- Editor:
- G.R. Whale
- Price As Tested:
- $76,780
“Redesigned, featuring new engines, transmissions.”
The heart of a Boxster, by location and soul, is the engine placed low in between the seats and rear wheels. Keeping mass low and between the wheels rather than over one end or the other is the simplest way to build in two key sports car traits: balance and a low center of gravity.
Both engines are new for 2009, equipped with direct injection and further build on Porsche's reputation for smooth, rev-happy, flat-six engines. The Boxster now uses a 2.9-liter of 255 hp and the S model's 3.4 has been bumped to 310 hp: On the S model that equates to less than 10 pounds per horsepower.
Twist the key and the high-compression, direct-injection engines bristle to life with an eager note unlike any other engine configuration. Throttle response is immediate, the mechanical whirring so fine and light it sounds like something you could hold in your hand. Like every Porsche flat-six these engines do their best work at higher revs and deliver a haunting sound, yet they are large enough you can drive sedately and quietly maintaining pace.
Porsche quotes the 0-60 mph sprint in 5.6 seconds for the Boxster manual and 5.0 for the S and top speeds of 163 and 170 respectively; PDK transmissions are quicker by one-to-three-tenths depending on shift mode and give up 1 mph top speed. And Porsche's data are generally quite conservative.
The same efficiency that makes the PDK quicker also makes it more economical at 20/29 mpg for the S, making it one of very few cars that will reach 60 in less than five seconds, run almost 170 mph and push 30 mpg on the highway.
For 2009 both Boxsters use a six-speed manual transmission as standard and as you'd expect it delivers quick, crisp, error-free gear changes without heavy effort in the clutch or shifter. The marriage between throttle, clutch, and shifter in a Porsche is among the best, if not the best, in production cars, and those groomed on doing everything with opposable thumbs would do well to try using their feet as well.
However, while the manual is an excellent choice, many enthusiasts might prefer the optional automated transmission. True, the PDK has no clutch pedal and can be driven like a conventional automatic, but it isn't. The seven-speed gearbox is a double-clutch design where the transmission controls the clutch actuation based on numerous inputs; Audi, BMW, Nissan, and VW all have similar gearboxes.
PDK can execute a gear change in milliseconds, faster than a human and faster than most can push the button. Yet the changes are so well orchestrated there's no harshness or roughness to them, and only what seems the slightest hiccup from the tailpipe. PDK offers a standard mode and two sport modes, and engaging either sport mode automatically changes the adjustable suspension (if equipped) to sport as well, but that can be switched off for conditions where you'd like the quicker powertrain reaction and shifting without the firmer ride. The only PDK negatives are price (add $3420), an extra 64 pounds of mass, and adapting to the behavior at maneuvering speeds.
Regardless of how your Boxster gets going, stopping will never be an issue. Porsche's brake systems are among the best. Relatively speaking they are moderate in size because the cars aren't heavy, and they are more than capable of retarding everything the engine can motivate. There's no artificial bite when you apply the pedal and just a quick brush will smoothly erase some speed, but push hard and the car will stop flat, stable and quickly.
Porsche's composite ceramic brakes (PCCB) may be ordered on the Boxster S. This upgrade, set off by its yellow calipers, delivers superb braking and gives the added benefit of reducing unsprung mass by nearly 35 pounds and thereby bettering ride and handling. PCCB lists for $8,150, but over the long run will likely require less frequent brake service.
Steering action is precise and fluid; it telegraphs information about how the front tires are reacting with the road without kickback and vibration. Effort is just right, not the artificially heavy feel of many performance cars but rather a lighter feel delicate enough to keep the car poised and going where you want. The Boxster will reward a smooth driver, yet not punish a bad one to the extent an early 911 would.
The suspension is designed to stick the car to the road while maintaining ride comfort for journeys longer than pit stop to pit stop. Relatively light parts translate to more precise control of those parts, and the Boxster gets through the bumps well, only becoming less than comfortable on repeating expansion joints.
When equipped with the adjustable PASM suspension you can improve both extremes. Ride comfort is very compliant, even on 19-inch wheels and rubber-band tires, but the press of a button tightens up the rates such that a smooth road gets as tight as a miser's wallet and bad roads get miserable. Unless you live in a driver's haven, the standard PASM setting will often produce the best results simply because most roads aren't as good as most racetracks.
A Boxster is nearly perfectly balanced and the stability control programmed so that you can enjoy that balance without intervention; it will mitigate potential problems if you mistakenly believe you belong to a racing dynasty. You can fling it about with relative abandon and it won't bite back too hard, or you can waltz it around the bends gracefully, showing that classics never go out of style, they just go faster.
There are a few cars that might go better than a Boxster (perhaps a BMW Z4 twin-turbo), fewer yet that will stop and go through corner after corner like one (perhaps a Lotus Exige). But it's the synergy of all those elements put together, combined with the marvelous soundtrack and everyday comfort, that make the Boxster the more rewarding drive.
