The Best Boxster Yet
We’ve bashed the Boxster on these very pages. Never for its ability to devour roads but because complete cocks usually sit in them. A new iteration has been released and we’ve driven it- let’s just hope the hefty pricetag puts off the plumsacks.
Say “Porsche Boxster” to anyone and we’d bet good money their first reaction would be “the poor man’s Porsche”. A reasonable statement if we were conversing in 1996 but things have changed, the latest installment is as sporty, as sexy and as desirable as anything in the extensive Porsche line-up.
The new Boxster sits 10mm lower (13mm if you opt for the S version) and borrows styling cues from the awesome Carrera GT supercar. We’re talking giant air vents in the doorsills, muscular rear wheel arches and massive 19-inch alloys that add to the increasingly dramatic road presence. This motor looks like it means business.
We spent most of our time in the 3.4 litre, 315bhp Boxster S- a raspy little engine that’s capable of clipping the 60mph mark in less than 4.8 seconds. Thanks to a lightweight and brilliantly rigid chassis, this thing hunkers down and sticks to the road like No More Nails and offers the same gurning performance as cars with twice the power.
The interior is a lovely place to be, with enough sporty touches to set out its stool but not so harsh it becomes uncomfortable. Buyer beware; the chasm between a base model and a fully-loaded version is dramatic. Alcantara and leather is swapped for plastics and basic fabrics, the cool mode-illuminated steering wheel disappears along with the chrono clock and you can kiss goodbye to easy auxiliary connection for your tunes… that’s an extra £500!
And that’s the kicker. Spec the powerful ‘S’ machine up and it will set you back nearly £50,000- that’s heading towards Jaguar XK, BMW M3 and the more powerful Porsche Cayman S territory. A tough choice for anyone with money to burn. But that’s the point, the Boxster is no longer the runt of the litter, it’s a car with its own personality that can stand shoulder to shoulder with its more powerful brothers.
Plus, the price tag is bound to put off estate agents with enough bonus for a sports car-shaped treat. They’ll have to stick with Z4′s… and that’s totally fine by us.
