way. The cayman is going to get there faster. It's also one of the most beautiful cars on the road but..........
The mini is more fun. Hands down. The porsche is a naturally asparated engine which suffers a bit at altitude (I live at 9000ft). It has no power until you get up to about 5k rpm. The mini was ready to party at the lower rpms which gives you the feeling of power. I also feel like if I get a speck of dust on the porsche, I have to break out the diaper lol. The mini can get a bit of mud on it and still look fine. I will miss the looks the cayman gets. The mini has really become a car you see all over the road. That to me is a slight negative. As I sat in the sport seats of the mini, I had a feeling that the car was completely formed around me. I happen to like a small car and I like this feeling of being hugged by the car. But some might find this claustrophobic. For an every day car, I need something I love to drive. The porsche gave me this but I felt like I was driving the car at 50% of its limits at all times. That is boring. The mini can be pushed every day to its limits in a good way. If I can only drive the porsche 50% of its limits! why am I paying twice as much for the car. Interier quality of the porsche is 2nd to none. Having said that, mini has stepped it up and I was impressed. They may have gotten a bit too gadgety with the overuse of LEDs but mini is a quirky car and it somehow works. So here is my final breakdown.
If I had to have a garage queen that I would only drive on weekends for fun. The porsche wins.
But for an every day car, I take the mini. It is just pure fun that I can enjoy every day.

 

Me, too. When I was a kid, the first new car we got was a Renault Dauphine. The F56 is about 4" shorter than the Renault. Really looking forward to my MCS!

 

steve1ddd, I totally agree with every point you made, and am coming from a '14 Cayman S with 325hp!

The lack of torque below 4500rpm really made it difficult for me to enjoy the car. Even a 2002 BMW 740Li with the same hp feels more torquey at low RPMs!

Anyway, can't wait for the Cooper S, only a few more weeks!

 

Expecting delivery on mine the week of the 15th perfectly in line with the artificial release date. Going to be a long 2 week especially since I already sold the cayman and have nothing to drive except the dreaded winter vehicle, the 09 escape lol.

 

Wow. This is really interesting. I previously owned an '87 Carrera. I just got my wife's nod of approval to buy a new Cayman when on a whim we stopped to test drive a MINI. What blew me away was the fact this little car could more than satisfy my wants and could do it for a whole lot less money. We left the dealership that day with the car we test drove. That was on January 7th and I haven't regretted the choice.

 

My wife actually sold her Boxster S when we got our JCW's....and she has never looked back.

 

Not to be snob-ish but I'm trading up to the 14' MCS from an 08' Yaris and keeping my 07' Carrera 4S for those Sunday drives. Of course that may change after we take delivery of the Mini.

 

I consider the F56 MCS an upgrade from the '14 Cayman S...especially so once it's tuned in the future!

For more spirited driving, I chose to keep my F-Type V6S over the Cayman S.

Not to be snob-ish.

 

Not to be snobbish here either but I chose to keep the $915 payment in my pocket every month lol.

 

Haha!

 

You guys are crazy. I am looking at the 981 2.7L as a DD to replace my R56 MCS and after this thread, I am like

 

It's a great car. I just didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth as a DD.

 

Also keep in mind I live in the mountains west of Denver... I was very limited based on seasons.

 

Funny whenever I see somebody comparing cars in such different classes.....so different on so MANY LEVELS.....
A very smart man said it all when they said "It is more fun to drive a UNDERPOWERD CAR HARD, than an overpowered car lightly".....

 

I was very disappointed in the sub-4500rpm torque in the Cayman S, so you may be even more disappointed with the Cayman...

 

Agreed!

Exceptions I've experienced thus far:

NSX
E46 M3
370Z
F-Type V6 S

But I suppose none of those are especially "overpowered"...and in the case of the Cayman S, the issue was actually a lack of usable/DD torque.

 

I totally get the 2014 mini vs 2014 Porsche Cayman comparisons having owned 911’s, BMW M3’s and AMG Renntech’s over the years, my tricked out 2011 R56S was a lot more fun than the other as a daily driver. In retrospect the depreciation alone on some would cover the total cost of the Mini.

 

I had my cayman for 8 months. Had to write a 12700 check to get ride of it.......could buy half a mini for that

 

R56 with JCW tuning kit here. Man this makes me ponder. I guess I'll take a test drive and make up my mind myself but

 

if you have the Porsche itch, you will scratch it eventually. It is not a purchase you make with your head however. That one is all in the heart. there is NO way to justify the numbers. Like I said before, great car but as a daily driver its like bringing a bazooka to a gun fight.

 

Thanks Steve. That's how I feel right about now. It's an emotional (all rational thinking out the window) decision and I love R56 to pieces and after 6 years, the old gal still puts a smile on my face. However I want a mid-engine RWD genuine sports car and want to use it as a DD. If/when I get a Cayman, I'll drive it every chance I get and rack up the miles. That's the hope anyway.

 

I did 11k miles in 8 months in my cayman....for most Porsche drivers that is like 3 years worth of miles...If you are looking for the best sports car in the 50-85k range, nothing is better than that car. I considered the Audi TT RS, and the BMW z4. If I were to buy a car in that class now, I would consider the F-type Jag coupe as well. But as you see, I am getting a 32k Mini S....But I had to scratch that itch.

 

Yes, if the bazooka is at 5000-7500 RPM...and the pea-shooter is in effect everywhere else.

 

I am also looking at the Subaru BRZ but that's just way too low amount of torque for a DD

 

To get the most accurate test drive, make sure you are driving the Cayman at normal DD/commuting speeds with only occasional spirited acceleration.


If you make a point of trying multiple accelerations while starting from 30-50mph in 3rd to 5th gears (in auto mode with PDK the car is in 7th gear around 40mph!) in auto or manual mode, you will totally understand what I describe re: lack of low/mid-range torque.