Porsche Boxster vs. Cayman: Which One is Superior?

By FastMuscle | May 20, 2020

If you’re on the hunt for a new sports car or a European muscle car, then two of the options that might have caught your eye would be the Porsche Boxster 987 and the Cayman. The Boxster is one of those iconic Porsche models that are often mentioned by sports car enthusiasts, while others feel that the Cayman is the stronger choice. Let’s do a side-by-side comparison.

Style

These two cars are not that different from one another stylistically. The Cayman is like a hard-top version of the Boxster. If you like the wind-in-your-hair feeling that comes with a topless car, then presumably, you’ll want to opt for the 987.

The Boxster has a removable fabric roof, while the solid metal one on the Cayman sweeps much further back. Because of this, some car buffs feel that the Cayman looks more graceful and streamlined, while the Boxster appears more utilitarian.

Most other aspects of both of these vehicles are similar to one another. They share the same squat proportions. They have identical round headlights in that grand Porsche design, and tail lights that are divided by the integrated rear spoiler.

Driving

You can tell when you drive either the Boxster or the Cayman that they were designed to maneuver without a roof. They both handle extremely smooth, considering the power that’s under the hood. The low mass of either vehicle allows the driver to dart across on a diagonal with astonishing ease. The quality of either machine ensures that you won’t ever feel anything but anchored to the road’s surface.

Interiors

As for the interiors, they are similar as well, with the shallow center console the focal point of the beautifully-constructed cabin. You might recognize the design as first having appeared in the Panamera.

You can get either vehicle with the standard sports chairs, but many prefer splurging and getting the bucket seats.

The Cayman has an advantage over the Boxster in the area of stowing space. With the Cayman, you get compartments in the front and rear, totaling 425 liters. You only get 280 liters with the Boxster.

Engine

Of course, the engine matters a great deal with any sports car. These both have 2.7 L flat-six units. Each one gets 265 HP, and the Boxster can motor up to 62 MPH in 5.8 seconds. It takes the Cayman 5.7 seconds to reach that speed.

You can always get these vehicles in the S or GTS varieties. With those, you get a 3.4 L unit. That gets you 315 HP for the Boxster, and 330 for the Cayman. With these engine setups, expect to reach 62 MPH in five seconds flat.

You can modify many engine aspects. Some gearheads like to get the Boxster 987 exhaust system stainless steel upgrade. If you’re thinking about fuel efficiency, neither one of these vehicles does particularly well, but that’s hardly the point with a sports car. The standard or S variety of either one averages over 30 MPG, which isn’t that bad for Porsche models of this size.

A six-speed manual transmission comes standard with either vehicle, though you also have the option of a PDK dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The only models in this line that can’t accommodate one are the Spyder or the GT4.

Price for Base Models

You might feel like the Boxster would be the more expensive of the two, but really, the difference in price is almost negligible. The 2019 version of the Cayman has an MSRP of just under $58,000. For the Boxster, you’re looking at an MSRP of $59,000. If you want the S version of the Cayman, that will be around $70,000, while it would be $71,400 for the Boxster.

So, Which One is Better?

The reality is that these two vehicles aren’t terribly dissimilar from one another. We feel, though, that the Cayman is ultimately the better choice. It’s a tad cheaper, but it’s more aesthetically appealing. It’s just a little bit faster, and it’s slightly more powerful if you go with either the S or GTS models.

However, since neither model is dramatically different from the other, the choice you make might simply come down to whether you’d prefer the hard-top on the Cayman or the topless Boxster.

BIO

Daniel Calvin has been obsessed with performance vehicles since he first got behind the wheel. He is a collector of European sports cars and enjoys track driving when he gets time off work! He is the blog write for Capristo Porsche exhausts Australia.