More focused version of 718 Boxster
Our verdict on ‘pure’ version of sporty roadster
JUST as the old Porsche 911 gained a T (for Touring) model – a pure driver’s car with a more basic specification – now it’s the 718 Boxster’s turn to be ‘Teed’.
According to Porsche, the T is “pared back to the bare essentials”, so you get features such as cloth door pulls instead of metal handles, as well as the brand’s narrower, 360mm-diameter GT Sport steering wheel. Elsewhere, the infotainment is replaced by a cubbyhole in the dash, although it’s a no-cost option to reinstate it, and most buyers probably will.
There are many more key specification and engineering tweaks to back up any boasts about driver enjoyment, though. The 718 Boxster T also sits 20mm lower than the standard car on Porsche Adaptive Suspension Management two-mode dampers, 10mm lower than a standard model with optional PASM, and it also features adaptive engine mounts, a mechanical diff with torque vectoring, and the desirable Sport Chrono pack.
This adds Sport, Sport Plus and Individual driving modes alongside the default setting – it’ll also blip the throttle for you on downshifts in the first two settings, even in the manual car – and a halfwayhouse PSM Sport choice for the stability control so you can indulge in the Boxster’s beautiful balance with the reassurance of a (slightly looser) safety net.
“The six-speed manual is a brilliant box, with a positive, precise action”
Turbocharged
The engine is the same as the standard 718’s, so there’s 296bhp and 380Nm of torque from the 2.0-litre turbocharged flatfour. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is available as an option, but given the T’s focus, and our experiences with the PDKequipped Cayman T, the six-speed manual is more fitting. It’s a brilliant box, with a positive, precise action and just the right weighting to the shorter-than-standard lever’s throw.
It also adds an extra layer of engagement, which is welcome, because the usual 718 problem is still apparent here: the engine. It’s distinctive, but isn’t the most sonorous or soulful unit – and while the transmission is great, the ratios still feel too long.
Or maybe it’s that while the motor revs beyond 7,000rpm, it takes some time to get there and never feels like it really kicks. It’s very linear and predictable once you get through an initial period of lag lower down, but even with a sports exhaust, it burbles, grumbles and drones its way to the rev limiter. When you get there, you’ll be glad of the manual box to punctuate progress.
While traction and straight-line performance are good, the T is more about exploring its brilliant handling. Every area of the chassis feels perfectly matched, which makes you feel well connected to the car. The steering has a delightful weight and rate of response. You always know how much lock to add or take away to trim your line in a corner; it’s possible to do so with the throttle, because the torque vectoring and differential turn it noticeably on the way out of second-gear bends.
The damping is superb and there’s as much grip, and therefore stability, as you’d
“The damping is superb and there’s as much grip as you’d ever need in a road car”
ever need in a road car. In Normal mode there’s compliance, and even with the roof down, chassis flex is rarely detectable – and only ever over really badly scarred roads.
It’s clear the 718 feels tauter in Sport mode, but this doesn’t affect composure. The Boxster T just feels poised, more rigid in its vertical movement and a little more incisive, but not much less comfortable. Given the focus on involvement, it’s a surprisingly usable model; refinement is good, although with big 20-inch alloys as standard, you do get plenty of tyre noise.
It doesn’t deviate from the Boxster blueprint in this respect, so with a total of 275 litres of luggage space split between the front and rear boots, and claimed fuel economy of 32.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 187g/km, it should be about as easy to live with as two-seater roadsters come.