BMW Z4 Against Porsche Cayman
Among the compact sports cars, the BMW Z4, Porsche Cayman and Porsche Boxster stand out. But which is you? And why did BMW and Porsche wait so long before making the coupes? There is no Boxster coupe, but the Cayman is virtually the same - but uprated. It might appear peculiar the two German companies, well-known for high-performance and sporty vehicles, waited to make an announcement about their coupes at the same time. The answer lies in why they introduced the roadsters in the first place. Porsche wanted a new, smaller model to increase its market coverage. Not everyone loves the 911, and not everyone wants a coupe. So it made sense to select the mid-engine layout - the 911 is rear-engined - and the better balance that gives in designing the Boxster. At the same time, the addition of an open-top racer would also increase sales. And both tricks worked.
But what about BMW? Well, BMW wished to build autos in the United States, and did not want to build the same autos it built in Germany as that would increase costs. So it decided to build a racer for the US market, although it would be marketed elsewhere. At that time there was more potential volume for a boulevard cruiser sort of two-seater than an out-and-out sports car in the United States, so the BMW Z3 was born. It was a rather tall car for a sports auto, and though a hardtop was offered, it looked peculiar, making the car look even taller than it was. Because Porsche makes flat-six engines, it can easily produce engines of different capacities from 2.7 to 3.8 liters, and many parts are shared by all of them. But when it comes to the choice between the Z4 and Cayman coupes,you will be influenced by which one looks better. Though the Z4 looks miles better than the Z3 it does have some quirky lines, which don't appeal to everybody, and the coupe is no better. The Cayman has the customarily slick Porsche lines, with a long tail and built-in spoiler which looks good. On the road performance is not much different, and both have super engines and gearboxes, but they don't do things in quite the same way. The Cayman is a superbly balanced vehicle that may be driven fast with confidence, but if you need to hang the tail out, the Z4 might be more to your liking. Both are great sports automobiles, and will give you a lot of fun. What else should you consider? Nissan's 350Z is also quite a vehicle, with a lusty V-6, the Mercedes-Benz 350 SLK 350 and new Audi TT are also worth having a look at.
Audi will introduce its first volume electric car this year in the form of the e-tron SUV. Fellow Volkswagen Group member Porsche will follow in 2019 with its own electric car in the form of the production version of 2015's Mission E concept. The two cars ride on distinct platforms developed independently, C-BEV in the case of Audi and J1 in the case of Porsche. However, for the automakers' next-generation electric cars which will be arriving as early as 2021, a jointly developed platform dubbed the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) is in the works. The PPE will be flexible enough to spawn low- and high-riding models in multiple size categories. The VW Group has already locked in 鈥渢hree model families,鈥?two of them for Audi and the remainder for Porsche. About 550 engineers from Audi and 300 from Porsche are currently working on the project. By teaming their efforts, Audi and Porsche, and any other VW Group brands that use the platform, will be able to get electric cars to the market faster and at significantly lower cost than if they continued independently. It also enables them to create a larger scope for the platform, not only in the area of electrification but also in digitization and self-driving capability. 鈥淚f we had to tackle the challenges ahead on our own, the costs would be around 30 percent higher,鈥?Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said in a statement. Audi will also rely on the MEB (Modular Electric Toolkit) platform developed by Volkswagen, for its compact cars. Meanwhile, Porsche is thought to be working on a separate platform for electric sports cars, referred to as the SPE (Sports Platform Electric).
The GT4 Clubsport retains the familiar design of the road-going Cayman, but boasts a more aggressive stance thanks to its race-inspired body features. Up front, it鈥檚 the bumper that sets the coupe apart. Instead of the narrow vents with horizontal slats, the Clubsport models sports larger outlets onto the sides and a wider trapezoidal opening in the center. It also features a big splitter below. Porsche also uses different headlamps on this model, while the front hood has quick-release pins. There鈥檚 also a race-spec tow loop on the front bumper. Onto the sides, the Clubsport looks identical to its road-going sibling. Porsche revised the vents on the rear fenders, most likely to improve airflow, and added motorsport-spec wheels, but other than that, the Clubsport is pretty much a standard Cayman. Porsche made a few notable changes around back, starting with the diffuser. The aerodynamic element was redesigned entirely. Not only bigger, it鈥檚 also split into two distinct elements, each incorporating a large, round exhaust pipe.
The engine lid now features a spoiler, as well as a big wing on top. The GT4 Clubsport is also the first production race car to feature body parts made of natural-fiber composite material. Specifically, the doors and the rear wing are made of an organic fiber mix sourced primarily agricultural by-products such as flax or hemp fibers and feature similar properties to carbon-fiber in terms of weight and stiffness. The rest of the body is made from aluminum-steel composite, a common material for Porsche vehicles. Like most race cars designed for FIA competition, the GT4 Clubsport retains most of the interior features of the standard road car. The dashboard is identical, but Porsche opted for a carbon-fiber lower section. It also replaced the infotainment screen in the center stack with a motorsport-specific console that includes various buttons and switches. The standard instrument cluster was also replaced with a new screen with simpler operation and graphics. The shifts are displayed in the center, while other performance numbers are shown on each side. The standard steering wheel is also gone, replaced by a motorsport-style wheel with a flat bottom.