For a sports car, why not? I currently drive an automatic in manual shifting mode only as my daily but #1 reason I’m the biggest Corvette fanboy but not buying a C8 is the lack of manual. If you’re buying something to have fun, do whatever the hell you want but for most people on here it’ll be with a manual.

IMHO, the Cayman makes the base 911 completely pointless. And the Cayman GT4 costs the same as a base 911 with the correct transmission.

With a tight aftermarket suspension and a manual, I would be quite happy with a Z4.  I started looking at Miatas and Z3s, a decade ago.  That led me to a 944.  That led me to a Cayman (and had me look at lots of 996 & 997 Base 911s).  Z4 isn’t razor’s edge, but is a fine streetgoing commuter that reminds you that…

It’s a rich tapestry

Well that is... a take, I guess.
Counterpoint: The Z4 is a RWD, two seat convertible from Germany. The available twin turbocharged I6 rockets the car to 60 in under 4 seconds (faster than a Lamborghini Diablo) and through the quarter mile in the low 12 second range. In C&D testing, it the Z4 was good for >1.0 G on the…

I drove it pretty briefly, so I’m not gonna do a full review. Kristen had a good one here:

no

If I had $120k for a car, I’d save another $30k and get a used Mclaren 570s...

I think he made the right choice for him. I’d go with a Cayman S personally. My kids are too big to fit back there and I’d save some money for better tires and wheels. In the end he’s happy with his choice and after driving it myself I’m happy for him. It’s plenty quick and sporty for his needs. 

I’d rather have the Cayman all day, everyday. Better looking car IMO, 300-400lbs lighter and the engine is in a much better location.

Is a base 911 worth as much as a Cayman GT4 ($101,200 for both)? That’s the real question IMO.

Are we sure this isn’t satire?

You don’t have to be a designer or engineer to like or dislike a consumer product. Good designs will appeal to those with any common sense and bad design will not. And sometimes there are fluke and exceptions. Looking at you Soylent and Juicero.

“So don’t just buy the Maverick because you think it’s more manly” I don’t think this will be anyone’s reason for buying a Maverick. 

Most folks do not need crossovers. They buy them because it is what dealers steer them toward, and because they don’t stop to think about the fact that, in creating a midpoint between a sedan and an SUV, the crossover typically has each of those segments’ weaknesses rather than their strengths.

Crossovers are cars with great trunk access.

I’m fifty and we bought our Maverick because have needed the options offered by the Maverick far more than whatever perceived advantages you see in our Rogue and Xterra. Speaking as someone who has hauled a refrigerator and large TV in said Xterra, the Maverick is way more…

Thanks, Torch. This is an outstanding analysis.

1) Funny how that 12V pigtail impressed the hell out of me—stop a problem from being a problem in the first place. Sweating the details, Ford—good for you.

What a trash take. The only thing a crossover does that this doesn’t is have dry cargo space. And there’s a nice looking camper top in the images above that fixes that. Otherwise, this is an Explorer (crossover) with a bed.

Looks great, just should have been a column or floor shifter. Knob gear selectors are a bad answer for a problem that never existed.