A groovy convertible
Porsche 718 Boxster has beautiful curves
When it comes to Porsche, familiarity normally goes to the thought of a 911 Carrera. But with additional models in the fleet, a smaller, more affordable option now presents itself. The 718 Boxster GTS pulls into Grasso’s Garage for this week’s tester.
Although in Aventurine Green, or Army green as I like to call it, we recognize a really fun canvas convertible top automobile and all we can think about is fun in the sun.
With a six-speed manual transmission and a dualmass flywheel shared with the 911 GT3, the Porsche 718 Boxster GTS comes with a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine, that provides 394 horsepower, which is 44 more than the 718 Boxster S, and 309 lb.-ft. of torque. A Lot of good statistics here and also a great zero-to-60 time of 4.3 seconds.
After all of that being said, the exterior boasts some gorgeous curvatures. As beautiful of a vehicle as this drop top convertible is, we had to take this up to Mohonk Mountain House in nearby New Paltz, New York. Established in 1869, this Victorian castle resort is the highlight of the Hudson Valley. Only 90 miles north of New York City, Mohonk has over 40,000 acres of pristine forest land, 265 guestrooms and 138 fireplaces. A breathtaking experience for site-seeing lovers and hikers abound while a drooling backdrop ensemble for the 718 Boxster GTS.
On the interior, we witnessed a slightly dated infoas tainment system, unlike similar SUV testers recently, but one that worked well, positioned correctly, and was easy to use. The Navigation system, for an additional $2,320, was well worth it on our trip to Mohonk and was very easy to use. The inclusive Bose Surround Sound System was crisp, even with the top down. Adaptive sports seats with memory were comfortable and hugged you perfectly on our weeklong test.
Riding on 20 inch Sport wheels, painted in Satin Platinum, we realized that the ride of the 718 is smooth to a tee. Its Sport Exhaust System is shared with the Spyder and Cayman as well the Sports Chrono Package and was nice and throaty. The braking system on the GTS model is worth mentioning also. With a 350 mm front rotor diameter and 330 mm rear rotor diameter; the Boxster GTS had no problems slowing and stopping. Keep in mind, this is over 20mm larger than the sister S model which really fills the spoke wheels nicely.
When it comes to Porsche, what more can we say? They build outstanding vehicles, both in convertible and SUV form. Although the 718 Boxster GTS is small, it doesn’t lack in the fun category. In fact, it was so much fun, we anticipate a 718 in the Grasso Garage Stable in the near future. Maybe even another visit to Mohonk Mountain House, but this time, with my own vanity license plate on it.