Consistent with virtually every Porsche ever made, the Boxster is all
business inside, with plenty of room for two (we don't have specific measurements)
highly supportive leather-surfaced bucket seats, contemporary amenities
and excellent control placement.
However, the instruments do represent something of a departure from
Porsche tradition. Three round pods are siamesed together, with the speedo
on the left, coolant temp and fuel on the right and a big tachometer dominating
in the center.
The speedo and tach are analog, of course, but there are smaller digital
readouts at the bottom of each pod--odometer incoporated in the speedo,
clock in the secondary readouts and a digital speedo at the bottom of the
big tach. It's an attractive and effective blend of classic with contemporary.
A pair of steel tube hoops, mounted behind the seats and extending above
the seatbacks, provide extra protection for drivers unlucky enough to find
themselves upside-down, and of course there are the usual passive safety
features--twin airbags, three-point seatbelts and side impact protection.
Unlike the BMW Z3, the Boxster's standard convertible top is power-operated.
When the top is down, you can stretch a wind deflector between the upper
seatbacks to minimize interior buffeting. It's a $360 option that we recommend.
Porsche also offers a removable hardtop option, which includes a rear window
defogger, for $2249.
Other optional amenities: a trip computer ($440), alarm system ($600),
upgrades sound package (six speakers, four-channel amp, $590), headlight
washers ($224), metallic paint ($789) and cruise control ($550). Although
the seats in the basic car have leather inserts, you can spread more cowhide
around the interior with the leather interior package for $1951.
All of the foregoing makes it clear to us that option shopping is something
to approach carefully with this new car.
Luggage space is apportioned between fore and aft compartments, and
is surprisingly good for a small two-seater. Getting at the engine, however,
is another story. Although you can get to fluid reservoirs readily enough,
all access to the engine itself comes from below. Unless you have your
own hydraulic hoist, getting to the engine means a visit to your Porsche
dealer, which is rarely cheap.
Although the BMW Z3 2.8, with its torquey inline-six, may be just a
little quicker out of the blocks, the Boxster is definitely brisk. It'll
dash to 60 mph in well under seven seconds, and top speed--something we
hope to explore someday--is pegged at 149 mph.
But the real fun here is this car's unerringly precise response to driver
commands. Mid-engine balance, an excellent chassis and firm suspension
tuning add up to a level of agility and stability that seems a cut above
the Boxster's key competitors. There's not a hint of wrestling to guide
this aggressive newcomer down to the apex of a fast turn; it seems almost
to anticipate its orders, and there's not a hint of hesitation or uncertainty.
The old British definition of a sports car was something that could,
in a pinch, be raced. That's a key part of Porsche's heritage, and it certainly
applies to the Boxster. The ride quality that goes with these gunfighter
reflexes is distinctly firm, but somehow we don't think anyone will mind.