Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 



Porsche Sports new Edition Boxster. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.

Porsche Sports new Edition Boxster
A new version of any Porsche is of interest, but we wonder if the Sport Edition Boxster adds much to the standard car.

   



<< earlier review     later review >>

Reviews homepage -> Porsche reviews

| A Week at the Wheel | Herts, England | Porsche Boxter S Sport Edition |

Inside & Out: star star star star star

Few cars mature as well as a Porsche and the Boxster has inherited the 911's age defying genes. The Sport Edition adds a rather cumbersome body kit to the Boxster's flowing lines though. The front aero tweaks appeal, but the rather obvious raised rear spoiler and fake diffuser do little to enhance the Boxster's rump. What unquestionably works are the all-red tail-lights, these coming as standard on the Sport Edition Boxster and available as a special-request item on any model via Porsche's personalisation service. The 19-inch Carrera Classic alloy wheels and painted roll-over bars also look great.

Options on the test car included a beautiful brown leather interior and hood, Porsche Communication Management (satnav), automatic climate control, Bose surround sound, wind deflector and electric seats among others, bumping up the price to over £50,000. That's around £7,000 more than the standard Sport Edition model, making this one expensive Boxster S, but you don't have to go quite as daft with the options as Porsche has. As ever, the Boxster is a practical sports car, with a capacious front luggage compartment able to swallow a surprising amount, the rear boot able to accommodate golf bags and the like.

Engine & Transmission: star star star star star

One option we'd probably not bother ticking is the 'Sports gearshift' as specified here. Best to save the near £400 and enjoy a crisper shift across the gearlever's gate, the shift from first to second being a bit stubborn with this option. Otherwise there's little to criticise about the engine and transmission. The S's larger 3.4-litre flat-six is an absolute peach, its 295bhp at 6,250rpm and 250lb.ft of torque between 4,400 and 6,000rpm giving tremendously flexible, usable performance. That 295bhp might not seem like a huge number these days but it's beautifully judged to the Boxster S's agility. It's just enough to be seriously rapid, without being so savagely or ridiculously quick to have you reaching licence-threatening territory with every flex of your foot.

The noise it makes is glorious too, the scintillating rasping induction noise mixing with the characteristic flat-six beat and rich exhaust note. It's actually more aurally enjoyable roof up, the hood muting the rushing wind and concentrating the mechanical noise to glorious effect. Use all the engine's performance and 62mph arrives in 5.4 seconds and with space it'll reach 169mph.

Ride & Handling: star star star star star

Sport Edition spec adds PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), which gives the choice of standard or sport settings. Sport is too firm for all but the smoothest of roads or tracks, the standard setting nicely judged. Obviously it's firm, but not to the detriment of control, those large alloy wheels doing little to affect the ride, either. The steering is sublime, being nicely weighty and loaded with the sort of texture and communication that we wish others could replicate. Neutral through the bends unless provoked, the limits are clear, power oversteer easily achieved in the right conditions, the Boxster S being a fantastically entertaining drive whatever the driver's ability.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money: star star star star star

Whether the hefty premium for the Sport Edition model is really worth it is debatable, especially as it adds that dubious body kit. We'd rather take the difference between the price of a standard Boxster S and a Sport Edition model to cherry-pick some of the options and leave others well alone. Not especially cheap, but Porsche is a cut above comparable performance competition in the premium stakes and residual values tend to be strong. Economy is also decent, the Boxster S quoted at 26.6mpg on the official combined cycle. In our tenure, over 1,300 miles of mixed driving we achieved not far off that.

Overall: star star star star star

A brilliant car in a slightly questionable trim. Buy a standard S and enjoy picking your options wisely instead.

Kyle Fortune - 30 Oct 2007



  www.porsche.co.uk    - Porsche road tests
- Porsche news
- Boxster images

2007 Porsche Boxster specifications: (Sport Edition)
Price: £43,110 on-the-road.
0-62mph: 5.4 seconds
Top speed: 169mph
Combined economy: 26.6mpg
Kerb weight: 1355kg

2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.

2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.



2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2007 Porsche Boxster S. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 






 

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©