718 Porsche Boxster S: entry level no more

The Porsche Boxster has always suffered in terms of image compared with its brethren. Porsche launched the original Boxster in the ’90s, and was meant to be the entry level sports car from the famed Zuffenhausen-based brand. Unfortunately, in many markets, this was bad for the otherwise amazing roadster. While performance was impressive (though Porsche was careful to limit the absolute performance envelope of the superior mid-engined layout of the Boxster), many people preferred its competitors over the Boxster precisely because of its entry-level tag.

 

But finally, the fourth-generation Boxster feels entry-level no more.

 

While it seems to look very similar to the previous Boxster launched in 2013, it is in fact so very new.

 

Only four major components are carried over from its predecessor: the hood, windshield, soft top and trunk lid. Everything else is new.

 

Obviously the biggest change is the engine: Gone is the 3.4 later normally aspirated flat-6 power plant; in comes a new family of engines specific to Porsche.

 

It has a turbocharged 2.5 later flat 4 that features a variable geometry turbine and direct gasoline injection, giving the 718 Boxster impressive flexibility, explosive low-end torque, stronger midrange grunt, and coupled with the top-end pull you’d expect from an engine displacing at least 1-1.5 liters, more while packing at least two extra cylinders.

 

Top speed is an impressive 285 kilometers per hour which I personally verified on Portugal’s highways, and at the Ota Portuguese Air Force base with its 2-plus-kilometer runways.

 

The regular Boxster comes with a 2.0-liter flat-four. The stroke of both engines is similar, but the bore of the 2.5-liter S is bigger, which necessitated an entirely different block.

 

The other big addition is the steering rack straight out of a 911 Turbo S, endowing the 718 Boxster impressive adjustability mid-corner.

 

The tweaked PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) means that the limits of adhesion are very high, far higher than one would be brave enough to test on most public roads.

 

Should you lose the plot and get the 718 Boxster sideways, fear not as catching the tail is surprisingly easy even for mere mortals like you and me.

 

Sounds like a cliché but trust me, you feel like a driving god inside the all-new Boxster.

 

The interior has been revamped: the 718 Boxster features Porsche’s latest Porsche Communication Management (PCM).

 

A touch-screen LCD features Apple’s CarPlay app, allowing seamless connectivity to Apple devices, but also works well with Android mobile devices.

 

The navigation system works faster than previous models, recalculating routes quicker should you miss your turn or exit, a common occurrence on Lisbon’s and Estoril’s tight old-world streets.

 

You also get the Porsche 918 Spyder’s three-spoke steering wheel, and mounted on the lower right is the Sport Response button, with four settings for the driving mode: Normal, Sport, Sport+ and Individual.

 

Press the Sport Response button and you get an overcast function for 20 seconds that delivers a few more horses, crucial for overtaking slower moving cars on the track, or overtaking a slow-moving convoy of vehicles on the highway. Gimmick or not, it works!

 

Adjust the knob from Normal all the way to Sport+, and the engine, transmission, suspension and power steering become more responsive, firmer and weightier.

 

The Individual setting allows you to mix and match settings for the engine, transmission, suspension and power-steering via the PCM screen.

 

In extremis, the 718 Boxster has reserves of power and grip unimaginable in a car of its price tag. The 285 kph top speed was amazing: I just got in, floored the throttle, focused on the road ahead, hands on 9 and 3 o’clock positions and just as I was about to brake, I noticed that the digital speedometer read well over 280 kph and there was still noticeable grunt to push the Boxster S further and faster.

 

In the slalom section at the Ota air base, the recommended speed was between 60-80 kph, but I was nudging close to 120 kph, being ham-fisted on the throttle to kick the tail out slightly and adjust my trajectory entering the next cone.

 

I got it sideways a few times, but the tail kicks out in a well-measured manner, allowing you to react, think and catch the slide before you embarrass yourself and demolish a few cones in the process.

 

The brakes are equally phenomenal: Even with the standard steel discs, the 718 stopped on a dime every single time even after hours of abuse on the test track.

 

On the open road, the 718 Boxster is sublime. The steering, despite being an electronically assisted item, feels perfect: not heavy, but not light at all.

 

Purists will cry over the loss of the hydraulic setup of previous Porsches, but this is the future. It’s brimming with feel, and you gain a sense of trust and confidence in the Boxster.

 

The suspension is firm as is proper for a sports car, but has absolutely zero harshness even in its Sport+ setting.

 

Despite being an open-top roadster, there’s absolutely no scuttle shake as the chassis feels rock solid even on poorly surfaced mountain and provincial roads while riding on the standard 19-inch wheels and tires.

 

Admittedly, the Boxster won’t appeal to someone who already owns a 911, Ferrari, Lamborghini and the like.

 

No, the Boxster and its recently launched tin-top sibling, the 718 Cayman, are those planning to enter into Porsche ownership experience, graduating from a Japanese performance car such as a Mitsubishi Evo/Subaru STI, Toyota 86/Subaru BR-Z, or looking for something more exotic, coming from a BMW M  or Merc AMG, or greater delicacy, feel and grace as opposed to say, a Nissan R35 GT-R.

 

The Boxster S might not be significantly faster in a straight line or around the track, but it’s a type of car you can grow with as your skills improve.

 

Did I forget to mention the Porsche reliability, which is just as legendary as its performance, allowed the firm to be the winningest car company at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans with 17 overall wins?

 

Finally, the Boxster feels solid, a serious piece of kit, well rounded and truly desirable.

 

It has finally shed its “entry-level” status, earning its right to sit in the big table and fight for glory, away from the shadow of its more illustrious brethren, the 911, and bask in the limelight.