Panamera Recall

The other day, I received a letter from Porsche Japan regarding a recall for the 971 Panamera. Upon opening it, I read: “Due to improper programming in the electric power steering control unit, steering assist may be lost while driving. This could result in increased steering effort.”

That said, I had never noticed any such issue before, so I thought our Panamera was probably fine. Then, Mr. H from the Porsche Center promptly contacted me and said, “Sorry for the trouble, but please bring it in for an inspection.” So, I decided to leave the Panamera with them for a checkup on a later date.

The Unexpected Cayman S

On the day of the inspection, Mr. H came to pick up the Panamera first thing in the morning. At the doorstep, he kindly asked, “Will you be using a car today? If you like, I can leave the car I drove here for you.” Since I had quite a few errands and wasn’t planning to use a car that day, I replied, “No, I’m fine. I won’t be driving today…” Then I opened the gate and was shocked!

Th-the Cayman is here! (ﾟдﾟ)!!!(And in a sporty yellow body color, no less!)

I couldn’t help but say, “I’ll take it! Absolutely, I’ll take it! (ﾟдﾟ)!!” Mr. H then said, “Okay, I’ll hand you the keys then, haha,” so I gladly accepted them.

The loaner was a “Cayman S,” with main options including the “Sport Chrono Package” and “Sport Exhaust,” if I recall correctly. After that, it was a temporary farewell to the Panamera…

I had some unavoidable errands in the morning, so I hurried to finish those and planned to drive the Cayman in the afternoon. I was so excited that I texted my husband during work, “The loaner is a Cayman! This is amazing!” and he quickly replied:

Nice! Go hit the Royu!

But the thought of “driving a car I’m using for the first time alone on the Royu Driveway” was quite nerve-wracking for me. Still, such an opportunity is rare, so I mustered up the courage and headed to Royu alone.

Off to the Royu Driveway!

I got into the Cayman and turned the ignition key.

Vroooom!!

Ah… that’s right, that’s right, “the last time I drove the 718 Cayman,” it made a sound just like this…” I recalled the feeling as I started driving.

718 ケイマンを試乗 − 981とどこが変わった？

The steering felt heavy, and the sound was very reminiscent of an air-cooled engine, I thought. The 718 Cayman’s engine note is surprisingly deep and low-pitched, contrary to its sporty appearance.

The ride was firm, with a strong sense of grip, and I could clearly feel the road surface. However, compared to the standard 718 Cayman I drove before, probably due to different tire sizes, the residual vibrations were less noticeable.

Though the driving feel was completely different from the Panamera’s, there was a clear underlying connection, and I thought again, “That’s Porsche for you.” as I headed toward the Royu Driveway.

Along the way, a very large, ultra-safe-driving truck appeared right in front of me.

Looking at the speedometer, it read “19 km/h” (-_-). I thought, “Driving a Cayman S at 19 km/h…” but I patiently continued the slow crawl. Once the truck was gone, I switched to Sport Plus mode and gave it a go.

Suddenly, the Cayman felt like it had shed its armor, becoming incredibly nimble. The engine note shifted to a higher pitch, and the handling sharpened even more. Taking corners on the Royu Driveway in Sport Plus mode, there was absolutely no body roll. As my husband once said, it felt like the car was drawing perfect circles with a compass along the curves.

What an exhilarating handling experience…

The Panamera’s handling is sharp too, but the Cayman was even more precise and connected, making me feel like I was truly part of a team with the car. Unlike the rear-engine air-cooled 911s, where “misjudging weight transfer means you don’t turn,” the Cayman was forgiving, letting even a less confident driver like me corner smoothly and cleanly.

On the straight, when I pressed the accelerator hard, the speed quickly hit “XX km/h” (I’ll leave that to your imagination), and I found myself easing off the throttle several times, thinking, “Whoa… better not get carried away.”

I’ve driven the Royu Driveway in the 970 Panamera Edition, 971 Panamera Turbo, 981 Boxster GTS (MT), and an air-cooled 911 (964 C2), but among all these Porsches, the Cayman felt the easiest and most fun to drive.

The Cayman is perfect for someone like me, a woman who isn’t very confident behind the wheel—it makes driving fun as if I suddenly got better at it. It’s safe too, with little tailgating or cutting off, and I firmly believe “beginners should drive great cars like this.” (I know that’s a bit of a luxury statement (-_-))

Also, with its mid-engine layout and solid chassis rigidity, the Cayman felt very stable and easy to handle.

The Charm of a 2-Seater

I also tried paddle shifting, and even in normal mode, the response was incredibly quick. This is a world apart from the Panamera. There was still some snow left on the road, increasing as I climbed higher, so I couldn’t push it too hard, but it was a thoroughly satisfying drive on the Royu.

Because of the snow and it being a weekday afternoon, there was no one at the lookout or at our usual photo spots—perfect for unlimited photo-taking. I lost count of how many pictures I snapped, haha.

While I was busy taking photos, it suddenly became time to pick up my daughter from kindergarten, so I decided to head back.

After test driving the Cayman S, I once again thought, “2-seaters are really something special.” The cabin is compact, making you feel a strong sense of partnership with the car. It feels like a personal space where you’re communicating with your car as you drive.

Ah, so this is the charm of a 2-seater…

When I told my husband about this after returning home, he said:

Yeah, but haven’t you already experienced that with the Boxster plenty of times?

I replied, “No… when I was driving the Boxster, I was too busy with manual shifting to really feel that partnership yet.” Then he said,

“True, you haven’t really opened your heart to the Boxster yet, haha.”

That’s exactly right… I should probably go practice driving the Boxster again soon.

If my husband had been able to test drive with me, I think I could have written about the differences from the normal Cayman I drove recently and given a more detailed review. But since this time it was just me, I could only share my impressions. I hope to write a deeper review someday.

As for the important Panamera recall, it turned out there was no problem. Thank you so much, Mr. H, for your wonderful care once again! I wonder what the next loaner will be, haha.