Porsche Boxster Convertible 2005 Review

There's a contradiction in badging such an elegant and capable car with such a contrived and clumsy word. Previously, the purist's option was to call the car a 986 - a model code within Porsche.

Now there's a 987 Boxster and you might need to be a purist to tell it from the 986 because Porsche has gone to a lot of effort to give the impression that nothing has changed.

But despite appearances, every panel has been changed.

The 987 is a larger car with a roomier cockpit and a stiffer body, says Porsche. It brings the Boxster up to date with side airbags, curtain airbags and electronic stability control. Aluminium front and rear boot lids, lighter sound-deadening materials and no spare wheel keep weight about the same as the previous model.

The differences are more noticeable inside, where a new classier cockpit picks up on some of the themes and switchgear from the Cayenne SUV. There are so many custom trim combinations possible it hardly seems worthwhile describing the particular scheme of the test car - an unforgettable shade of terracotta pink. But whatever the colour there's a feeling of quality and the timeless look of stitched leather.

The base Boxster at $107,400 lacks some of the standard features you might expect for this price, such as steering wheel audio controls and heated seats, both available as heftily priced options.

The instruments are the traditional Porsche cluster with a central tachometer dominating and an undersized speedometer off to the left. There's also a digital speed readout in the bottom of the tacho, which becomes your main reference because the analogue speedo is fiddly. The dashboard now incorporates navigation and mobile phone systems more easily than the original cockpit and, in what many will see as heresy, there are two cupholders that spring out from a hiding place above the glovebox.

Porsche clearly has no illusions about what a large proportion of Boxster owners use their car for - a look-at-me commuter. But that's a role it fills graciously. With the low seat of a true sportscar it's never going to be easy to get in and out, but ride is surprisingly compliant and the clutch and gearshift are as light and easy to use as those of an Asian-made city car.

The Boxster's manual transmission has only five speeds, which on paper seems a little mean when six speeds are increasingly common in this class. But its delightful shift action and the perfect positioning of the pedals means all is forgiven within a few kilometres.

Despite its 176kW, the 2.7-litre flat-six is happy to purr around town although it does so with a sense of drama. A deep and guttural engine note emanates from just behind the driver.

In true sportscar style, it only really gets going at high revs, dropping the mask of civility and bellowing once the tachometer rises over 4500rpm.

While there's no shortage of power at the top of the dial, the Boxster does tend to have only two speeds: moderate and maximum attack. A little more mid-range torque would be nice for occasions when you only want to press on a little. From all accounts, the more powerful Boxster S solves this problem and also offers a six-speed gearbox.

But Porsche understands what some pretenders to the sportscar throne don't: power is only one ingredient of a great car. The Boxster's highlight is its steering. Unencumbered by front drive or the weight of an engine over the front wheels, the steering rack is able to direct subtle messages to the driver's palms about how much grip is available and how much steering angle is needed.

Whether this makes any difference to a car's handling is debatable but it makes it enjoyable to drive. For weighting, accuracy and feel, the Boxster's steering is as good as it gets. A new variable ratio steering rack slows the steering a little at straight ahead for easier motorway driving but doesn't detract from its qualities.

Suspension tuning is equally impressive, with a fast initial reaction to steering movement, abundant grip and a talent for adjusting cornering attitude with the throttle. Yet none of this is achieved at the cost of stability or as mentioned earlier, ride.

The car is sharp but never harsh and cohesive to the extent that it's just as enjoyable pottering down to the local shops as on a mountain road. The powered cloth roof needs to be unlatched before folding but a useful touch is its ability to be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 50km/h. The Boxster is draughty with the roof down - those heated seats were sorely missed but with the roof up it becomes a cosy little self-propelled tent.

Boot space is never a strong point of roadsters, indeed having room only for a toothbrush and pair of sunglasses is part of their carefree image. But with two boots, the Boxster is slightly more practical than most.

It has a shallow rear compartment behind the engine and a narrow but deep front boot reminiscent of the old Volkswagen Beetle. Two people could pack for a weekend and maybe even take home a few bottles of wine.

But they'd better not get a puncture because the front boot space comes at the expense of a spare tyre.

But just as charming people often get away with oversights others would pay dearly for, so do charming cars.

And the Boxster is motorised charm at its most potent. We're smitten. If it were any of us signing the cheque we'd happily take the chance of one day using an aerosol inflator instead of a spare for the promise of enjoying every other time we got behind the Boxster's wheel.

Verdict: