Summer is approaching to its end, but I have to thank very much Porsche Italy for allowing me to enjoy the last summer days with a very delightfun car, the new Porsche Boxster S.
The Boxster is a model I've never tested in the Porsche range
and I was very curious to see how it goes, so far I drove it on the autobahn, in the city, on track,
and my opinion towards this car is very positive. I was very curious to test this car also because this new generation of the Boxster
has generated lots of discussions between enthusiasts because after so many years, Porsche has set aside the N/A Flat-Six
for a smaller engine, in the case of the Boxster S we're talking about a 2.5L turbo 4cyl engine.
It's a huge difference compared to the previous generation and this changes completely the way of driving the Boxster.
By driving this car I came up with the thought that the Boxster is a car -
... OK!
German Horse vs lots of wild horses!
I was saying - I developed the idea that the Boxster is a better car than the 911, basically because
the Boxster is mid-engined and this makes the driving experience a lot more engaging and sporty to me!
So what can we say about the engine, it's smaller but at the same time it generates more power and torque compared to the previous generation,
and everyone wonder " Turbo engine, will it sound good? Will it have a good throttle response? " well,
let's say at first, the sound makes it lose a bit its behaviour, especially with the roof down it's a big let down but
with the roof up it sounds nice, listen to that!
A 2.5L turbo engine that revs up to 7600rpm! I don't know about you guys, but above 6000rpm when it starts to shout,
this sound reminds me very much the twin-turbo V8 of the modern McLarens!
It's not a N/A flat-six, but even this noise is not bad!
And it flies, my goodness it really flies with this engine!
The difference is huge compared to the previous generation, you have a lot more torque and you can feel it behind the wheel,
there's no need to push the engine to the redline to take out the power.
On the other side I feel a bit of turbo lag, especially below 2500rpm. Even the throttle response obviously is not refined as much as the N/A version
and I find it even less reactive than a 911 (turbo) of the new generation,
maybe also this is given to the fact the new 911 is twin-turbo whereas this one has a single turbo, so it's predictable to find more lag in the engine and throttle response.
Over the years I heard lots of critics about Boxster, for example that it's not a real Porsche, or that it's considered as a poor man's Porsche!
I tell you just the Boxster S starts at 70k €, what a poor man's car!
For 70k € there's lots of content in this car, but if there's something that I dislike in this car is the dashboard
that we find also here in the central tunnel because this is plastic and I don't like it to the touch
and for a car that starts at 70k € this is unacettable also because the interior of Porsche models are known for being high quality,
they are, but I don't understand why they've gone for this kind of material and quality.
Behind the wheel of the Boxster you realize you're driving a sports car that is focused on the pleasure of driving
and you can notice it also by looking at the steering wheel because it's clean, there's no useless buttons to change the volume, make phone calls,
the only thing we find is this manettino that allows to change the driving setups, in this moment we're driving in Sport but if we switch to Sport Plus, the Boxster S becomes a weapon!
So, let's try a standing start with launch control!
The way it attacks the corners! It's amazing!
This tiny turbo engine is very strong! It goes to 100kph in about 4,2s, Porsche claims its top speed is 285kph
but I have to say with a great pleasure that Porsche's claims is not true, the onboard computer can proove it goes quicker!
I think I will return the car to Porsche Italy, the first technician that will take the car and check the computer will have a heart attack!
It's a engine that pushes strongly up to 7000rpm without much efforts and when you feel like you need that extra sprint,
you just need to press the button on the manettino and you activate the Sport Response, for 20 seconds the turbo works with more boost, so more power!
I've noticed this tool is very useful especially at the Nurburgring in the parts were the uphill acceleration was very long!
Basically it's like a NOS!
I'm driving with the electronics off and I have to say this Boxster is glued to the road!
And it's available also with a 6-speed manual, I think a chassis like this with a manual is.. here's the definition!
It's really fast! I think the Boxster is a bit underrated because many people think it's too expensive, they say
" If I have to spend that money, I'd rather have a 911 ", the truth is that many people buy a 911 just because it's the 911, a status symbol.
I have to admit, this car is a pleasant surprise, it's offering me great satisfactions and honestly, even though it doesn't have a N/A flat-six
even with a 4cyl this car is a bomb!
Just listen to the speed of the gear change, in Sport Plus it's crazy!
There's no hesitation between every gear change, because we're talking about the PDK, a double clutch transmission. I think it's one of the best double clutch on the market.
It's hard to feel the understeer, the car is very balanced with a perfect weight distribution.
If there's something I really like about this car is the steering because it's very direct and comunicative.
As you can see in these tight corners I can move without much effort, this car is absolutely direct and agile, it handles very nice in the corners!
If there's something I love about the Boxster is the steering because it's perfect, there are no other words to describe it!
It's direct and extremely communicative, you can't ask a better steering than this on a sports car!
Honestly I'm not sure I would be able to do the same thing with a 911, unless it's a GT3 or something like that!
And this Boxster S is a surprise, a very pleasant surprise!
It has such a remarkable chassis!
You can't really feel the understeer!
And even if you dare too much with the throttle on the dry, I don't find very easy to oversteer it because this car is gued to the road!
Not just the engine is a bomb but also the brakes, this car has steel brakes but it has also the option carbon ceramic brakes
and I think the steel ones are good enough.
It's not a heavy car and the braking power these brakes are able to offer is huge, and it's hard to feel the fading.
Even by doing a complete lap flatout around the Nurburgring it was hard to me to make the brakes suffer
so I have to say that overall, the Porsche badge is well deserved on the bonnet, this is a real Porsche to me!
Now we're talking! Even though it's a bit fresh, driving the Boxster with the roof down, heated seats and heating on, it's a real pleasure!
With the roof down the sound of this 4cyl is not that great, to enjoy it to the fullest you need to drive it with the roof up
but driving with the roof down, in automatic mode and the valves off and well, look at that view!
There's no need to drive the Boxster always to the limit to enjoy it, this is a very delicious convertible to enjoy even at low speed,
with some music and the view of the sea.
While driving the car for a week I got to enjoy it also as a daily driver, and I have to say in Normal mode the suspension is very soft, so does the steering wheel
and the problem of all sport cars is the trunk but I have to say that the front one of the Boxster is very spacious and
the configuration of mid engine allows the Boxster to have a rear trunk and the capacity of space between the front and rear one is huge,
and it allows to do grocery or long trips.
I want to thank again Porsche Italy for letting me enjoy the Boxster S for a week,
I really had good fun I'll be honest!
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