Porsche Boxster Review
The Porsche Boxster remains the cheapest way into the German car maker鈥檚 sports car range - and may well continue to do so as the company continues to dither and deliberate over a new, smaller entry-level sports car. And in a busy period of product activity. The new Porsche Boxster follows just months after an all-new 911, with the company claiming the roadster has an even greater step up over its predecessor than the dramatically overhauled icon. For starters there are fewer parts shared with the 911 than ever before, including unique doors for the first time. They鈥檙e made of aluminium, too, reflecting the Boxster鈥檚 switch from all-steel construction to a combination of steel and aluminium. The Porsche Boxster鈥檚 overall length extends by 30mm, but there鈥檚 double that for the wheelbase as Porsche again stretches the gap between front and rear axles - which also widen to increase the car鈥檚 on-road footprint. Add in a 40 per cent stiffer body and a centre of gravity that, literally central to handling, is 6mm lower and the Boxster is already promising to be even better to drive than before.
And on the appropriately named snaking roads of Mount Glorious near Brisbane, finely chosen by Porsche Australia for the launch event, there鈥檚 no deflation after the hype. As with previous Boxsters, it takes little time for the driver to bond with the car and to start exploiting its spookily brilliant abilities. The quicker you go, and the more challenging the curves, the faster you鈥檒l be reaching for the superlatives. Enthusiasts shouldn鈥檛 even mind the new electro-mechanical steering - also introduced on the new 911 - that while losing some of the heft and communication of the previous steering is still quick and precise. Refreshingly, our test car was pretty close to a kind of Purist鈥檚 Spec - bereft of the many additional technologies, such as adaptive dampers, torque vectoring and dual-clutch auto gearbox that are available as options. 6780 but do produce staggering levels of grip (we didn鈥檛 hear a squeal out of them all day).
They contribute to a firm ride and it would be interesting to see how much extra suppleness the standard 18-inch tyres (19s on the Boxster S) would provide. Regardless, even on the 20s, the Boxster is a more comfortable ride compared with its aforementioned key rivals. And those benchmark dynamics come whether the roof is open or closed, with the Boxster鈥檚 remarkable stiffness making body wobbles a redundant description here. The roof is also improved in terms of speed and simplicity, slickly opening or closing - via separate buttons on the centre console - in nine rather than 12 seconds and dispensing with the manual release latch. This also gives you better access to those glorious-sounding flat-six engines that prick up the hairs on the back of your neck as they reach a yowling fever pitch at high revs (the best aural experience in the S). The base Boxster鈥檚 flat six-cylinder engine has incrementally increased in size over the years from 2.5 to 2.9 litres but drops back to 2.7 for the latest model.
It was enough time, however, to appreciate two things. Firstly, that Porsche has engineered in an appropriate amount of extra performance over the regular model for the extra money. Pick the PDK dual-clutch auto - which comes with either thumb button steering wheel shifters or no-cost-option paddles we believe are superior - and the Boxsters are slightly quicker again while being more economical. 4790 and brings launch control. The interior of the new Porsche Boxster completes the enhanced package. Again like the new Porsche 911, the Boxster鈥檚 cabin brings a greater element of luxury to the sports car fold yet while remaining most tasteful (at least with black trim; we're not so sure about the all-red affair pictured). It gains the broader, rising centre console that is now a signature of Porsche interiors, while the selection and use of materials is beyond reproach. The sports seats meld comfort and support brilliantly, and complement a perfect, low driving position befitting of an exemplary sports car. Driver and passenger don鈥檛 feel cramped together, either. In-cabin storage remains disappointingly limited for small items such as mobiles, though the Porsche Boxster compensates with its unrivalled twin compartments - 150 litres front and 130 litres rear that are unchanged in volume. So a relatively practical two-seater sports car it remains. 229,900) yet is anything but half the car.