Cars
- La Show: 2009 Porsche Boxster And Cayman Facelift
Pride of place on Porsche's Los Angeles Auto Show goes to the refreshed 2009 Boxster and Cayman models that benefit from new flat-six boxer engines, a double-clutch PDK gearbox, suspension revisions and subtle cosmetic changes. On the front end, the...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Porsche Boxster S - $60,000-$70,000
PORSCHE BOXSTER S With 9.9 cubic feet of cargo volume, the Porsche Boxster S is a minivan among two-seat roadsters. Its capacity to haul your weekend getaway luggage is 13% better than what you'll find in an Audi TT, 24% better than what the BMW Z4...
- The Good 12 V4.0 Part 10 - Porsche Boxster Spyder
PORSCHE BOXSTER SPYDER Porsche's Boxster is great. It has been since the first generation was introduced in 1996 with barely 200 horsepower. Porsche improved the Boxster's performance year after year, particularly when the 987 Boxster became...
- The New Porsche Boxster Spyder Is Divine
And some people still buy the Porsche 911 Carrera cabriolet? When they can have this? Porsche has upped the Boxster ante with the new Spyder. Slightly differentiated bodywork makes far more than a passing impression. The double-bubble rear deck harks...
- The Good 12 - Part Ix
PORSCHE BOXSTER No, it's not the cheapest Porsche. The Boxster isn't the fastest, either. It's debatable; but the Boxster probably isn't the prettiest Porsche. The most expensive Boxster, known as the S, has less horsepower than a Ford...
Cars
THE GOOD 12 v2.0 FOR 2009 - Part X
PORSCHE BOXSTER
Ignore anybody who suggests that the Boxster now appears soft in light of the rawer, hardcore Cayman. Boxsters don't crinkle up over railroad tracks, the rearview mirror doesn't jiggle when the door slams shut, and every day of a Boxster's life is spent convincing its owner that, "Yes, I was carved from a single block of granite".
Porsche's most inexpensive convertible is a roadster that doesn't skimp on pristine dynamic qualities. What's more, the Boxster was a best-in-class car last year that took home a Good 12 spot and Porsche still determined that improvement was needed. Boxsters are now available with the PDK transmission, probably stripping away some of the sweet manual tranny's fun and interaction while, at the same time, providing lightning-fast shifts with ease. Oh, and there's more horsepower than ever. Oh again, the enlarged and more powerful engines use less fuel.
Every other car on The Good 12 v2.0 is a worthy vehicle, but none of the others will match the Boxster's intensity and not one will solicit such intensity from their driver. All of this, of course, is done in comfort and luxury and at some expense. Boxster owners never doubt that paying such a high price was worth it, however.
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Engines: 255 horsepower and 214 lb-ft of torque from a 2.9L boxer-six or 310 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque from a 3.4L boxer-six
City Mileage: est. 19-21 mpg
Base USD Price: $46,600
Anything Else? Be willing to make small sacrifices in the name of PDK. The double-clutch gearbox adds 55 or 66 pounds and knocks the top speed down by 1mph.
- La Show: 2009 Porsche Boxster And Cayman Facelift
Pride of place on Porsche's Los Angeles Auto Show goes to the refreshed 2009 Boxster and Cayman models that benefit from new flat-six boxer engines, a double-clutch PDK gearbox, suspension revisions and subtle cosmetic changes. On the front end, the...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Porsche Boxster S - $60,000-$70,000
PORSCHE BOXSTER S With 9.9 cubic feet of cargo volume, the Porsche Boxster S is a minivan among two-seat roadsters. Its capacity to haul your weekend getaway luggage is 13% better than what you'll find in an Audi TT, 24% better than what the BMW Z4...
- The Good 12 V4.0 Part 10 - Porsche Boxster Spyder
PORSCHE BOXSTER SPYDER Porsche's Boxster is great. It has been since the first generation was introduced in 1996 with barely 200 horsepower. Porsche improved the Boxster's performance year after year, particularly when the 987 Boxster became...
- The New Porsche Boxster Spyder Is Divine
And some people still buy the Porsche 911 Carrera cabriolet? When they can have this? Porsche has upped the Boxster ante with the new Spyder. Slightly differentiated bodywork makes far more than a passing impression. The double-bubble rear deck harks...
- The Good 12 - Part Ix
PORSCHE BOXSTER No, it's not the cheapest Porsche. The Boxster isn't the fastest, either. It's debatable; but the Boxster probably isn't the prettiest Porsche. The most expensive Boxster, known as the S, has less horsepower than a Ford...