AT a glance, the facelifted Porsche Cayman and Cayman S may not look very different from the car that appeared in 2005 but look closely and there are noticeable changes to the lamps and bumpers.

The new "two-tube" headlamps have a pair of bi-xenon lamps in the headlight cluster and the upper tube swivels. There are also separate LED driving lights below, as well as distinctive and newly designed LED rear lamps.

The mid-engined Porsche also has a pair of brand new engines. The Cayman's 2.7-litre flat six has been enlarged to 2.9 litres while the Cayman S's displacement stays at 3.4 litres.

The latter also features direct injection but both units boast more power but are still more economical than their predecessors - an 11 per cent improvement on the Cayman and 16 per cent for the Cayman S. The engines are also lighter and have less moving parts, and both satisfy the future EU5 ultra-low emission standard.

There are also new manual and automatic transmission. The Cayman's five-speed manual gearbox has been upgraded to a six-speeder as standard, while both versions' previous automatic transmission with torque converter has been replaced by the swift-shifting double-clutch gearbox.

Called PDK for Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, it changes gears with minimal loss of torque. PDK also offers a lightweight benefit - at 1,375 kg, the new Cayman S with PDK is 15 kg lighter than the previous Cayman S with Tiptronic S.

There are also bigger front brake discs to rein in that extra power, as well as bigger wheels.

Of course, the more expensive ceramic composite brakes are always an option. The suspension set-up has been updated with new springs, dampers and anti-roll bars in order to take the extra power. Ride comfort is fairly good considering that the Cayman has such dynamic performance. With the Cayman S's improved specs edging even closer to the 911 Carrera, is Porsche concerned that the mid-engined model will encroach on the entry-level 911's territory? As expected, the answer is no.

The performance gap may be smaller, says the German sports car company, but the Cayman S's main competitor is not the Carrera or C2. The mid-engined two-seater appeals to a different buyer from the iconic rear-engined 911 which is a 2-plus-2 with a different look.

This article was first published in The Business Times on Dec 6, 2008.