http://www.topgear.com/jsp/individualRoadTest.jsp?&carType=new&mCode=D3&rCode=A5&mDesc=Porsche&rDesc=Boxster&roadTestNumber=06.html
There's a reason why the new Porsche Boxster looks so much like the old one. The disguise of complete familiarity seems to have been employed by Porsche's design department, to distract from just how close this car has evolved to the more exclusive 911.
For all of those people who could only contemplate owning this entry-level 2.7-litre Boxster instead, there are reasons for considerable smugness. Externally, the doors, wheels, bonnet and wing mirrors are all plucked straight from the latest generation 911.
Attack the thing with a set of spanners and you'll find the similarities stretch far further. Most of the electronic systems, for instance, are identical. As in the 911, PSM (Porsche Stability Management) and air-conditioning are now standard, even though the basic Boxster's £32,320 price tag is unchanged. Find £1,426 extra for the Sport Pack and one of the new 911's party tricks also becomes available: Porsche Active Suspension Management, or PASM (does the Boxster S gets S-PASM?). Via the prod of a button this firms up the dampers, reins in the point at which the stability widgetry cuts in and very subtly increases the aggression of the throttle response. With a reduction in body roll matched to the pay-off of an increase in ride harshness, you'll need to find a very smooth road to feel the true benefits.
On its standard settings the Boxster is impressive enough, flowing slickly through combinations of corners and over broken surfaces. Steering feedback is more intense than in a BMW Z4, with overall tautness and agility out-witting the Mercedes SLK. With the engine mounted close to the centre of the car, the handling is arguably even better balanced than a current 911's too.
The Sport Pack also includes the addition of a six-speed manual gearbox... yes, as you will also find in a 911. This replaces the basic Boxster's five-speeder, with a snappy action and ratios that are well spaced for sharp acceleration away from a standstill followed by low-revs, high-speed cruising.
The six-speed gearbox is a fine match for the refettled engine. Of course, this still has six horizontally-opposed cylinders (go on, think of another car with that same configuration) and has now received a 12bhp boost to a sizeable 240bhp.
And in practice, that's plenty enough. Expect a consistent surge of acceleration, rounded off with an extra lunge from 5,000rpm upwards. Sound levels are increased appropriately too, with the engine note now transforming from a background whine to a deep yowl as the right pedal is pushed into the floor. Again, much like in a 911.
There's one last piece of swappery between the starter and flagship Porsches to be mentioned. For £507 extra, a 'Sport Chrono' can be perched on the redesigned dash. This is a glorified stopwatch, with the ability to record sets of lap-times - use it at a track day, or attempt to resist mapping out your own personal on-road circuit.
Of course, such a gadget isn't strictly necessary to indicate how much you'll have enjoyed driving this car. Just wait for the ache in your facial muscles to set in instead.
We say: A timid redesign, but don't ignore the Boxster. You're looking at the (real) world's finest sports car
Price: £32,320
On your drive for: £tbc pcm
Performance: 0-62mph in 6.2secs, max speed 159mph, 29.6mpg
Tech: 2687cc flat-six, RWD, 240bhp, 199lb ft, 1295kg, 229g/km CO2
There's a reason why the new Porsche Boxster looks so much like the old one. The disguise of complete familiarity seems to have been employed by Porsche's design department, to distract from just how close this car has evolved to the more exclusive 911.
For all of those people who could only contemplate owning this entry-level 2.7-litre Boxster instead, there are reasons for considerable smugness. Externally, the doors, wheels, bonnet and wing mirrors are all plucked straight from the latest generation 911.
Attack the thing with a set of spanners and you'll find the similarities stretch far further. Most of the electronic systems, for instance, are identical. As in the 911, PSM (Porsche Stability Management) and air-conditioning are now standard, even though the basic Boxster's £32,320 price tag is unchanged. Find £1,426 extra for the Sport Pack and one of the new 911's party tricks also becomes available: Porsche Active Suspension Management, or PASM (does the Boxster S gets S-PASM?). Via the prod of a button this firms up the dampers, reins in the point at which the stability widgetry cuts in and very subtly increases the aggression of the throttle response. With a reduction in body roll matched to the pay-off of an increase in ride harshness, you'll need to find a very smooth road to feel the true benefits.
On its standard settings the Boxster is impressive enough, flowing slickly through combinations of corners and over broken surfaces. Steering feedback is more intense than in a BMW Z4, with overall tautness and agility out-witting the Mercedes SLK. With the engine mounted close to the centre of the car, the handling is arguably even better balanced than a current 911's too.
The Sport Pack also includes the addition of a six-speed manual gearbox... yes, as you will also find in a 911. This replaces the basic Boxster's five-speeder, with a snappy action and ratios that are well spaced for sharp acceleration away from a standstill followed by low-revs, high-speed cruising.
The six-speed gearbox is a fine match for the refettled engine. Of course, this still has six horizontally-opposed cylinders (go on, think of another car with that same configuration) and has now received a 12bhp boost to a sizeable 240bhp.
And in practice, that's plenty enough. Expect a consistent surge of acceleration, rounded off with an extra lunge from 5,000rpm upwards. Sound levels are increased appropriately too, with the engine note now transforming from a background whine to a deep yowl as the right pedal is pushed into the floor. Again, much like in a 911.
There's one last piece of swappery between the starter and flagship Porsches to be mentioned. For £507 extra, a 'Sport Chrono' can be perched on the redesigned dash. This is a glorified stopwatch, with the ability to record sets of lap-times - use it at a track day, or attempt to resist mapping out your own personal on-road circuit.
Of course, such a gadget isn't strictly necessary to indicate how much you'll have enjoyed driving this car. Just wait for the ache in your facial muscles to set in instead.
We say: A timid redesign, but don't ignore the Boxster. You're looking at the (real) world's finest sports car
Price: £32,320
On your drive for: £tbc pcm
Performance: 0-62mph in 6.2secs, max speed 159mph, 29.6mpg
Tech: 2687cc flat-six, RWD, 240bhp, 199lb ft, 1295kg, 229g/km CO2
