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Walkaround
The new Boxster has a quiet look that speaks volumes about Porsche design philosophy. Yet it's also modern in the many small touches that first made their way into the Porsche styling idiom through the high-powered Carrera GT (note the mirrors) and the new 911 Carrera. The area of most improvement, in our eyes, is up front, in the headlamp treatment. The revised layout now separates the main driving lamp from the foglamp and turn signal cluster, which not only gives the Boxster nose a more traditional Porsche look, it also allows the foglamps to be placed further toward the car's corners for a better spread of light.The frontal area and grille openings are larger, the track is wider, and the enlarged running gear is covered by wider wheel arches, but the wind tunnel guys went to work on a solution. Their aero-science helped fashion a new rear spoiler, reshaped body panels, A-pillars and door handles and a fully covered undertray to create a more slippery profile with less lift and increased downforce, all good things when speed needs to fight the air. There are no extraneous ducts or style-influenced bulges to be seen. The inlets up front that feed air to the pair of front radiators (and a third cooler in the S) are bigger, and the large ducts in the rear fenders have been made bigger to direct more cooling air to the bigger brake discs, but hey, in the brake world, bigger is definitely better. Even where the eye can't see, the attention to crucial detail contributes to the durability and sportiness of the Boxster. To cite just two examples: small spoilers on the front longitudinal suspension arms that direct airflow to the front brakes to help keep them cool; and small, flexible blades attached to the undertray that steer airflow toward the transmission for the same effect. Saving weight is a constant goal for sports cars, but sometimes, we think things are taken a step too far. For instance, there is no longer a spare tire in the car; instead, an air compressor and tire sealant will have to do. We understand the advantages of this approach (it saves 22 pounds, some luggage room and a bit of cost), but we wonder about that poor driver, crossing the Nevada desert, whose tire sustains the kind of damage sealant can't help (sidewall punctures, for instance). The redesigned tail clearly separates the new Boxster from the outgoing (pre-2005) model. The seam between body and tail panels now runs above the taillight cluster, which itself has been broken into three elements with more contrast between the red and white areas. And the center high-mounted stop light is now composed of 18 LEDs for a brighter warning to the daydreamers hovering just off your rear bumper. Boxster S models are distinguished from 2.7-liter Boxsters by their twin oval exhaust tips.
Interior Features
When it first appeared, the Porsche Boxster impressed us with its classic roadster look and road manners, but the interior styling and materials looked cheap and plasticky, and there lacked a general coherence to the switchgear and gauges.That's all changed. The genuine leather is complemented by very nice fake leather and authentic-looking fake aluminum trim, the plastic looks expensive, and the layout is as pleasing to look as it is a rational display of various data. Function is improved with switches redesigned for easier use. As it should be, the tachometer still has predominance in the three-gauge cluster. The instruments are black-faced in the Boxster and a light gray in the Boxster S, and their readability has been increased by a change from yellow to white LEDs. Data from the Sports Chrono system are displayed in the lower third of the tachometer's dial. A spiffy new console integrates the climate controls and sound system, its revised set of switches a huge improvement over the previous unit. Here again, readability has been enhanced by a change to white LEDs. Music lovers can move up from the basic system to Porsche Sound Package Plus, which somehow manages to fit in seven speakers, an external analog amplifier, two tweeters, a subwoofer in the instrument panel, and door-mounted woofers and subwoofers on each side. If that isn't enough to pound your eardrums into submission, consider the 11-speaker Bose surround sound system, which includes a seven-channel amplifier. Top-down enjoyment of your tunes isn't too badly compromised. Should finding your way around be an issue, fitting Porsche Communication Management ($2,640) makes sense. The nav system is now DVD-based via a separate module in the front trunk, which frees up the dash-mounted CD drive for music discs. And notice we said front" trunk. One of the Boxster's delights is stowage both fore and aft, with no compromise to the rear trunk's 4.6 cubic feet even when the top is stowed away. Unlike many other two-seaters, the Boxster can actually haul enough luggage for an extended road trip for two."
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