Porsche Cayman

In typical Porsche fashion, however, the company's brilliant team of engineers has managed to coax yet more power out of the smaller power pack than the previous generations that powered the Boxster, so the difference in performance is not so huge.

Just like the small crocodile after which it is named, the Cayman is a tremendously nimble, yet sure-footed beast that revels on the switchback roads that you will find all along Europe's Mediterranean coast and many other coastal areas around the world. The tarmac roads in the Middle East are far too good, even in the mountains, for the kind of driving we were able to achieve in the commercial heartland of Germany.

We tested it near Frankfurt, in the hilly forests around the luxury Kempinski hotel at Falkenberg, which was built by the Kaiser as a rest home for his army officers in the early 20th century. We also got onto the Frankfurt/Cologne autobahn - just to prove that it would achieve (legally) the 258kph top speed that the builder claims. In fact, traffic conditions did not permit us to achieve the final few kph but, at 247 there was clearly power in hand and the car, as you would expect, felt as solid as a rock on the road.

The country roads provided an exhilarating driving experience, with all the opportunities you would want in order to explore the delights of such a car - short straight sections just crying out for a touch of sharp acceleration before changing down through the six-speed manual gearbox and braking fiercely into complex, multiple bends before accelerating away up and over hills to who-knows-where.

The Cayman is Porsche's fourth new launch of 2006, following the Cayenne Turbo S, the new 911 Turbo and the GTS. And, although it has become the entry level Porsche, that cannot detract one little bit from the Cayman's sportiness and fun. It will make the high-end sports car experience available to a whole new group, at the same time as being an ideal piece of getaway fun for serious fun drivers who also like to get onto the track from time to time.

Its main competitors are the BMW Z4, Audi TT and Mercedes SLK.

Less powerful, sure, but this Porsche will still out perform many other cars that you might expect it not to. It reaches 100kph from a standstill in just 6.1 seconds, has a top speed that is more than enough for any but truly deregulated roads and yet still only burns 9.3 litres of premium fuel for every 100 kilometres traveled.

High performance brakes, six airbags, further enhanced passive and active safety features, a comfortable cockpit and a wide range of comfort and information options make this a highly desirable entry level luxury sports car. If you want an even hotter experience without moving up to the Cayman S, Boxster or 911 range, check out the Chrono Package. You will not be disappointed!