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.
-
‘My estate faces a £214,000 tax bill unless I get married’ - the perils of the inheritance tax pension reformsThe chancellor's plans to charge inheritance tax on unused pension wealth could be bad news for cohabiting couples
-
Investec enters cash ISA market with top rate for saversThe bank and wealth management group's new fixed-rate deal is one of the best on the market.
-
Review: Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre – explore a city of Arabian delightsTravel The Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre is a great base from which to set out on a foodie adventure of the emirate
-
Albert Einstein's first violin sells for £860,000 at auctionAlbert Einstein left his first violin behind as he escaped Nazi Germany. Last week, it became the most expensive instrument not owned by a concert violinist
-
Last orders: can UK pubs be saved?Pubs in Britain are closing at the rate of one a day, continuing and accelerating a long-term downward trend. Why? And can anything be done to save them?
-
Review: Grove of Narberth – a warm welcome in WalesTravel Grove of Narberth is a rustic and charming country retreat in Pembrokeshire all the year round
-
Review: The Hut, Colwell Bay – a seafood lunch with a holiday feelTravel Getting to The Hut in Colwell Bay on the Isle of Wight is almost as rewarding as actually eating there
-
Pinewood Technologies: a drive for growthPinewood 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 folliesThe 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
