| Among the compact sports cars, the BMW Z4, | | | | extra model, to be priced between the Boxster and |
| Porsche Cayman and Porsche Boxster stand out. But | | | | the 911. In fact, the Cayman is based on the Boxster, |
| which is you? And why did BMW and Porsche wait | | | | but has more sporty suspension, and has a larger |
| so long before making the coupes? There is no | | | | engine. Now, though you can get a Cayman with a 2.7 |
| Boxster coupe, but the Cayman is almost the same | | | | liter engine as well as the 3.4 liter job. The Boxster |
| thing - but uprated. | | | | gets 2.7 and 3.2 liters. |
| It might seem odd that the two German companies, | | | | Because Porsche makes flat-six engines, it can easily |
| well-known for high-performance and sporty cars, | | | | produce engines of different capacities from 2.7 to 3.8 |
| waited to announce their coupes at the same time. | | | | liters, and many parts are common to all of them. |
| The answer lies in why they introduced the roadsters | | | | If you are looking for a sporty car, then you will want |
| in the first place. | | | | to look at the Z4 3-liter, which produces 265 bhp, and |
| Porsche wanted a new, smaller model to increase its | | | | reaches 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, a time matched by |
| market coverage. Not everyone likes the 911, and not | | | | the Boxster 3.2. The Cayman is a fraction quicker, |
| everyone wants a coupe. So it made sense to opt for | | | | getting to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Mind, if you want |
| the mid-engine layout - the 911 is rear-engined - and the | | | | maximum performance from these cars, you can get |
| better balance that gives in designing the Boxster. At | | | | the BMW Z4 M, with over 300 bhp on tap. |
| the same time, the addition of an open-top roadster | | | | Choosing between Z4 and Cayman |
| would also increase sales. And both tricks worked. | | | | But when it comes to the choice between the Z4 and |
| But what about BMW? Well, BMW wanted to build | | | | Cayman coupes,you will be influenced by which one |
| cars in the USA, and did not want to build the same | | | | looks better. Although the Z4 looks a lot better than |
| cars it built in Germany as that would increase costs. | | | | the Z3 it does have a few quirky lines, which don't |
| So it decided to build a roadster for the US market, | | | | appeal to everyone, and the coupe is no better. |
| although it would be marketed elsewhere. | | | | The Cayman has the usually slick Porsche lines, with a |
| At that time there was more potential volume for a | | | | long tail and built-in spoiler which looks pretty good. On |
| boulevard cruiser type of two-seater than an | | | | the road performance is not much different, and both |
| out-and-out sports car in the USA, so the BMW Z3 | | | | have super engines and gearboxes, but they don't do |
| was born. It was a rather tall car for a sports car, and | | | | things in quite the same way. The Cayman is a |
| although a hardtop was offered, it looked odd, making | | | | beautifully balanced car that can be driven fast with |
| the car look even taller than it was. | | | | confidence, but if you want to hang the tail out, the Z4 |
| Z4 more sporty than Z3 | | | | might be more to your liking. |
| The BMW Z3 did not really catch on in Europe, so the | | | | Both are great sports cars, and will give you a lot of |
| Z4 was designed as a more sporty car than the Z3, | | | | fun. What else should you consider? Nissan's 350Z is |
| and with its 3-liter engine which develops 265 bhp, is a | | | | also quite a car, with a lusty V-6, the Mercedes-Benz |
| good match in performance for the Porsche Boxster. | | | | 350 SLK 350 and new Audi TT are also worth looking |
| Meanwhile, Porsche decided to fill out its range with an | | | | at. |