The new Porsche Boxster: a near-perfect sports car
The new Porsche Boxster is the perfect motor for enjoying Britain’s roads, says Nicole Garcia Merida.


It would have been hard to imagine, back in 1996 when the first Porsche Boxster was launched, that the “baby” sports car would one day pack an engine that would propel it to 400bhp, says Jonathan Burn on Auto Express. “Even harder to imagine” would be a Boxster that costs more than £66,000. Yet that is just what we have in the new 718 Boxster GTS 4.0. As roadsters go, it is difficult to fault. On the move, it feels light, nimble and beautifully balanced at any speed, “all essential sports-car traits”. Its size and power make it a “near-perfect sports car for UK roads”.
The “important” part of the car’s name is at the end: the 4.0 indicates a bigger four-litre engine and that represents more than just “an injection of extra performance” – it “completely transforms the car’s character” for the better. Enjoy it while you can: Porsche is “seriously considering” making the next generations of its Boxster and Cayman cars fully electric.
The naturally aspirated six cylinder you get here, though, is “exactly what you want and expect from a Porsche engine”, says Joel Stocksdale on Autoblog. It is “eager to rev” and rewards the driver with “more and more power the longer you stay on the throttle”. Most importantly, it sounds like a Porsche, with a thundering growl. “This engine wants to rev, you want to hear and feel it rev, yet to do so, you have to drive at speeds that’ll send you to jail… or require frequent trips to a racetrack.”
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
The “getting-to-know-you phase” in this Boxster is short – within moments car and driver are well acquainted, says James Taylor in Car magazine. Twist the key and you’ll feel all six cylinders come alive at the small of your back. Handling it at road speeds “is apparently viceless” and it’s as safe and stable as it is eager. The way the GTS changes direction is “quite something… turning on its heels like an action-movie hero in a slow-motion gunfight”. Whatever nits the car does have are “barely pickable”.
It has all the right ingredients for driving perfection, agrees Ollie Marriage on TopGear, and “you won’t find much to complain about” inside either. The quality of the materials is top-notch, the driving position is comfortable and the space it offers result in a “very usable and pleasing roadster”. All in all, this is a car that would be a delight to live with.
Price: £66,340. Engine: 4.0-litre, six cylinder, petrol. Power/torque: 396bhp/400Nm. 0-62mph: 4.5 seconds. Top speed: 182mph
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Nic studied for a BA in journalism at Cardiff University, and has an MA in magazine journalism from City University. She has previously worked for MoneyWeek.
-
Reeves warned against property tax shake-up – 3 ways it could backfire on first-time buyers
Rachel Reeves reportedly has her eye on high-end property taxes in the upcoming Budget, but there are concerns a shake-up could unintentionally hamper those trying to get on the housing ladder
-
Average Brits want to retire five years before they can – who has the widest retirement gap?
Brits are expecting to work for longer than ever but there are big disparities in the number of extra working years predicted. A small tweak could help close the gap
-
Pinewood Technologies: a drive for growth
Pinewood Technologies’ platform is one of the best in the business. Investors should buy in
-
'EV maker Faraday Future will crash'
Faraday Future Intelligent Electric is failing dismally to live up to its name, says Matthew Partridge
-
8 of the best houses for sale with follies
The best houses for sale with follies in the grounds – from a five-storey Victorian Gothic tower in Tonbridge, Kent, to a former mill in Oxfordshire with gardens that include a folly on an island in a lake
-
Sotheby’s fishes for art collectors – will it succeed?
Sotheby’s is seeking to restore confidence in the market after landing Leonard Lauder's art collection, including Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer
-
Review: The Lakes by Yoo – luxury living in the Cotswolds
Travel The Lakes by Yoo combines a luxury hotel stay with the convenience of a holiday rental in a gorgeous lakeside setting
-
8 of the best houses for sale with separate accommodation
The best houses for sale with separate accommodation – from a converted 17th-century threshing barn in Monmouthshire, to a Grade II-listed Queen Anne house in North Yorkshire with four apartments in the stable block
-
Review: Bequia Beach Hotel – nostalgic fun in the Caribbean
Travel Bequia Beach Hotel on the island of Bequia in St Vincent and the Grenadines is a resort with personality that is as luxurious as it is playful
-
8 of the best properties for sale with orangeries
From a converted Victorian Catholic school with a chapel in Kingston Upon Thames to a 12-acre country estate with mature gardens and a lake in Nantwich, Cheshire, we look at some of the best properties for sale with orangeries