Teresa’s View

The truth is it’s hard to have a bad week when there’s a Porsche Cayman in your driveway. Oh, sure, the rains came and the wind blew, but every day was a beautiful day for my Cayman and me.

I took it with me on all my errands, and, by golly I ended up with a lot of them that week. Yes, I took the long way home, skirting clogged arterials for open back roads.

So what is a Cayman, you ask? Well, darling, the Cayman is an all-new coupe from Porsche. You know, the company that doesn’t do all new very often, so we have to be grateful. The new coupe is a happy cross between the Boxster S roadster and the — cue the angelic chorus — 911 Carrera.

Like the Boxster, the Cayman’s engine sits smack square in the middle of the car, creating a lovely, balanced drive. Like the 911, the Cayman’s rear spoiler extends when the car reaches 75 mph and over. It’s a handy service for police officers, letting them know whether or not the driver has exceeded the posted speed limit, which is illegal and you shouldn’t do.

A 295-horsepower, 3.4-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine delivers enough power to run the 0-to-60 dash in 5.1 seconds. (Gear Head Alert: Horizontally opposed engines are named for the cylinders that lie along a horizontal plane instead of a “V.” Such engines run smoothly and are virtually vibration-free.) Pair that with the sweet six-speed manual transmission and you have yourself one fine driving experience. A five-speed automatic is optional, but don’t do it. This car is the reason you learned to drive a stick.

The best thing about the Cayman is that it’s a wonderful companion on a long road trip and it’s a reasonable partner for the everyday stuff . OK, the stiff suspension can get old, but the admiring looks from bystanders never do.

Ah, yes, it was a very good week.

What Is It?: The Porsche Cayman is an all-new, midengine, two-seat coupe. Prices for the single trim start at just under $57K with destination charges. The Cayman has been on sale since the beginning of the year.

Gadget Rating: 7 out of 10. What you don’t get with a Porsche is a load of luxury items. Sure, there’s air conditioning, cruise control, CD player and power windows, mirrors, driver’s seat and door locks, but that’s about it. This car is about the experience of driving. Knobs and dials are where they should be with the exception of the ignition switch. In a nod to the classic competition Porsches, the ignition is on the left of the steering wheel.

Grocery Sack Test: With the engine midship, there are cargo areas both front and back. However, neither is very large.

Recommended Fuel: Are you kidding? Premium, natch.

Good News: With the addition of a Porsche dealership in Spokane, owners no longer have to flatbed their broken cars to Bellevue to be fixed.

So, Where Are Ya From?: The Cayman is assembled in Uusikaupunki, Finland.