Porsche Boxster ‘S’ (981) Review
Yes, you can get a Porsche sports car for under $84,000,
and it’s not even a base model. Enter the 981-model Boxster ‘S’
Really? Yes, really. You can buy yourself a brand-new
Porsche for under $84,000. In fact you can buy a few new Porsches for under $84,000:
Namely a Cayenne, a Macan, Cayman or Boxster. We’ve chosen a Boxster here and
it’s not even a poverty-spec 2.7-litre job, either, but a full fat Boxster S
with a bulging 3.4-litres and a not insubstantial 315bhp. All this for just $77,300,
which in our book makes it a positive bargain.
Porsche Boxster
‘S’ (981) rear view
OK, so this car is from the Porsche Cars GB press fleet and
so reasonably specced up at $92,400, but choose your options carefully and you
could have a similarly performing car for around the $84,000 mark quite easily.
For a start this car has PDK, which you really don’t want on a Boxster. This is
a proper interactive sports car, so you really should be shifting yourself.
And besides, not going manual would deny you what will
probably be one of the last great Porsche manual boxes of all time.
Porsche Boxster
‘S’ (981) side view
Other things that you can do without? Yes, you don’t need
20in wheels and you don’t need PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management).The
standard passive dampers are just fine and going to 19in wheels and tyres will
reduce unsprung weight and give them less to deal with. There, that’s saved you
a small fortune and bought the Boxster in budget.
Being the hardcore, minimalist bunch that we are, we would
also not bother with the PCM (Porsche Communication Management) system which
incorporates the sat-nav, Bluetooth and music functions. That would save you a
cool $3,600, but we have to concede would probably hit its resale value.
Porsche Boxster
‘S’ (981) interior
Things to look out for? Well, nothing, this is a new car
with a full manufacturer warranty and that lovely warm feeling you get from
being the very first person to drive it. And what’s it like? Pretty darned good
actually. It’s easy to knock new Porsches, and we can be guilty of that if we
feel that, in the evolutionary process, they’ve lost some of that Porsche
appeal in a bid to be somewhat more rounded and appealing to more people. But
that is sometimes the point. Truth is the sports cars, whether Boxster, Cayman
or 911, are incredibly resolved machines and astonishingly accomplished. Even
more astonishing, perhaps, is just how good the Boxster is relative to the 911,
and to a lesser extent the Cayman.
Porsche Boxster
‘S’ (981) centre console
The current 991-generation 911 is a pretty pricey car, with
a bare minimum of $122,600 (add at least $10,000 to that for options) required
to get you in the driver’s seat. The Boxster is largely the same car, but minus
the rear seats and with its engine in the middle. The interior, the
underpinnings, gearbox and even the mildly detuned engine are largely the same.
It’s a bigger, more grown-up car than its 987 predecessor,
too, although we wouldn’t want it to get any bigger (well, wider) and its
behind is now pretty ugly. That said, the front end is now rather more
aggressive, and those side scoops give it a distinct look.
Porsche Boxster
‘S’ (981) wheel detail
But beyond the aesthetics the Boxster is just a brilliant
car to drive. If the Cayman is the best-handling, real-world, mid-engined
sports car, then the Boxster must come in at number two, missing out by just a
fraction. A better-handling car than the 911? Yes, we certainly think so.
In terms of ‘bang for your buck’ there really is nothing
from within the Porsche range, or outside it, to beat the Boxster. Go on, treat
yourself!
Porsche Boxster
‘S’ (981) back view
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Technical Specifications
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Model: Porsche Boxster ‘S’ (981)
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Engine: 3.4-litre flat-six
·
Power: 315bhp @ 6000rpm
·
Torque: 271lb ft @ 4500rpm–5800rpm
·
Transmission: 6-speed manual or 7-speed PDK
·
Brakes: 320mm ventilated discs front; 299mm rear
·
Tyres front: 245/40zr19 rear: 265/40zr19
·
Economy: 35.8mpg (combined)
·
Top speed: 172mph
·
0-62mph: 4.8 secs
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