Porsche Boxster S 2005 Review

"It's a Porsche, mate."

These words from a father and his young son as they passed us in the shopping centre carpark.

The one thing all kids learn to identify and all Dads aspire to own from an early age is a Porsche, and it goes a long way to explaining the appeal of these cars.

One of the real eyecatchers in the Porsche range is the soft-topped Boxster sports car.

The Boxster S is the more expensive and more powerful of the two models and our test vehicle was equipped with optional Tiptronic automatic transmission.

At $132,500 plus $7000 for the auto it's a fair old ask, but then the Boxster isn't just any old car – it is after all a Porsche!

• 3.2-litre boxer engine develops 206kW/ 320Nm. There's plenty of power on tap, no matter what gear you're in.
• Five-speed tiptronic has manual change if desired, minus the clutch of course. There's no manual stick shift mode, just the steering wheel mounted change buttons. You can slip seamlessly between modes however.
• Can't understand the auto/Porsche thing. It takes all the fun out of driving. Slamming home a gear with your thumbs doesn't quite have the same feel. Change up is awkward too.
• Tiptronic lacks the fine control of a manual box, especially when pushing the car through a series of corners. It has an uncanny sense of anticipation, however, and seems to know when you've gone from cruising to more serious driving almost instantly.
• We can say unequivocally that one thing the car doesn't lack is power. Plant the accelerator and the thing hunkers down and takes off with a veritable roar.
• Handling is exemplary. The car carves up corners and will make a novice look good. Trade off is ride which is firm to bone rattling if you get off on to some back roads.
• Surprisingly economical with a claimed fuel consumption of 11.0L/100km in tiptronic form. We got 12.1L/100km from the 64-litre tank – of premium unleaded.
• Two boots fore and aft, but no spare in sight. Just a bottle of goo in case things go wrong.
• Getting in and out is a real pain. It's a long way down and the doors open wide, which can be an issue in narrow driveways.