2017 Porsche 718 Boxster First Ride Review

[Porsche 718 News]

The quick answer is yes. The 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster and Boxster S are better in every measurable way compared to the 2016 models they replace. More attractive, more powerful, quicker, faster, pointier, and according to Porsche's estimates, more fuel-efficient and cleaner-running. We spent the day with the new 718 Boxster and it shattered any doubt that Porsche has compromised the iconic convertible in any way. Quite the opposite. Porsche improved the breed by a very large margin. The base 718 Boxster shadows the performance envelope once occupied by the Boxster S, and the 718 Boxster S is something special in its own right. We also had an opportunity to ride along with a Porsche development driver (mine had been working for the past four years on the suspension calibration) at a closed track in Provence, France.

First impressions from the design briefing were that the car has grown up and continues to move away from the hairdresser's car stigma. The car's scale and mid-engine proportions remain. However, tight radii and additional straight lines offset the otherwise organic shapes to impart a lower, wider, and more masculine gesture. The best example of this is the rear of the car where a new upright/horizontal element showcases the familiar Porsche typeface beneath the rear wing. We hope this striking design element makes it to the rest of the marque's cars. In all, each body panel, save the two lids and convertible top itself, are new.

Although the internal structure of the car has seen subtle changes to accommodate various international regulations, it is largely the same with the exception of the rear cradle that now accommodates a turbocharged, horizontally opposed (flat) four-cylinder engine rather than the naturally aspirated flat-six it once did. Both a manual and now-widely accepted PDK dual-clutch automated manual will be available. Also available are all those Porsche TLAs (three-letter acronyms) that sharpen response, composure, capabilities, and connectivity. Dual dynamic engine mounts are now standard, and magnetorheological transmission mounts are optional, as is the 360mm steering wheel from the 918 Spyder.

Both engines, the base 2.0-liter and the S-spec 2.5-liter, show a real gain in power, and more important, the shove of torque?what you feel?increases in number and breadth. For example, where the six-cylinder Boxster S once peaked at 266 lb-ft at 4,500, the new turbocharged and air-to-liquid intercooled 718 Boxster S achieves maximum torque of 309 lb-ft from 1,950 to 4,500 rpm, and believe us when we say it is noticeable. Moreover, a Dynamic Boost (anti-lag) rationale is employed to retain throttle response at all times so that a majority of that motivational torque is available at part throttle, or even if the driver momentarily backs out of the throttle and goes back for more. A combination of closing the turbocharger's wastegate, keeping the throttle valve open, and altering valve timing keeps the single turbocharger's boost pressure high (maximum of 19 psi in the 2.0-liter and 16 psi in the 2.5-liter with its variable-vane turbo). This quality was particularly noticeable in the Sport Plus mode when our driver slid the car around wet corners while modulating the throttle to maintain a smooth arc. Well done, Daniel. He also demonstrated the Carrera-sourced PSM Sport stability control that allows a liberal amount of ?slideways? progress as well as the novel Sport Response button in the center of the drive-mode wheel on the steering wheel. On PDK-equipped cars with the Sport Chrono package, this ?push to pass? response button is essentially a shortcut to the Sport Plus settings (that lasts up to 20 seconds), firming up the engine mounts, adapting the most aggressive shift mapping, and upping the throttle response.

Besides the all-new engines, a completely retuned chassis includes firmed-up structure at the rear, and the 718 now has electric-assisted power steering sourced from the 911 Turbo. The base 718's brakes are carryover equipment, too, but from the previous Boxster S. The 718 Boxster S' brakes come from the 911 Carrera, and the optional Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes (PCCB) are also carryover. However, both rotors' thickness has been increased. Every aspect of the Boxster has been improved?as we hoped it would be, expecting nothing less from Porsche?especially to quell a Porschephile uprising due to the controversial four-cylinder powertrain. Just like it did when switching to liquid-cooled engines, and to put a quantifiable number to it, Porsche timed the new 718 Boxster S around the famed N?rburgring circuit at 7 minutes, 42 seconds. According to Porsche factory lap times, that's 16 seconds quicker than a comparably equipped, track-optimized Boxster S, 5 seconds ahead of the just-released Boxster Spyder, and just 2 seconds arrears of the much-appreciated Cayman GT4.

Finally, what do these two new engines sound like? Rest assured, the grunty, guttural bellow and throttle-overrun backfires are nothing like a Subaru's. Think back to that kid down the block with a decades-old VW Beetle he bored out to paper-thin cylinder walls and finished off with a proper set of equal-length headers and a Stinger tailpipe. Especially when equipped with the optional Sport exhaust, that is the sound of the 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster. We might even like it better than the old flat-six's harmonics, and we certainly like the car better overall. We think you will, too.

2017 Porsche 718 Boxster/Boxster S

• BASE PRICE $57,050-$69,090
• VEHICLE LAYOUT Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door convertible
• ENGINES 2.0L/300-hp/280-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 16-valve flat-4; 2.5L/350-hp/309-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 16-valve flat-4
• TRANSMISSIONS 6-speed manual, 7-speed twin-clutch auto
• CURB WEIGHT 2,950-3,000 lb (mfr)
• WHEELBASE 97.4 in
• LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 172.4 x 70.9 x 50.4 in
• 0-60 MPH 4.7-4.9/4.2-4.4 sec (mfr est)

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