Are you going to talk or are you going to drive?

It is hard to understand how you take a car like the Porsche Boxster (in our case, the Boxster S), and do what might be considered as going against what people normally want: a bigger engine—until you drive it.

The new 718 Boxster S still has the wonderfully pure balance and communication between car, road, and driver that makes the mid-engine a joy to throw around a set of corners.

It cuts and slices like it is on rails, and continues to be by many assessments more precise than the bigger, faster 911.

It has moved to a turbocharged-opposed four-cylinder gas engine, which initially made the diehard cry foul as they do so like their boxer six with its thoroughly engaging sound.

Porsche’s answer? Just drive the thing. The new Boxster S four-cylinder has power (350 hp and 420 Nm for the 2.5 liter S) that actually comes in better than the outgoing six-cylinder.

Combined with the PDK dual-clutch gearbox, the mid-engine S cars match the previous 911 Carrera and Carrera S for many of the bragging-rights numbers.

It is a nice smooth push, which has you driving quick twisties very satisfyingly planted.

This car isn’t made for hanging the tail out, it doesn’t want to waste the time. The S variant gets variable turbine geometry in the single turbo, something the current 911 Carreras don’t have.

The power comes on in a very linear way, but there is still enough up top to make you want to push to the red.

This is perfect for the chassis set up, as you can change gas pedal angle in corners to throttle-steer without too much worry of making things go back-to-front.

There is a reason that the Boxster and Cayman duo won the International Vehicle Dynamics Awards a few years ago, and the new engine despite being turbocharged doesn’t take away from the prime directive. Balance is still king

The Porsche Boxster and Cayman have always had a place in the car guy world that is both surprisingly unique and just like everyone else at the same time.

The little mid-engined cars were purposefully built to do very specific things, and as such appeal to those that appreciate those specifics (handling is almost surgically crisp; balance, beyond belief).

They also are like everyone else in that they are compared to their bigger brother, the 911.

As the 911 has been able to tame its harshness of handling (if you didn’t know what you were doing years back) with modern design, engineering and electronics that have made the iconic tail-hanger much more predictable and precise, it has also made the car much more accessible.

The 911 has been approaching the handling precision and vehicle dynamic excellence of, guess what, the mid-engines.

In reality, if you look deeply, you will see that the lump of engine at the back of the 911 has been slowly moving forward.

There are benefits to mid-engines, clearly.

The new 718s look back to a serious mid-engine racing history. A racing car built between the late ’50s and early ’60s, the original 718 had a mid-engine layout and used an opposed-four boxer engine. It was used in all the important races of its day, including Le Mans and the Targa Florio. When the Boxster and then the Cayman first appeared, they stayed with the mid-engine layout that was so popular with purist enthusiasts and racers but used six-cylinder boxers for power. The Porsche 914, another mid-engined four has become an important classic racer because of this, perhaps attaining more respect than when it was an under-appreciated roadcar. The use of the “718” signifies the move to use four-cylinder boxers rather than the sixes.

So where does it fit in the Porsche and car-guy world if everything just got better in a sea of others that have also gotten better and more similar? After all, everyone is benefiting from the same level-up technological ability. And these cars basically began their lives as the best-balanced road cars on the planet.

Oddly enough, after putting in several hundred kilometers of fast autobahn and curvy mountain roads and being able to compare immediately with other models of the marque, the answer is this: More than ever, this is arguably the best platform in the Stuttgart stable.

All the modern technology and traction systems are there as needed, but you don’t need them and they don’t intrude.

You feel immediately when you run the car harder that it will respond quickly to your command, and it will give you that warm happy feeling right away.

A car like the new Panamera, for example, is brilliant, but its brilliance is best felt as you approach 300.

The 911s are justifiably mythic, but they bring forth a history that has both goods and bads in its past. They need to be driven harder to be appreciated best, and for most people and most owners that just will not happen.

The 718 Boxster S allows you to enjoy yourself more quickly and more often, but still rewards you when you hit it hard.

It is offered with a rated top speed 285 kph, but it is happiest as slightly more earthly velocities.

When the Boxster first came out, it came into a world that unfortunately looked upon it as a younger lesser sibling of the 911 in spite of the fact that it was a brilliantly designed handling machine that could be driven safely by more people and still deliver the right drive (right, not necessarily 911-like).

The Cayman came in as the more “serious” Boxster and did much to break the stigma.

Now though, the Boxster S as we drove it is so darn joy-producing that the addition of traditional open-air motoring ability just adds to a truly unique sports car package.

This is the package to have, with a larger cc engine and very good throttle response.

The Boxster has always offered an excellent driving experience, and in the new 718 Boxster S, it is even better in terms of sharpness of handling, fleetness of foot and comfort of the body.

A pretty good combination, not all that easy to get.