2017 Porsche 718 Boxster and Boxster S: Here They Are, Officially

[Porsche 718 News]

After 20 years of six-cylinder, naturally-aspirated power, Porsche is making big changes to the Boxster for 2017. Start with the name: They're not just Boxsters anymore, they're 718 Boxsters. The name is an homage to some little-known four-cylinder racers Porsche built starting in the mid-1950s. The reference is more than skin-deep?for 2017, all Boxsters will be powered by turbocharged flat-four engines.

The base-model Boxster, shown in gray, gets a 2.0-liter flat-four turbo making 300 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque, an increase of 35 horses and 74 lb.-ft over the outgoing Boxster. The Boxster S, shown here in orange, makes 350 horsepower and 309 lb.-ft, increases of 35 horsepower and 43 lb.-ft., respectively.

All that new power and torque means burlier acceleration. Porsche says a PDK-equipped Boxster with the Sport Chrono package will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, while a similarly-equipped Boxster S will do the sprint in 4.0 seconds. Top speeds increase to 177 mph for the Boxster S, 170 for the base Boxster.

Despite styling that stays very close to the outgoing model, Porsche says every body part is new except for the front and rear trunk lids, windshield, and convertible top. Larger air intakes up front, a larger and deeper side air intake ahead of the rear wheels, and a Porsche-branded tail fin spanning the distance between the taillights set the 2017 model apart from previous Boxsters. LED headlights with Porsche's signature four-point daytime running lights are optional.

Underneath, the 718 gets a completely retuned suspension and redesigned electric-assist steering that Porsche claims is "10 percent more direct than previously," though we're unclear exactly how Porsche measures directness so precisely. Two varieties of Porsche Active Suspension Management are optional: the regular variety with a 10-mm lower ride height, or PASM Sport Suspension with 20 mm drop, available on the Boxster S.

Both the base and S models come standard with a six-speed manual transmission; Porsche's dual-clutch PDK seven-speed is optional. The optional Sport Chrono package offers three settings in manual-equipped cars (Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus), while PDK models get a fourth mode, Sport Response, which "sharpens the responsiveness of the engine and the transmission to promote best possible acceleration."

The 718 Boxster and Boxster S will arrive in U.S. dealerships in late June. The base model starts at $56,000, while the 718 Boxster S starts at $68,400.

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