dolce guide road tested the new 295 BHP Porsche Boxster S model and took it for a test drive from Malaga to Ronda along the stunning Ronda road to see what it was capable of.

I have to admit to being a bit biased. I believe that Porsche manufactures the best all round sports cars in the world. How's that for a bold statement? Porsche's are reliable, beautifully engineered and real drivers cars. When comparing performance cars from a purely monetary point of view the competition is almost always more powerful in the engine department. What makes Porsches special is their perfect blend of luxury, engineering, performance and reliability. I owned a 2000 model Boxster S in the UK for a couple of years. It was a terrific car to own and drive. It started every day, never had any major problems and made my daily commute to work enjoyable. When the opportunity arose to review the 2008 Boxster S I was curious to see how it would differ from my 2000 Boxster S.

First Impressions

When you jump into the car you can immediately feel the high levels of quality and finish. Whilst the original Boxster had a nice interior, the new model has certainly improved. Everything from the seats to the switch gear has a high quality feel to it. The car feels refined when on the road and I didn’t notice any annoying rattles or squeaks that can drive you to insanity! The soft top is of a very high quality, it keeps rain and noise out very well and comes down automatically at the touch of a button. 

Boxster History

The Boxster model 986 was originally released in 1997 with a 2.5 litre engine putting out 205 BHP (Brake Horse Power) and was immediately well received. It was universally accepted that the Boxster could do with more power, in the year 2000 prayers were answered and the Boxster S model was launched with a larger 3.2L engine and 252 BHP. The standard Boxster engine was also increased to 2.7L putting out 217 BHP. In 2002 the power output was increased yet again to 262 BHP (Boxster S) & 220 BHP (Boxster). In 2005 the all new Boxster and Boxster S models were released.


The Engine

The Boxster S now has a 3.4L engine putting out 295 BHP. To put that into some perspective, the Porsche 911 (996 series launched in 1998) had a 3.4L engine generating 300 BHP. This means the new Boxster S has about the same power output as the 911 had just a few years ago. The car certainly feels powerful, it isn’t fast in a scary way like a Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin DBS or 911 Turbo but fast enough to keep you more than satisfied. There is plenty of grunt and whenever you need to overtake you can do so with confidence. My only surprise was that the car didn’t feel any quicker than the old model although the sales manager at Porsche Center Malaga assured me that it has a higher top speed and is a little quicker from 0 to 100kmh. This new 987 Boxster S Tiptronic does 0-100kmh in 6.1 seconds, the manual model will do zero to 100 KMH in 5.4 seconds, the 2000 model Boxster S with a manual gearbox reached 60 MPH in 5.9 seconds. Porsche has somehow managed to make the new engines more powerful, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly compared to the previous models. Enjoying sports cars and saving trees, now there’s a thought!

Sound Effects

The engine has a lovely deep note and feels refined. Drop a gear, put the pedal to the metal and you experience a glorious ‘bark’ in your left ear. The engine sounds so good that I hardly paid any attention to the 1400€ Bose sound option. Cruising at normal motorway speeds the noise in the cockpit is minimal and you are able to have a normal conversation with your passenger.  

Handling

The Boxster has always been a car that handles terrifically well; it has physics and years of Porsche engineering on its side. Being a mid engined sports car it has a perfect balance. I took it along the windy and picturesque Ronda road that weaves its way through the mountains from San Pedro de Alcantara to the historic mountain village of Ronda about 44 kms away. The scenery is spectacular and the entire drive is made up of sweeping bends and short straights that are a favorite for serious motor bikers. Wanting to the give the car back in one piece and being on public roads it wasn’t possible to test the handling limits of the car however driving somewhat ‘enthusiastically’ you do get a very good idea of the Boxster’s awesome capabilities. Gently point the car into the corner, give it some gas and enjoy the feeling. It’s confidence inspiring, even if you aren’t a racing driver you somehow feel like one.

To tip or not to tip

My review car was a Tiptronic model. This is an automatic model with the option to manually change gears using + and – switches on the steering wheel. I admit to being old school. I have always favored sports cars with manual transmissions over their automatic counterparts. On the Boxster S model you have the choice of the standard 6 speed manual or the 3,000€ five speed Tiptronic option.  

One of my objectives was to see if a Tiptronic was as much fun and as involving as a traditional manual gearshift. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Once you get the hang of changing gear using the buttons on the steering wheel you can have plenty of fun with the car. The gear changes were smooth with little or no noticeable delay in gear change. My advice would be to go for the Tiptronic option if you live in a busy city with lots of traffic as you have the best of both worlds by being able to switch between manual and fully automatic modes. Living in Andalucia with the lovely open roads the manual would be the option for me although the summer traffic in Marbella could be a bit annoying for a few weeks. Who really cares when the top is down and you’re sitting in a gorgeous Porsche with the sun on your face.

Comfort

The ride was surprisingly comfortable bearing in mind it is a sports car with a firm suspension and sits on 18” alloy wheels with low profile tyres. I drove the Boxster S on various road surfaces to get a good feel and found the ride comfort never suffered. You can drive this car every day without a problem. The seats are very good and hug you well going into corners. The only negative thing I could say is that after a couple of hours of driving I did feel a slight ache on my lower back however it would take a lot more than that to put me off buying one. 

Practicality

In terms of practicality you can only carry a single passenger as there are no back seats, not very family friendly but then you don’t buy a car like this to shuttle your family around do you? There is plenty of storage space as you have a deep boot at the front (where the engine goes in a normal car) and a wider but shallower one in the back. There is plenty of space to put your golf clubs, shopping or overnight bags. 

Prices and Availability

The Boxster S model starts at 61,230€ and has quite a reasonable delivery time of three months. My review car provided by Porsche Centre Malaga had some extras such as Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) which allows you to adjust the firmness and sportiness of the suspension, a special GT Silver paint colour, natural leather seats, xenon lights, Porsche crests on the headrests, the Tiptronic option, a fire extinguisher, an advanced internal alarm system, climate control, parking sensors, the Bose sound system and soft look leather seats that took the price up to 76,800€. If you are unable to stretch your budget to the price of a new one there are great deals available on the 1997 - 2005 Boxster models on the second hand market at prices between 20,000€ - 40,000€. If you can afford a new model go for it as it’s worth the extra.

The Hunt for Negatives

For reasons of journalistic integrity I felt obligated to see if I could find any negative points and I struggled. Aside from the slight lower back pain I would say that the prices of extra options can seem a bit steep and it can be a bit tricky when reversing with the soft top up as rear visibility is a bit limited although the parking sensor option helps. The fact I had to really look for things to complain about says it all.  

The Good and the Great

There are average cars that are quite sporty, good sports cars and great sports cars. I would happily put the Boxster S into the great sports car category. Sure there are cars with more power out there for less money but as an overall package the Boxster S is hard to beat. It is a car that delivers exactly what you would expect and more. It has a feeling of quality and it knows what it is. It is a superb roadster that is getting even better with age and in my opinion still one of the best roadsters on the market today.

The Verdict

We live in a world where people are getting increasingly stressed and sometimes don’t or can’t take some time out enjoy life’s little pleasures. Reviewing the Porsche Boxster S really reminded me of how much fun you can have on a lovely sunny day with a great convertible sports car and the open road ahead of you. As Ferris Bueller said in the 80’s cult movie ‘Ferris Buellers Day Off’ – “life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it”. I stopped, looked around and thoroughly enjoyed the Porsche Boxster S for a day; it wasn’t a day off but pretty close!

Centro Porsche Malaga:

Edificio Guarnieri, Avda. Velazquez, 470, 29004, Malaga, Spain. Tel. 902 530 216. Fax. 951 011 756.  www.guarnieri.es

For more information on the Porsche Boxster S you can also visit the official Porsche website at www.porsche.com

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