Boxster S 5000 mile review

[DHA]

Porsche Boxster S 5000 mile review

I have had my Boxster S since late October last year and having completed 5000 miles I thought I would do a review of my time with it so far. This is my second Boxster S; I owned the original shape 986 in 2001. The differences between the two cars on the outside are fairly obvious but in the usual Porsche tradition not greatly so. Interior wise the 987 is a huge step forward, the interior plastics are of a much higher quality and it is a far better layout.

Drive

It does surprise me how easy this car is to drive. Around town you can move easily in traffic and on the open roads speed is easy to carry into bends. It truly is a great all round car. Whilst 280bhp is not a huge amount of power these days it is plenty quick enough, coupled with the fact that the power to weight ration is almost identical to my previous car a B7 S4 it is by no means slow, often deceptively so. Acceleration is not neck snappingly quick as the power comes in across the rev range smoothly but speed builds up effortlessly. However 50-70mph in second gear is very quick.

I have the standard 18” wheels fitted and the PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) in normal mode the car is very smooth riding and bumps are absorbed easily, when you select sport mode on PASM the car sharpens up noticeably. The steering feels even more direct and the car keener to turn in. The only downside to the sport mode in PASM is when the road surface is very rough it does feel a little jarring for passengers so I often only use sport when I am alone in the car.

The exhaust note has got more of a raw edge as I have put more miles on the car and in underground car parks the “bark” does sound very good in the closed environment. The brakes are very deceptive, they have nowhere near as much servo assistance compared to VAG products and can feel a bit weak when first applied. However there is so much more to the brakes once you get used to them. You can stand on them very hard and when you think that is all that is left there is often still more to come from them.

Interior

The quality of the interior is much better than in the 986, whilst the 986 was not a poor interior the quality of the plastics did leave a little to be desired. In the 987 things are much better and the seating position is excellent and all the controls are within easy reach.

The sports shifter which I have fitted makes the gear change much shorter and is a very good option. It does take some effort to select 1st and 2nd gear when the car is cold but it is a small price to pay to be honest.

The BOSE is very good in the car, the small cabin allows for the sound to surround you roof up or down. My only regret is not opting for a CD changer at the factory, it would cost over £900 to retro fit as the car uses MOST fibre optic technology and there are no aftermarket changers yet available.

Problems

There are two things that I do not like about the car. One is the tyres. The car came with Continental Sport Contact N0 tyres. They are simply breathtaking, not in the good way. I was surprised to get understeer from a mid-engined rear wheel drive car at 15mph one morning. They take an age to warm up and even when warm do not provide much confidence as they are a hard wearing compound and feel as if there is not a huge reserve of grip. I will likely change to Michelin or Pirelli tyres in the coming months.

I also have a rattle from the rear of the car behind the passenger seat. It sounds like a bed spring and only happens over bumps in the road, it worsens with sport selected on PASM. The car has been to the dealer to get it resolved; it was better but not fixed then after a day returned to its previous levels. I am yet to get round to booking it back in.

Practicality

A two-seat convertible will never be practical? Well I would disagree, whilst I can only get myself and one passenger in the car there is plenty of storage space in the front and rear boots. I am averaging about 24.5 mpg and on long runs have seen 28mpg, not bad for a 3.2 litre 6-cylinder car I feel.

Overall

I really love this car, whilst I am very tempted by a 911 I do sometimes wonder what extra it would offer me over a Boxster. Yes it might be faster but the enjoyment I get from everyday driving in this car really is great.

I only have one thing to say to anyone considering looking at a Boxster, do not under any circumstances go for a test drive. It will prove costly!

[rs32]

nice review DHA, you have a cracking flat-6 engine there and the interior looks great.

will be interesting to see how you rate the handling with different tyres.

enjoy the next 5000

[NewNiceMrMe]

Very good review DHA.

I too am interested in your comments about the tyres - because I too found Continental's utter garbage on M3's. They were bordering on dangerous IMO and swapping to the preferred Michelin PS2's made an incredible difference to the car.

The interior of the new Boxster looks stunning, as does the 997 911. It's just a shame I'm still not a fan of the 911 overall otherwise it'd be very high on the shopping list for the next time round!

[lmmlmmam]

Nice review DHA. Tell us more about the contrast with the S4?

I demo'd a 2.7 Boxster before getting my S4 Cab and it didn't grab me. Thing is for reason I don't understand I still want a Boxster. Did you feel like you lost out on grunt and flexibility? Are there times when you miss the secuirity and sure footedness that 4wd brings.

My S4 has Conti's and I'd agree that they are rubbish BUT with 4wd they never feel unsafe.

[DHA]

Yeah the conti's failings never really showed up too much with the S4 due to 4WD I would say. I only miss out on the feeling of security in high speed bends. I am not yet used to the Boxster driving it very fast into bends (ie above 60mph) but its a confidence thing more than the car. Also the concern about the tyres makes me back off a little. In terms of acceleration the S4 had an inital snap but that may be due to the autobox connecting up. However I doubt there is much if anything between the two cars. Certainly Daz's S4 cab is very similar in terms of acceleration compared to my 987S.

I am not sure when to change the tyres, have some overtime money coming at the end of the month but also need to put some money aside for Le Mans so will see. I really want to change them as I had Yokohama AVS Sport tyres on my old Boxster and they were great so I know how good the cars can be.

[stevie_d]

Good review mate, I used to have an irrational hatred of Boxters, but now I'm not so sure

As you say, 90% of a 911 for 60% of the price...Bargain!

[Chrisg]

I can vouch for the Bose system, Dave's sounds so much better than my B6 and her B5 and how I remember my previous S3.

I also noticed how quiet the car was...... well when it was on a lighter throttle opening.

The PASM system changed the ride noticably on its firmer steeing it seemed nearly as hard as my S Line....

It may be only 280 bhp (DMS are chipping to about 300 Dave !)but the weight is much less than any of the quattros we drive ! Seemed adequate to me : )

[18ME]

Your car looks stunning DHA

I've not driven a 987 yet but I have been invited by Porsche to a day at Millbrook on the 29th for a "Boxster Driving Experience" which is not great timing for me as I've just got rid of the S4 and bought a A4 1.8T 190 which is nice but absolutely nothing like the S4 was, and I feel with a lack of power and excitement in my life I feel I may want another Porsche but I really can't afford it at the moment but I don't want to pass up the opportunity with playing with some Porsches on the track

Your pictures don't help

[DHA]

Go for the track day it will be great!

[18ME]

I am really looking forward to it but I'm also due to move house around the same time, so I hope it doesn't coincide on the same day.

I had another freebie with my first Porsche but it was at the MIRA test facility and that was a fair bit smaller as it was on the inside figure of eight track.

Stilla great day though.