Peter Cee
New member
After many years of being a 911 owner, the unthinkable has happened "" let me tell you my story.
Like many of you, my love for 911's dates back to my childhood, and it was an ambition realised when in 1995 I finally got a beautiful 993 4S. This was followed by a more track biased 993 RS Clubsport and eventually (having scratched my track itch) after a brief flirtation with an SKL55AMG I ended up with a 997.1 Targa 4S.
I kind of thought that the Targa 4S was going to be a very long term ownership proposition, as it was absolutely ideal for its main purpose of road trips round Europe and weekends away in the UK and I was immensely happy with the car.
All this was to change following the events of a few weeks ago.
A friend of mine (let's call him Alan) has had two successive Cayman S's and as we toured Europe together we would often swap cars for a day just to feel the differences.
Every time I drove the Cayman I was aware of the beautifully balanced handling and controlled ride quality but I was always disappointed by it's lack of grunt "" although the car could be driven very quickly, I felt that it needed too much effort revving it through the gears, and for this reason much preferred the 911.
A few weeks ago Alan came round to see me in his new 2010 Boxster S "" for years I had been telling Alan that given the UK's congested roads (and a blanket 50mph speed limit in Derbyshire) the Boxster was probably the most logical choice on the basis that with the top down you can cruise along the lanes top down and still feel like you're enjoying it at 50mph.
Alan's new Boxster S was one of the latest models with the 310BHP DFI engine in it and had the PDK gearbox with steering wheel paddles plus chronosport and had standard suspension (no PASM).
With a smirk on his face Alan said "˜you've got to try it' "" and off we went for a blast round the local B roads in the two cars (911 & Boxster).
As we headed for the countryside in auto mode the Boxster felt pleasant enough but a bit sluggish on throttle response, so remembering Alan's instruction to try "˜sport' mode I pressed the button and floored the throttle as the first stretch of open B Road appeared.
What followed left me gobsmacked "" the car just picked up its skirts and ran, in a way that no Boxster should be able to do "" snicking though the gears in a lightening quick manner and keeping in the best part of the power band until we were well into the wrong side of three figures and I eased off.
It flew. Gradually it dawned on me that the damn thing was probably as fast as my own 911 in terms of acceleration.
What also was apparent was that on our local choppy B roads with dips, bumps and camber changes the Boxster was riding over these with a beautifully controlled and secure flowing ride "" I knew these roads well, and in the 911 the steering would be tugging gently to and fro and the nose bobbing a bit - but the Boxster was just so well balanced and confident that I'd swear you could go faster in it (and it felt noticeably better than Alan's previous PASM equipped Cayman)
As we approached my favourite hairpin I asked the wife to "˜ hang on as I'm just going to lean on the tyres a bit'. At this point I felt sure that the auto mode PDK would be the Achilles heel of the car and was getting ready to say "˜told you so "" not as good as a manual'
Hard on the brakes as we approached the corner, the car executes two perfect down changes (complete with throttle blips), as I see the exit from the corner appear I nail the throttle only to find that the engine is at the ideal part of the power band and the car surges out of the corner and executes a swift up change and again we are flying "" really I could not have done it better myself.
My first experience of an auto gearbox which does as good a job as a manual. - It felt like whoever had programmed it had exactly the same idea as to what gear to be in at each point on the road. I was deeply impressed.
Could a brand new Boxster S be as quick as a 3 year old 911 ? "" You bet.
During the next couple of days as I did some homework on it the figures reinforced the story.
Firstly power :
Targa 4S "" 355BHP@6600rpm, 1535kg, Power to weight 231BHP/ton
Boxster S "" 310BHP@6000rpm, 1380kg, Power to weight 225BHP/ton
Then torque :
Targa 4S "" 400NM@4600rpm, 1535kg, torque to weight 260NM/ton
Boxster S "" 360NM@4400rpm, 1380kg, torque to weight 260NM/ton
A big factor in the story is the fact that the Boxster is 155kg lighter, but for me the figures reinforced my perception that there was nothing in it between the two cars. I really think that with its latest version, Porsche have now taken the Boxster to a level where it now has a performance comparable with a 911.
A by product of the reduced weight and 7 speed box is the fact that the fuel consumption comparison for the two cars (on paper at least) is staggering :
Targa 4S : Extra Urban 23.9MPG
Boxster S : Extra Urban 42.8MPG (Over 250 miles extra range when nursing it !)
To put my money were my mouth is (and after comments from the wife about missing the full open top experience) I went out and traded the 911 against a new Boxster S.
Having had the car for two weeks now and been able to drive it on some great roads my opinion has only changed slightly. - I now feel that the Boxster is actually quicker than my old 911.
The slightly smaller size, perfectly balanced handling, and reduced weight mean it has a nimbleness and a delicacy which has to be experienced to be believed., and in some ways I think it is closer to the original 911 design ethos which has been corrupted over the years with the ever increasing bulk and move towards supercar type performance which has been evident in the more recent 911's.
I wonder how many other 911 owners have come to the same conclusion and voted with their feet ?
I can feel a new campaign coming on: "˜Boxster S "" The Thinking Man's 911'
Like many of you, my love for 911's dates back to my childhood, and it was an ambition realised when in 1995 I finally got a beautiful 993 4S. This was followed by a more track biased 993 RS Clubsport and eventually (having scratched my track itch) after a brief flirtation with an SKL55AMG I ended up with a 997.1 Targa 4S.
I kind of thought that the Targa 4S was going to be a very long term ownership proposition, as it was absolutely ideal for its main purpose of road trips round Europe and weekends away in the UK and I was immensely happy with the car.
All this was to change following the events of a few weeks ago.
A friend of mine (let's call him Alan) has had two successive Cayman S's and as we toured Europe together we would often swap cars for a day just to feel the differences.
Every time I drove the Cayman I was aware of the beautifully balanced handling and controlled ride quality but I was always disappointed by it's lack of grunt "" although the car could be driven very quickly, I felt that it needed too much effort revving it through the gears, and for this reason much preferred the 911.
A few weeks ago Alan came round to see me in his new 2010 Boxster S "" for years I had been telling Alan that given the UK's congested roads (and a blanket 50mph speed limit in Derbyshire) the Boxster was probably the most logical choice on the basis that with the top down you can cruise along the lanes top down and still feel like you're enjoying it at 50mph.
Alan's new Boxster S was one of the latest models with the 310BHP DFI engine in it and had the PDK gearbox with steering wheel paddles plus chronosport and had standard suspension (no PASM).
With a smirk on his face Alan said "˜you've got to try it' "" and off we went for a blast round the local B roads in the two cars (911 & Boxster).
As we headed for the countryside in auto mode the Boxster felt pleasant enough but a bit sluggish on throttle response, so remembering Alan's instruction to try "˜sport' mode I pressed the button and floored the throttle as the first stretch of open B Road appeared.
What followed left me gobsmacked "" the car just picked up its skirts and ran, in a way that no Boxster should be able to do "" snicking though the gears in a lightening quick manner and keeping in the best part of the power band until we were well into the wrong side of three figures and I eased off.
It flew. Gradually it dawned on me that the damn thing was probably as fast as my own 911 in terms of acceleration.
What also was apparent was that on our local choppy B roads with dips, bumps and camber changes the Boxster was riding over these with a beautifully controlled and secure flowing ride "" I knew these roads well, and in the 911 the steering would be tugging gently to and fro and the nose bobbing a bit - but the Boxster was just so well balanced and confident that I'd swear you could go faster in it (and it felt noticeably better than Alan's previous PASM equipped Cayman)
As we approached my favourite hairpin I asked the wife to "˜ hang on as I'm just going to lean on the tyres a bit'. At this point I felt sure that the auto mode PDK would be the Achilles heel of the car and was getting ready to say "˜told you so "" not as good as a manual'
Hard on the brakes as we approached the corner, the car executes two perfect down changes (complete with throttle blips), as I see the exit from the corner appear I nail the throttle only to find that the engine is at the ideal part of the power band and the car surges out of the corner and executes a swift up change and again we are flying "" really I could not have done it better myself.
My first experience of an auto gearbox which does as good a job as a manual. - It felt like whoever had programmed it had exactly the same idea as to what gear to be in at each point on the road. I was deeply impressed.
Could a brand new Boxster S be as quick as a 3 year old 911 ? "" You bet.
During the next couple of days as I did some homework on it the figures reinforced the story.
Firstly power :
Targa 4S "" 355BHP@6600rpm, 1535kg, Power to weight 231BHP/ton
Boxster S "" 310BHP@6000rpm, 1380kg, Power to weight 225BHP/ton
Then torque :
Targa 4S "" 400NM@4600rpm, 1535kg, torque to weight 260NM/ton
Boxster S "" 360NM@4400rpm, 1380kg, torque to weight 260NM/ton
A big factor in the story is the fact that the Boxster is 155kg lighter, but for me the figures reinforced my perception that there was nothing in it between the two cars. I really think that with its latest version, Porsche have now taken the Boxster to a level where it now has a performance comparable with a 911.
A by product of the reduced weight and 7 speed box is the fact that the fuel consumption comparison for the two cars (on paper at least) is staggering :
Targa 4S : Extra Urban 23.9MPG
Boxster S : Extra Urban 42.8MPG (Over 250 miles extra range when nursing it !)
To put my money were my mouth is (and after comments from the wife about missing the full open top experience) I went out and traded the 911 against a new Boxster S.
Having had the car for two weeks now and been able to drive it on some great roads my opinion has only changed slightly. - I now feel that the Boxster is actually quicker than my old 911.
The slightly smaller size, perfectly balanced handling, and reduced weight mean it has a nimbleness and a delicacy which has to be experienced to be believed., and in some ways I think it is closer to the original 911 design ethos which has been corrupted over the years with the ever increasing bulk and move towards supercar type performance which has been evident in the more recent 911's.
I wonder how many other 911 owners have come to the same conclusion and voted with their feet ?
I can feel a new campaign coming on: "˜Boxster S "" The Thinking Man's 911'
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