New Boxster more mature
While some people think that owning a Boxster is admitting you couldn’t afford a 911, Porsche’s sales trends prove that there’s room for both models in the world. For me, being able to have 97 per cent of the fun with fewer risks, while spending less than 60 percent of the outlay is worth noting too, plus you get a power roof thrown in.
The previous Boxster wasn’t a heavy car and was never unwieldy but new 2013 entrypoint Porsche has been put on a weight-saving programme anyway, with an aluminium body, all manner of lighter materials under the skin and a pair of reworked flat-six power units.
As with the recentlylaunched 991 series, 911 model, Porsche has also given the mid-engined Boxster a windscreen whose base starts much further forward, giving the glass a gentler, shallower rake, while the cleaner lines of the aluminium body imbue the car with a much more mature appearance. So much so, that the company’s least expensive car now looks like a downscale rendering of Porsche’s only other recent mid-engined car: the V10 Carrera GT.
Improved space for the car’s occupants are a by-product of the car’s longer wheelbase and wider-set tracks, while a new power hood has been designed for the car. It’s simpler, takes up less space when stowed and doesn’t need a lid when its folded.
We’re not yet privy to the specific increases in the car’s dimensions and neither have we been able to put a number on the kilograms that the new aluminium body will have saved over the previous allsteel item.
Full details of the car’s changes will be made available closer to its official launch at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The base Boxster has a 200cc smaller 2.7-litre flat-six now, though it produces 7.5kw more at 198kw and can reach the 0-100kmh sprint in 5.4 seconds. The
Boxster S retains its old capacity of 3.4-litres but gains 4kw at 235kw for a 0-100kmh time of 4.7 seconds. Both engines are available with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, while a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission can be optioned.
Slightly disappointing is the fact that Porsche didn’t announce its long-awaited flat four turbo engine but it’s thought that after the leak of the rest of the car’s specification and design changes, it was a good idea to leave something for the Geneva show.
We’ll keep you posted.