The Porche Boxster

Perfomance

There are two flat-six engines available, a 2.7 in the Boxster and a 3.4 in the Boxster S. Both give great pace, but the S is truly rapid, pulling strongly from 2500rpm and really flying once you’ve passed 5000rpm. The 2.7 is plenty quick enough for most tastes, though, and feels a lot faster than its 0-62mph time of 5.8 seconds suggests. Both versions are even quicker with the optional seven-speed PDK semi-auto gearbox fitted.

The Boxster’s fabric roof does a great job of keeping you isolated from wind and road noise as well as keeping off the elements. The engines are pretty quiet at a cruise, but sound great when you put your foot down. The large, wide tyres generate a bit of road noise at speed, but not too much, while the cabin is reasonably well isolated from buffeting – assuming you fork out extra for the optional wind deflector.

Behind the wheel

The seat and steering wheel have loads of adjustment, and the pedals are straight ahead, so it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position. There’s a decent view rearward, and the raised centre console places the gearlever just where you want it. There are plenty of buttons on the dash, however, so it can be tricky to find exactly the one you want at a glance.

It’s got a Porsche badge on the nose, so naturally it’ll require a hefty initial investment. There won’t be any discounts available, either. Ever. Still, the Boxster is reasonably efficient for a car this fast, so running costs, although steep, aren’t prohibitive. It’ll hold on to its value well, too.

Everything you touch, move, twist, slide and prod feels beautifully built. How reliable the Boxster will be is tricky to judge, because Porsche doesn’t sell enough cars to be included in the JD Power ownership satisfaction survey. The German brand did finish a disappointing 20th (out of 36 makers) in the most recent Reliability Survey, though