2005 Porsche Boxster Review

Specifications

Resetting the Roadster Benchmark

Just what is a benchmark? Technically, its something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged. Porsches Boxster has been a benchmark in the roadster class since its inception in model year 1997. Its been given incremental power upgrades over the years, and Porsche improved it even further in its 2003 model year by adding a glass rear window and styling tweaks, but eight years of service is a seriously long tenure even for a benchmark car.

Now there are more premium roadsters on the market than ever before, including the usual suspects such as Audis upgraded TT roadster, BMWs new Z4, Hondas refined S2000, and Mercedes-Benz all-new SLK. A little more unusual is Chryslers previous version Mercedes SLK-derived Crossfire Roadster, while Nissan makes a good case for premium status with its ultra-quick 350Z Roadster.

So where do all these roadster rivals leave Porsches entry-level sports car? After spending a day in three examples of the all-new 2005 Boxster, romping around some of the most engaging roads Ive ever encountered in my writing career (from Quail Lodge in Monterey, California, down Carmel Valley Road, along the G17, a short run on the 101, a quick dogleg on Front St. to the CA-146 and then left onto the CA-25 to Pinnacles National Monument) and Im more entrenched in the German automakers camp than ever before.

Whats got me sold? Well, I didnt really have to be sold, as the previous Boxster was already a favorite in this segment, but like most cars it wasnt perfect. I never felt its interior plastics quality was up to scratch, and its audio head unit and climate control system werent the easiest to use. Its switchgear was also second rate compared to top-tier competitors, shift linkage a little notchy, clutch a touch challenging to operate smoothly, at least at first, and ride a little on the rough side. Still, I loved it. It fit my 5 foot 8 inch frame like a glove, although Ive never heard complaints about cramped quarters from taller drivers. Its pedal, shift lever and steering wheel placement was second to none, and few cars were as enjoyable to drive, whether moving slowly through traffic or tackling rollercoaster-like backroads.

The 2005 Boxster is better in every way. Personally I really like the revised styling, which separates it more succinctly from the 911 than the previous model. I should mention here that the new car is not merely an updated 2004 model, in the manner that Porsche modified its 2003 Boxster over the first-generation car. Rather, only 20 percent of the 2004 version is carried over to the 2005.

Porsche parked a 2004 Boxster right beside a 2005 version to make this point crystal clear. Thats when we were given a technical presentation by two Zuffenhausen engineers that we journalists nicknamed Hans and Franz, because their near identical lilting German accents sounded so similar to the hilarious Saturday Night Live characters that we expected them to blurt out, “We really pumped it up,” when talking about the cars improved performance. While one of the more entertaining technical tours I can remember, the two engineers filled us full of details that if included in this review would easily fill an entire magazine, let alone the few pages allotted to me in this publication. Therefore Ill keep it brief. The 2005 car features a new front fascia, new headlights, a new hood, taller front and rear fenders, revised rocker panels, new rear clip with better integration of the restyled taillamps, a larger side window area, and thats merely cosmetic - well other than the benefits of increased torsional rigidity and a lower coefficient of drag of 0.29 for the base and 0.30 for the S, rather than the 2004 cars 0.31 for the base and 0.32 for the S. On front and rear axle lift is decreased too, while the new car features enhanced engine and brake cooling.

The interior changes run deeper than those on the outside, however. In actuality its an entirely different car inside, at least aesthetically. Plastics quality is now amongst the best in class, metallic trim is attractive and not overdone, while switchgear is superb, the center stack is wonderfully put together and laid out much more logically than the previous car, with a completely revised audio system that is now extremely easy to use and equally enjoyable to listen too, and an automatic climate control system that is also user friendly and thoroughly effective. The seats are also otherworldly comfortable yet fully supportive.

I tested a Boxster in base and S trim, off the rack so to speak, and then an S with the optional full-leather package. This covers the dash, console, door panels, center console lid, sunvisors and more with high-grade leather, for an extremely high-end luxury appearance and tactile experience. While I would find it hard to pass this option up, now that the interior is upgraded in base form theres not as much reason to spring the big bucks needed for the full leather upgrade. All surfaces in the base car are nice to the touch, softer than the previous Boxsters hard shell plastics and featuring upscale grained effects.

You can customize the interior too, with one of four steering wheels, one of five seats and no doubt carbon fiber or aluminum trim. The standard steering wheel is already a premium three-spoke wheel, but some might rather have the slightly smaller diameter sport wheel with its unique circular hub. Alternatively a multi-function wheel is available, featuring buttons to actuate just about every feature the car has. Last on the steering wheel list is the Tiptronic wheel, which replaces the multi-function wheels myriad of switches with two transmission shifting toggles at the 9 oclock and 3 oclock thumb positions. Personally, due to having smaller hands, I prefer the paddle shifters of the Audi TT 3.2 DSG, for instance.

Well actually, despite the improvements made to the Tiptronic S I prefer the entire DSG sequential manual transmission, but then again Id opt for the manual over either in a heartbeat, and Audi doesnt yet offer its top-tier TT with a manual, believe it or not. But I dont want to make this review a direct comparison to segment rivals, as the list of roadsters that compete with the Boxster is too long to go into sufficient detail about each particular difference.

Back to what makes the Boxster stand out in this playful crowd, its seat options are as equally complex as its steering wheel choices. Starting with the base bucket, it is wonderfully supportive as previously mentioned, but biases the Boxster experience towards comfort over pure unadulterated sport. Those wanting a more extreme performance feel would want to upgrade to the optional sports seat, or maybe a cross between the two, being the adaptive sports seats which offer the aggressive bolstering of the sports seats with the convenience of power actuation. No doubt Porsches third optional fully electric seat system will be popular, as many buyers in the Boxsters league want to enjoy a fair bit of comfort with their dose of sport. For me, the standard seats were easily up to the job of keeping me comfortable while stopping my backside from sliding around. Theyre a good compromise, and would be easy to live with on a day to day basis.

But Im getting caught up in the countless intricacies that could keep me writing on and on for days, as no rival automaker gets close to offering as many options as Porsche. What will make Porschephiles even more thrilled with their favorite roadster this year is the cars improvement in overall driving dynamics. If it were just a couple of upgraded engines then most fans of the brand would have been satisfied, but such is not the case. More so, Porsche has not only upped engine output quite dramatically, with the base 2.7-liter engine now pushing out 15 additional horsepower for a total of 240 at 6,400 rpm, plus an increase in torque by 7 lb-ft to 199 lb-ft from 4,700 to 6,000 rpm, and the optional Boxster S receiving a sobering 22 horsepower jump up the respectability chart to 280 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, and torque now up 7 lb-ft to 236 lb-ft from 4,700 to 6,000 rpm, plus both engines now deliver a throatier rumble at idle and more engaging roar at full throttle, but every other aspect of the driving experience has been enhanced to make the 2005 Boxster perform like no other Porsche before.

The chassis, for instance, is now wider, with more precise and direct reaction to driver input. The most obvious change can be seen from outside the vehicle, a change from 16- to 17-inch standard wheels and tires. The S is now fitted with standard 18-inch rims, while 19s (18s and 19s on the base) are now optional across the line. Depending on the wheel tire combination the track has also been widened, up to 1.4 inches at its widest. Components have also been strengthened, with the wheel bearings, as an example, stiffer on 2005 cars. The chassis also features weight savings, with new hollow castings in the front wheel support and new aluminum castings in the rear axle subframe.

Actually, pretty well every component of every system has been improved, with the 2005 Boxsters recalibrated rack and pinion steering system delivering fewer turns lock to lock, adjustable steering wheel height to 1.6 inches, and aluminum and magnesium construction for better weight optimization, all contributing to a car even more agile than the 2004 Boxster which was already on most automotive critics short list.

Along with the new cars explosive acceleration, comes one of the sweetest shifting 5- and 6-speed transmissions in the business. Actually, for the first time in my experience testing cars the completely new 6-speed shifts smoother than the modified 5-speed. This isnt the case when upgrading from the Audi A4, for instance, which offers a delectably smooth shifting 5-speed with its base 4-cylinder car and a rather notchy 6-speed in top-tier trim. The Boxsters is wonderful in either trim level, but the 6-speed is truly delightful, snapping from gear to gear without even the need for conscious thought. What makes the difference? Porsche engineers made a variety of refinements such as higher load synchros and modified ratios, but finishing each transmission off is a 26 percent shift path reduction in the case of the 5-speed, resulting in shorter throws, while the 6-speed received a 15 percent reduction.

The brakes for base and S Boxsters are enhanced too, with 4-piston monobloc calipers, standard drilled, larger diameter
rotors, a 17 percent gain in boost, a new vacuum pump for more consistent pressure, improved ABS, plus optimized brake cooling for quicker reaction to input and ultimately shorter stops. While it was easy to detect the improvement made when I got hard on the brake pedal, I also noticed better pedal feedback during less aggressive driving.

The Boxsters slick softtop looks like its the only component that carries forward unchanged, that is until reading the specs. Still sporting an aluminum/magnesium structure, for reduced weight and increased strength, the fabric top gets an additional fleece layer for a total of three, decreasing exterior noise while making the car feel more coupe-like when the top is raised. Porsche says the upgraded top offers improved water management, but fortunately for me I didnt get to test this particular feature out. I did, however, enjoy the fact that it can now be lowered or raised while driving up to 31 mph. This is especially handy when trying to drop the top at a stoplight, which previously required the parking brake to be engaged. Now, rather than holding up traffic when the light goes green, just drive away with a firm finger on the console-mounted button.

So how important should all these changes be to Boxster lovers? Well that depends on what matters to you most. The entry-level Boxster now can achieve a top-speed of 159 mph after sprinting from zero to 60 mph in only 5.9 seconds. The S charges from standstill to 60 mph in only 5.2 seconds, while topping out at an impressive 166 mph. Most will appreciate the improved performance, which Porsche defined when lining up a 2004 and 2005 base model and S side by side on the old Nurburgring race track in Germany. All of the modifications allowed the 2005 base Boxster to strip 11 seconds off of the outgoing car, for a time of 8 minutes 31 seconds compared to 8 minutes 42. The Boxster S managed 8:18 in the 2005 to 8:27 in the 2004, a savings of 9 seconds.

To the average driver such small advantages hardly make putting such great effort into developing the new Boxster and Boxster S seem worth all the trouble, but factoring in all the other benefits, including enhanced ride, handling, shifting, off-the-line power, plus interior and exterior refinements, and the comparison is hands down in the 2005 Boxsters favor.

In the end its the performance of the entire car that is most impressive. Somehow Porsche managed to refine the base and S models ride, smoothing out bumps, dips and irregular pavement, while delivering much more road-holding capability. Like I previously mentioned, the roads between Monterey and Pinnacles National Monument are some of the best Ive driven, and what better car to enjoy them in than a Porsche. Some consider the mid-engine Boxster to be the brands best handling product, at least when it comes to its light and eager “tossability” through the corners. There were stretches of banked “S” curves on CA-25 that were nothing less than magical, the car maneuvering back and forth with no noticeable body roll, a display that must have looked from the outside to be as effortless as an Olympic level slalom skier clipping each gate at precisely the right apex to gain maximum speed. Yes, the new Boxster comes closest to giving me the thrill of strapping two boards to my feet and taking on a black diamond run as any car yet has, especially with the top down and wind rushing past my face.

Now, Porsche has made its benchmark roadster all the more enticing to Porsche fans, and all the more difficult for its competition to catch, literally and figuratively.