Cayman T is the perfect starter Porsche. For some people, it might be the perfect Porsche, period. After spending quality time with the new T, we can imagine an owner being perfectly satisfied with its simple goodness and not aspiring to one of Porsche's more powerful and expensive sports cars.

It's that simplicity and purposefulness that makes it such a joy. In a digital world, the T feels and drives like an analog machine. Aside from its digital gauge cluster and center-stack screen, the interior is straightforward. The materials are basic, the sport seats are deeply pocketed, and the steering wheel is free of buttons and switches—except for the all-important drive-mode dial. Three pedals on the floor and a stubby shifter between the seats. You fire it up by inserting the key fob into an ignition switch—located left of the steering wheel, per Porsche tradition—and twisting. Indeed, the cabin could almost be from an earlier era in Porsche's history.