We review the Porsche Cayman from price to economy and all its features

SO you want a Porsche. Of course you do, we all do.

But which one? If you say a GT3 or a 911 Turbo, I salute your good taste, but would also tell you to get real.

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If you’re lucky enough to have £100k to drop on a two-seater sports car, the beers are on you, but I suspect you haven’t.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t own something shiny from Stuttgart, because those clever Germans have spent the last couple of decades making sure there’s more or less something for everyone.

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The slightly feminine Boxster arrived in 1996. In 2004, the SUV Cayenne turned up and frightened the bejeezus out of Range Rover.

Then a year later, the Cayman came along. And that’s the car I want to talk about.

Starting at the £40k mark, it’s been labelled the “poor man’s Porsche” and the “baby 911.”

But it ain’t — the Cayman is a thing of beauty in itself, and costs less than an Audi TT Roadster. What would you prefer on your driveway — an Audi or a Porsche?

The Cayman is one of those cars it’s hard to do justice to on a page, it has to be driven to be understood.  Most cars, I can easily zero in on the things that make them good but the Cayman just... works.

It’s so beautifully balanced, so well made, it’s the kind of car that makes you feel like everything you’ve driven before was crap.

Unlike the iconic 911, the Cayman is mid-engined. Not having all that weight haunched over the back wheels means it handles like Lionel Messi, it’s a track weapon waiting to be tested.

It takes bends like it’s on rails, even in the wet, and it skips through roundabouts as if they’re not there. Point it where you want it to go, it obeys without hesitation, at any speed.

It took a lot to get the nose twitching at all.

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Inside, the Cayman is all business, as you’d expect from Porsche. It’s not uncomfortable, but it has a slightly starchy feel, all smooth leather and subdued tones.

It comes with all the tech you need, the sat nav is superb, and it has the standard Porsche sound actuator, which beefs up the engine soundtrack.

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If anything, it sounds faster than it is. The standard Cayman is only 2.7 litres (I know, that’s plenty, but compared to the 911 it’s a lightweight).

The power won’t rip your arms off, but in sport mode, when you give it enough beans, the engine lights up. You need to wring its neck to get it moving with anger, about eight thousand revs is the Cayman’s favourite hunting ground.

If anyone tells you the Cayman is just a wimpy 911, or calls it a poor man’s Porsche, laugh in their face. They clearly haven’t a clue about cars.

This is, pound-for-pound, one of the best cars money can buy, and the fact it’s cheap (for a Porsche) is just a bonus.