Porsche pulls the wraps off an all-new, bigger and better Boxster, writes Road Test Editor Howard Walker
It seems like the paint has hardly dried on Porsche’s newest-generation 911 - on sale right around now - when along comes news of an all-new 2013 Boxster roadster set to hit showrooms this summer. And this isn’t some minor mid-life facelift. Porsche’s entry-level model gets an entirely new lightweight alloy and steel body and a comprehensively reworked chassis.
There’s also more power, new electro-mechanical power steering and bigger wheels and tires to sharpen-up the mid-engine soft-top’s already brilliant handling.
Take out the tape measure and you’ll see the car has grown 1.3 inches in length, though the more important dimension here is the distance between the wheels - the wheelbase is up 2.4 inches to give more cabin space. And it looks even sexier than before, with its broader, more muscular stance, its more forward-positioned windscreen, new vertically stacked headlights, bigger side air intakes and larger wheels. The interior has also had a major makeover, below, with a raised console and new instruments and switches.
As with the new 911, the base Boxster’s engine has gone down in capacity - it’s a 2.7-liter as opposed to the previous 2.9 - but power goes up by 10-horsepower to a healthy 265-horsepower. The Boxster S stays at 3.4-liters, though it too gets more power, going from 310 to 315-horsepower.
Stamping the doors and trunk lid from aluminum and moving to electro-mechanical steering is said to shave around 55 pounds from the already svelte Boxster. Which, in true Porsche tradition, translates into better performance plus improved fuel economy.
According to Porsche, the new base Boxster with its optional seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic, will sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds (a six-speed manual is standard, but it’s slower). The Boxster S will go from 0-to-60 in 4.7 seconds. Both models should be around 15 percent more economical.
Despite the new Boxster still being four or five months away, prices have already been announced, with the base Boxster going for $50,450 and the S stickering at $61,850. These are pretty much the same as the current versions.
This is great news for Porsche lovers. The Boxster is still the most fun-driving model, and with more power, a sharper chassis and less weight, it can only heighten the fun factor.
For more information about the Boxter and the full line of Porsche vehicles, please visit, http://www.porsche.com/
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