Porsche Boxster 2005 review

"The question is, what do we do to update this car without changing its essential character," says Porsche Australia managing director Michael Winkler.

"The original Boxster was a gutsy decision by the family 10 years ago when we, as a company, were on the verge of bankruptcy. That decision to develop the car and carry it to production was a watershed."

As with the previous Boxster upgrade, Porsche has taken small steps to produce an overall better result.

The icing on the cake for buyers is that with better specifications, a little more power and a more aggressive look, the 987 Boxster comes in a shade more affordable.

"It is a case of price down and value up," Winkler said. "About half of that is tariff related but the rest is just because we are good guys."

At $107,400 for the base 2.7-litre, the Boxster convertible is $1100 cheaper than before.

Throw in the previously optional 17-inch wheels ($2990), CD changer ($1590), PSM stability control ($2990) and trip computer ($990), and that becomes a $9660 saving, or a nine per cent value increase.

The punchier 3.2-litre Boxter S arrives $600 cheaper at $132,500. Boxster S adds similar additions but with 18-inch wheels ($3190).

The value equation there puts buyers seven per cent ahead.

However, the decision to buy a Boxster is rarely – if ever – about the dollars.

Porsches are overwhelmingly passion purchases – culminations of long-held desires or rewards for life landmarks.

And they are all about performance.

While the new Boxster shares some 50 per cent of its components with the 911, the door handles are the only external common parts.

"The two models (Boxster and 911) have moved further apart ... there is a greater differentiation and that is in answer to what our customers have been saying," Winkler explains.

According to Juergen Kapfer, head of drive-train development at Porsche AG in Germany, development of the 987 was free of any financial constraints and "it shows that in the car we have produced".

Kapfer said that despite building a larger car with more room, more presence and a substantially stiffer body, weight-savings in greater use of aluminium (front and rear boot lids), lighter sound-deadening materials and the deletion of a spare wheel result in a car of similar weight to the previous model.

"Of course, taking out a spare wheel is a very quick and effective way of reducing weight," Kapfer said. "There are only a couple of markets in the world – Brazil is one – where a spare wheel is compulsory.

"In those markets we have to put one in, of course, but it does take space from the rear luggage bin."

Winkler said the decision to go with a pump-and-go repair kit for Australia was not taken lightly, but Porsche would not be offering the option of a spare wheel.

Improvements to the 2.7-litre and 3.2-litre flat sixes have resulted in slight power gains – up 8kW to 176kW@6400rpm and 15lW to 206@6200rpm respectively.

Torque has also been improved – particularly at the lower end – through the use of a double chamber induction system and a variable butterfly valve coupled to a redesigned exhaust.

Revision of the PSM (Porsche Stability Management) system has made one of the least intrusive nanny programs even less so.

If deactivated, PSM will only intervene if sensors detect both front wheels are locked.

The first tangible thing you notice about the 987 – apart from greater cabin space – is the guttural engine and exhaust note.

This is the way the flat six used to sound before it was choked down over a progression of model changes.

It is loud, primal and – as each gear peaks – a symphony to be immersed in.

The dynamic characteristics of the Boxster have changed little – they are still simply brilliant and as forgiving as a saint.

Feedback from the active steering – the further off-centre the wheel, the sharper the action – is sensational, with the driver never in any doubt about what is happening around the vehicle.

A 25 per cent reduction in gear lever travel only makes an already tactile and precise action even moreso.

A variation in final drive ratios to accommodate the larger wheel circumferences has the knock-on effect of producing slightly quicker 0-100km/h sprints (6.2 seconds in the Boxster and 5.5 seconds for the S) and higher top speeds. Porsche also claims an improvement in fuel economy.