Having rung the changes with the 991 911, Porsche has made some predictable but telling updates to the Boxster’s mechanical recipe in a bid, it claims, to make the car more practical as well as even better to drive. The fundamentals, however, are unaltered. Power comes from a naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine mounted between the axles just ahead of the rear axle line and driving ◊ ∆ the rear wheels. But there’s plenty to catch up with elsewhere in the car.
Nearly half of the Boxster’s monocoque structure is now aluminium, the rest a mix of magnesium and high-strength steel. Weight has been taken out – enough to save up to 35kg of kerb weight old to new, depending on which models you compare – but crash performance and structural rigidity have increased. The new Boxster is 40 per cent more torsionally stiff than the old one – and the old one wasn’t exactly floppy.
The car’s wheelbase has grown by 60mm, and its tracks are wider (by 40mm at the front and 18mm at the rear). Overall length is up by 32mm and height down by 13mm, giving the car a noticeably sleeker profile.
An all-new front suspension system is made up of a lightweight mix of struts and links that deliver better wheel control and chassis tuning potential than before. The multi-link set-up at the rear is derived from the one of the outgoing car. Conventional gas-filled passive dampers feature as standard but our test car came fitted with Porsche’s PASM adaptive dampers, updated with a more sophisticated network of sensors. Electro-mechanical power steering is also fitted, as in the new 911
You can also now specify optional dynamic transmission mounts, Porsche Torque Vectoring (which brings with it a mechanical limited-slip differential) and a revised PDK dual-clutch gearbox, which itself has been improved for even quicker shifts and better cruising economy.
