http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/porsche/boxster
We'd be lying if we said we could feel the benefit of the new Boxster S's extra 5bhp. Even though it's 9bhp per tonne once you account for the weight saving, it's still a negligible performance gain "" mostly because the allotment of torque is unchanged.
But then the Boxster S wasn't, and isn't, a car in need of more get up and go. Porsche's lightning-quick optional PDK gearbox and amazingly effective launch control system make this a very rapid car from a standstill. The Audi TT RS coupé we tested in 2010, with its significant power, torque and traction advantages, was no faster through either 60mph or 100mph. Or to put it another way, the 911 3.4 we tested a few months ago (a manual without launch control) was a tenth slower than this car to 60mph and would need a full quarter of a mile before hauling in its little brother.
Flexibility, response and creamy smoothness are key to the motive appeal of the car's flat six. You can rev this turbine masterpiece beyond 7500rpm without the faintest complaint, and once above 5000rpm it's as potent as any motor in the class.
We'd be lying if we said we could feel the benefit of the new Boxster S's extra 5bhp. Even though it's 9bhp per tonne once you account for the weight saving, it's still a negligible performance gain "" mostly because the allotment of torque is unchanged.
But then the Boxster S wasn't, and isn't, a car in need of more get up and go. Porsche's lightning-quick optional PDK gearbox and amazingly effective launch control system make this a very rapid car from a standstill. The Audi TT RS coupé we tested in 2010, with its significant power, torque and traction advantages, was no faster through either 60mph or 100mph. Or to put it another way, the 911 3.4 we tested a few months ago (a manual without launch control) was a tenth slower than this car to 60mph and would need a full quarter of a mile before hauling in its little brother.
Flexibility, response and creamy smoothness are key to the motive appeal of the car's flat six. You can rev this turbine masterpiece beyond 7500rpm without the faintest complaint, and once above 5000rpm it's as potent as any motor in the class.
