Even Porsche is going green. As with the latest 911 and Cayman models, an important element of the revised Boxster range is a focus on improved economy and emissions.
The facelifted car has received a new 255PS 2.9-litre engine to replace the 245PS 2.7 that previously supplied the power. There’s also the new PDK automatic gearbox that supersedes the Boxster’s previous tiptronic auto, and is expected to be significantly more popular, with early orders showing a 40% take-up rate compared with around 20% for the older transmission.
Despite the larger and more powerful engine, the new Boxster offers a 28g/km decrease in emissions at 214g/km, nudging it down to the 30% benefit-in-kind banding, and fuel economy up from 28.0 to 31.0mpg. Unusually, the manual version posts a 221g/km emissions figure – two bands higher than the auto. It’s also 0.9mpg worse on the average fuel economy figures.
The gearbox itself is pretty slick in automatic mode, if occasionally a little slow to shift up once you’ve come off the power after hard acceleration. However, the steering wheel-mounted buttons for changing gear manually are mounted counter-intuitively, so the driver shifts up when they want to change down, and vice versa. It also adds a whopping £1920 to the manual Boxster’s £33,704 list price.
Other, smaller, moans include a disappointing amount of storage space in a cosy cabin where tall drivers may struggle to feel particularly comfortable, and the cost of adding items from the vast options list.
But the car is better than ever. Great to drive, impressively refined roof up or down and with impressive residuals, there’s now a stronger case for top-level managers looking at the Boxster as corporate transport.
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