While the more powerful Z4 M feels quicker, its weight penalty more than wipes out its 35-horsepower and 11 pound-feet of torque advantage. it's close: The Porsche is 0.1 second quicker from 0-to-60 mph (4.8 seconds) and 0.2 seconds on to 100 (11.8). Don't press on for half a mile in the Porsche, though: The BMW gains back half its 0-to-100 deficit and hits the quartermile ntraps at 105.0 mph, versus 104.2 mph for the Cayman in the quarter mile. The Cayman's gearing is considerably taller in first, second, and third, slightly taller in fourth, and shorter in fifth and sixth, which means less shifting back at the track.
Both cars lapped GingerMan with lan. but the seat-of-the-pants and lap times backed up the instrument testing. Markus's best lap in the Porsche was 1.1 seconds better than his best in the Bimmer, and lap times for each were consistent. Steering has a lot to do with it. if we were quick to call the BMW's steering "perfect," then the Porsche's must be "perfect-plus." The lighter load on the front axle endows the steering with a heckuva lot more detail in the twitches and jiggles.
And the Porsche's gear ratios save time in up- and downshifts around the circuit. Here, both cars sometimes balked; you can beat the BMW in upshifts from first to second and the Porsche in the two-three shifts. And it's too easy to fall into the Z4's reverse gate and misroute a quick three-two downshift.
Your humble servant, less trained in competition, also finds the Porsche more fun around GingerMan. You can dance withthe Cayman, rotating it with the rears on a constant, gentle slide. It's amazing through the circuit's long-sweeper leading into Aness, where you balance it on that dancefrom one side to the other. The Cayman's transitions are sharper than the Bimmer's, but Markus says it'll spin out of control more easily if you manhandle it with ham fists past its high limits.
Both are wonderfully docile on city streets, where the suspensions aren't so stiff as to be uncomfortable. And the Bimmer's heavy-duty clutch won't wear out your heavy-duty clutch won't wear out your left leg. When the road opens up, you can judiciously accelerate, turn, and then brake quickly enough to keep the cars under the radar.
But you're here for a definitive match. And as good as the second-place car is, the Cayman S wins by a knockout. Both cars had their share of niggling problems, from a sunglass holder in the Z4 M that refused to stay shut to a low steering wheel in the Cayman that made ingress/egress awkward. The Porsche often infuriates, with ever-higher prices that don't always mean topline kit (BMW fits in an eight-way power driver seat, while the Cayman S uses a lever for fore-aft adjustment) and Porsche's key fob often will have you inadvertently popping the front lid. But if you feel the need to justify such faults in two expensive two-seaters, remember this: Quirks are just part of owning a serious sports car.
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