2008 Porsche Boxster Review

Specifications

A lot of automakers make sports cars, and some do a commendable job of creating fast, agile machines with sexy styling and top-line features, but few if any do sports cars as well as Porsche. For 70 years, from Ferdinand Porsche’s legendary Type 64, also known as the VW Aerocoupe and Type 64K10, to the 356 of 1948, the first car to wear the Porsche badge, designed by Ferdinand’s son Ferry, the brand has been a force in the sports car world. The 911, introduced in the fall of 1963, made the German company a household name, and now with the iconic 911 aged by forty-five years and numerous models added to the lineup, it’s a marque so revered that a recent survey by New York’s Luxury Institute, questioning 500 households, each with a gross annual income of at least $200,000 and net worth of at least $720,000, awarded Porsche with the title of “most prestigious automobile brand”.

Of course, while Porsche builds cars and SUVs that cost much more than the surveyed groups’ average annual salary, you don’t need to be pulling in such a high wage or have so many assets to enjoy one of the finest sports cars in the world. Since autumn 1996, upwardly mobile executives and empty-nesters alike have become Porsche owners thanks to the brand’s smallest, least expensive offering, the Boxster (code-named the 986). And over the past dozen or so years the two-seat roadster has gone from a seriously fun, ultra-stylish runabout to an impressive performance machine, whether in base form or top-line S mode. Actually, the current entry-level Boxster (now code-named 987 and 80-percent new when updated in 2005) is only 5-horsepower shy of the original 2000 Boxster S.

Tucked away behind the passenger compartment and in front of and below the rear trunk, the Boxster’s formidable 2.7-liter horizontally-opposed six is completely out of sight, with only a neat little covered compartment for topping up essential fluids hinting that it’s there at all. This engine is 200 cubic centimeters larger than the original Boxster’s boxer, and due to the increase in displacement and many other advancements, such as VarioCam Plus, its output has grown by 44-horsepower and 20 lb-ft of torque, from 201-horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque in 2000, to 245-horsepower and 201 lb-ft of torque in the 2008 model I spent a week with most recently. And by the way, that’s 5-horsepower and 2 lb-ft of torque more than the same car in 2005 model year trim, the last time the Boxster was completely redone. This means that there’s really no reason for all but adrenaline addicts to opt for the S, as the regular Boxster performs with an enthusiasm the original car couldn’t muster.

That 1997 car was magic in the curves, mind you, due to its relatively light curb weight and extremely well-tuned suspension setup. Despite gaining 55 pounds to now total 2,877 pounds, the new car hasn’t lost anything on winding roads or circuitous road courses. In fact, due to larger 17-inch standard rims and stickier compound tires, it no doubt grips the asphalt even better… although the non-stock Pirelli 240 Snowsport 235/40R18 (front) / 265/40R18 (rear) winter tires fitted to my test car turned it into a bit of a drifter on dry and slightly damp roads.

Yes the sun shone for most of the week, with a few minor showers to slick the tarmac up and test out the Boxster’s very capable Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system, standard, one of the best in the industry for its ability to pull a wayward car back on track without interrupting moderately induced oversteer. And my car didn’t include Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which improves high-speed maneuverability even further. Nevertheless, its handling was sublime; easily managing speedy jaunts over the tight, twisting back roads that surround my mountainous neighborhood, complemented by a surprisingly comfortable, compliant suspension and even more important, non-fade four-piston, ventilated disc brakes that inspired total confidence, no matter the speed being scrubbed off nor abbreviated distance needed to accomplish the task.

And that speed must be constantly monitored on North American roads, unless you happen to live in Montana. Porsche’s speedometers have the tiniest 5-mph increments in autodom, and with a speedo that maxes out at 175 mph, city speeds are achieved with only one sixth of the half-dial being used. Those gauges are easily legible though, so your local constabulary won’t be listening to any excuses about not knowing how fast you were going. And just a reminder, traffic cops, and I mean those that actually opt for the job rather than respectable officers working their way up through the ranks, are often the worst sort of anti-success lefty do-gooders who’ll pull you over just for driving something more enticing than their well-worn five-year old Chevy Impala cruiser. Opting for notice-me yellow only exacerbates the problem. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about the Boxster in any way, shape or form (well, other than the lack of automatic headlights… give me a break), just that along with numerous smiles of appreciation from passersby and a positive comment from a meter maid that was about to ticket me before I showed up to feed the insatiable metal money magnet, it also attracts the wrong sort of attention.

And how can you blame the small-minded from getting jealous; it looks fabulous from every angle. The Boxster’s second-generation shape looks even slipperier than the first one, and with a drag coefficient of only 0.29 it lives up to its aerodynamic appearance with even less drag than the S. Still, unlike some cars, wind tunnel refinement isn’t the only reason the little roadster looks like it does. Porsche gave the car a more traditional design for its first major overhaul three years ago, with simple oval headlamps and a clean, uncluttered front fascia that could have been lifted right off the 911 that was updated the same year.

As much as I like the reformed sheetmetal, I appreciate what Porsche did to the interior even more. The old Boxster was a little weak in this respect, with some sub-grade plastics marring an attractive design, and tiny, fidgety switchgear that often frustrated. The new interior brings much higher grade soft-touch plastics, making it no longer necessary to opt for the full leather interior, as nice as it is, plus its equally improved switches, dials and buttons give it the precision feel it’s always needed. The Boxster has always been ergonomically perfect for my body type, and taller, shorter, wider and skinnier colleagues seem to concur for their unique forms, so it seems to have a one-size-fits-all universality to it. Actually, since the original car it fits taller people even better, thanks to 0.4 inches of additional legroom, due to pushing the pedals forward, plus the seats sit an inch lower, allowing more headroom. The 2008 model continues this tradition with comfortable, supportive partial leather-clad seats, not to mention four additional seating options as well as various hues for the hides, plus a fully adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel and a five-speed manual transmission lever placed in the best position possible, enhanced by foot pedals optimized for heel-toe operation; a five-speed automatic with Tiptronic manual-mode is optional. Everything comes easily to hand, except maybe the audio system that requires some getting used to. It sounds good though, with a decent radio and single CD player integrated into the dash. A six-disc player can be added, but it gets placed into the front trunk rather than integrated into the audio interface, and no auxiliary plug-in is available if you would rather listen to your iPod’s playlist than suffer through some payola compromised DJ’s idea of good music. A seriously upgraded and great sounding Bose audio system can be had for more money, as can a navigation system, which, if opted for, along with an impressive array of standard features plus a full load of available options (and the list is long), might make the Boxster the perfect commuter car.

OK, car pooling would be out of the question, but there’s no shortage of cargo space for your laptop bag, gym gear and just about anything else you might need for a day’s journey. There’ll even be enough room left over to carry a dozen or so bags of groceries, if someone has a detour in mind during your trip home. Two trunks, the narrow but deeper one up front and the wider, shallower one in the rear, total some 9.9 cubic feet.

Convenience in mind, the top is ultra-easy to drop. Only a quick center-mounted latch needs to be released, and then it’s just a matter of pressing a button on the lower console. The roof tucks away under its own tonneau cover, protecting it from dirt or anything else that might fall into its mechanical bits and make a mess of things. Raising it is just as easy, with another push of the console switch and a little pressure on the latch to snap it into place. I especially like the fact that it can be dropped or raised at speeds up to 20 mph, so if the job isn’t quite finished by the time the light has changed, just drive away without a worry.

Equally practical is the car’s hardly sports car-like fuel economy. OK, it’s no Lotus Elise, which weighs little more than a smart car and is powered by a Toyota-sourced four-banger, but the Boxster’s 23 mpg city and 32 highway EPA rating is pretty good for this class of car. And really, the Boxster is larger and much more comfortable than the Elise, requires no contortionist moves to get inside and is equipped like a limousine in comparison.

After a week of extremely enjoyable motoring, I only have one complaint. Where are the automatic headlights? I’m so used to leaving a car’s headlights in automatic mode, and just turning the ignition on and off without even thinking about whether or not the headlights have been turned on at dusk or left on when I get home, that I caught myself driving without my lights one evening and left them on in my carport many more times. A simple “A” mode would solve this, and being that just about every economy car can be had with automatic headlights, why not a Porsche costing nearly $46K?

Still, $45,800 a pretty good price for a Porsche. Sure it’s more than the 2005 car cost. Then again it’s less expensive than the Cayman hardtop by a fairly healthy margin, which is truly odd being that it features the same drivetrain, interior, and most of the same features plus the advantage of a convertible top. Go figure.

All in all, the Boxster is an open-top sports car you can live with everyday, at least you can if you’re single, just married, or have the good fortune of previously moving your last child out of the house… hopefully for the final time. Or, like I mentioned earlier, you can even justify it as a second car for commuting purposes, with double-duty for weekend getaways. No doubt, if you’re in the market for a two-seat roadster you won’t have to justify it at all, or you’ve already sold yourself so fully that there’s now no turning back. Good for you.