And what a trip that would be in this bigger, better Porsche Boxster. It feels all grown up, self-assured and solid in purpose, as though it no longer has to lag behind in the shadow of its big brother.You feel this move into maturity as soon as you settle into the redesigned seats. Despite being larger, they're also stronger and lighter than the outgoing chairs, and Porsche even developed a patented vibration dampening system to reduce road buzz. But you will get a buzz just from turning the key, because when the Boxster's flat six burbles to life, there's no mistaking it for anything but a sports car engine. Both displacements received improvements to their respective intake and exhaust systems, boosting maximum outputs (240 hp; S: 280 hp) but also adding muscle to the torque curves where it counts.
Porsche claims the base Boxster can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds; 5.2 seconds for the 3.2. Top speeds are 159 mph for Boxster; 167 mph for Boxster S. Porsche's factory performance numbers are generally on the conservative side. Both cars, incidentally or not depending on your geo-political bent, qualify as Low Emissions Vehicles. Both cars, not incidentally, are quite fast enough to satisfy any delinquent desires. If anyone needs to get to 100 mph in less than 14.5 seconds (S: 12.3 seconds), then check into the next Skip Barber driving school for therapy.
Proper sports cars, it has long been contended, have three pedals on the floor, and so it is with the Boxster. At their very best, sports car drivers are one-person jazz combos, juggling the interplay of shifter, steering wheel and pedals in a polyrhythmic balance of manual dexterity. Remove the clutch and it just ain't the same.
Granted, some of the latest automatics are so good that electronic de-clutching should no longer be considered so shameful. There's certainly no shame driving a Boxster with Tiptronic S, which is pretty good for the species and would be the logical choice if your Boxster is condemned to a life of urban crawl. This newest version sports revised differential gearing and retuned software to maximize the shift behaviors, especially to avoid excessive hunting" during upgrades and descents, and a new transmission fluid recipe extends the replacement interval to 112,000 miles. If a Boxster fell out of the sky and it was equipped with Tiptronic S instead of our preferred manual, we would no doubt find a way to be content with our good fortune. Besides, there's something deliciously decadent about reaching deep into the engine's power reserves simply by pushing a button.
But, Porsche does manual shifting as well as anyone, and there's no reason for even the ham-fisted (ham-footed?) to fear the clutch. In fact, you lazy left-footers don't know what you're missing. Doing what they do, Porsche's engineers made the best even better for the new Boxster via reinforced synchromesh rings and additional multiple synchromesh elements (for both manuals), allowing the practiced driver to feel as confident slipping the shift lever into its proper position as a magician sliding a card into the middle of the deck. In short, we recommend going for the manual.
This empowering of the driver is at the heart of all good sports cars. And at the heart of that heart is a good, balanced chassis. The Boxster has from inception been the epitome of balance, which is key to all controlled movement, at least in the physics of this universe. Porsche, thankfully, operates in a slightly different timeframe than most car makers, where "balanced" is a constantly evolving state. Upgrades are developed as soon as a component reaches production, but rarely does a Porsche platform get such a thorough overhaul as did the new Boxster. Though the basic suspension layout remains as before, almost every element was re-engineered, from its retuned springs and shocks to larger wheel bearings, from its wider front track to the stiffer but lighter rear suspension.
The result is a bigger helping of sports car goodness, a more savory blend of power and control. Even with a curb weight of some 3,000 pounds, the Boxster is like a dancer that seems able to accept or reject gravity's rule as it suits its own, artful progress down the road. Of the 44 pounds of weight added to the new Boxster, 40 of them were invested in making the car's structure stiffer and stronger. Torsional stiffness was increased by 9 percent and resistance to flex enhanced by 14 percent. Stiffer is better when it comes to building sports car chassis.
A truly utilitarian beast, the Boxster's two luggage compartments can swallow a diva's wardrobe. "Where's the engine?" can be a droll game to play on friends and family; not only is the flat six tucked out of sight amidships, there's not even a dipstick to point the way to its lair. Oil level is now measured electronically, so put away that greasy rag. No need to dip and wipe. When the engine starts to dry up, a friendly gauge will fulfill its function and let you know.
The Boxster's soft top (which can now be opened or closed at speeds up to 31 mph) was reengineered. The top uses a light synthetic fleece fiber to better insulate against rain, cold and noise, and it includes an electrically heated rear glass window. The optional hardtop is made of aluminum and adds 51 pounds to the scale.
In our previous stints with the Boxster, though, we've usually run with only the heavens over our heads. It's a comfortable convertible, and wind noise becomes detrimental to the pleasure of the open top only above extra-legal speeds. An enlarged air deflector does a good job of redirecting the air blasts, but our personal sense of style has precluded us from using it in the past, as it mars the svelte profile of this handsome roadster.
Okay, so we don't mind that we somehow look better in a Boxster, always a hoped-for side effect of driving a sports car. Style doesn't get you around a corner, though, and this is where many modern cars which claim the sports car moniker fail to connect with the driver. There is too much technological intervention, leaving the driver (and the terrified passenger) little left to do but hang on. This kind of motoring is scary fast, because the inexorable laws of physics that control the car's fate are muted, as is the control exerted by the driver. The Boxster is the better example. Fast, but the speed constantly streams with data, connecting and reconnecting the driver to the steering, brakes and throttle."
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