Name: New Porsche 718 Boxster models and Specifications
Brand: Porsche

20-2dr

The entry-level Boxster comes with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 296bhp. That's enough for 0-62mph in 4.7sec (with the standard PDK automatic gearbox). It's smoother than the 2.5-litre Boxster S, but still sounds rather unappealing. That said, it's the engine to go for if you can't stretch to the GTS.

This S model gets the more powerful 345bhp 2.5-litre petrol engine that's quick, but full of flats spots and emits a rough, unpleasant, four-cylinder drone. It's the least impressive engine in the range.


The best Boxster engine is this glorious 395bhp 4.0-litre six-cylinder. It'll pull easily from low revs in the higher gears, and delivers explosive acceleration when you want it to.

The GTS adds bigger brakes, a sports exhaust, the Sports Chrono Package, PASM adaptive suspension and 20in alloy wheels. You also get a bunch of styling add-ons inside and out.


The entry-level Boxster comes with very little as standard. You get air-con, Xenon headlights, a six-speaker/110-watt stereo, and a 7.0in infotainment touchscreen with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay, a DAB radio and Bluetooth, but need to pay extra for cruise control or a reversing camera.


BOXSTER

The S adds 19in alloy wheels and partial-leather seats to the standard Boxster's tally.


Style Edition

Sports

Porsche is best known as the quintessential sports car maker, but its line-up is increasingly diverse, interesting and successful, from its SUV family to the Panamera hatchback and shooting brake and, in time, a planned family of electric vehicles.

Whatever your choice, What Car?’s testers rate the cars highly; Porsche has an unusually high percentage of five and four-star cars.

Without exception, its sports cars are class leaders or among the class leaders, standing out for combining driving thrills with surprising luxury and comfort. Likewise, its SUVs are among the sharpest handling, as well as offering high levels of practicality and quality. Meanwhile, the Panamera is a true rival to the very best large executive saloons.

Porsche also sees itself as an electric car pioneer and has already enjoyed sales success with its plug-in hybrid range. Its first all-electric sports car is imminent, signalling the firm’s intent to stay relevant for many years to come.

PORSCHE

2.0 2dr

2.0 2dr PDK

20-2dr-pdk

CAYMAN

2.0 Style Edition 2dr

20-style-edition-2dr

2.0 Style Edition 2dr PDK

20-style-edition-2dr-pdk

2.5 S 2dr PDK

25-s-2dr-pdk

2.5 S 2dr

25-s-2dr

4.0 GTS 2dr PDK

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4.0 GTS 2dr

40-gts-2dr

Porsche 718 Boxster

The Boxster gives you a choice of two boots in which to stow your bags: one in the nose&nbsp;and the other in the usual place, at the back of the car.

While neither offers a massive amount of space there's more room to play with than you get in an Alpine&nbsp;A110. Combined, there's enough&nbsp;space for&nbsp;a few soft bags or a weekly shop. Forget about golf clubs, though –&nbsp;you’ll have to choose between those&nbsp;or a passenger.

If you need to carry anything more substantial,&nbsp;the Z4 has a bigger boot and&nbsp;the option of a ski hatch, which means you can carry&nbsp;longer items more easily.&nbsp;

"I don't play golf&nbsp;but I do play squash – and my chunky bag fits easily beside me&nbsp;on the passenger seat." – <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/authors/doug-revolta/n1031">Doug Revolta, Head of Video</a>

Porsche has a reputation for building smart interiors and&nbsp;the Boxster&nbsp;doesn’t let the side down. As standard, you get solid, high-quality buttons and switches, and everything feels like it's been screwed together tightly.

Much of the interior is covered in dense, soft-touch materials, while you sit on&nbsp;Alcantara and leatherette-trimmed seats – or part natural leather on S and GTS models.&nbsp;

Spend even more and you can have full-leather seats, a&nbsp;leather-covered dash and door panels, or go to town with additional Alcantara or wood finishes. Even without these fripperies,&nbsp;the Boxster feels far more special to sit in than the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/alpine/a110/coupe/review/n185">Alpine A110</a> and at least on a par with a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/z4/sports/review/n64">BMW Z4</a>.

"I get on with the Boxster's driving position really well and it's refreshing there are lots of proper buttons, so you don't need to use the touchscreen for everything." –<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/authors/dan-jones/n23433"> Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer</a>

Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

The Porsche Boxster's standard seats have manual controls for&nbsp;back-and-forth adjustment with&nbsp;a button to electrically adjust&nbsp;the angle of the backrest. If you want lumbar adjustment you'll need to order the 14-way electrically&nbsp;adjustable Sports seats, or the&nbsp;18-way Sports Seats Plus, which include&nbsp;adjustable side bolsters as well.

Any of those options&nbsp;will supply great&nbsp;levels&nbsp;of comfort and support, while&nbsp;the&nbsp;racing-style sports bucket seats that are also available on some versions are more about the latter. They're deep, so getting in and out isn't as easy, with&nbsp;fixed-angle backrests and firm cushions&nbsp;–&nbsp;be warned if you're planning on using your car daily.

The rest of the driving position is just about spot on.&nbsp;The pedals are positioned perfectly and the steering wheel has so much adjustment that you should be able to get suitably set up. Even the buttons on the dashboard are easy to get to grips with. They might look a little confusing at first but you quickly learn to find them by feel while driving.

Fuel 

Gearbox

0-62 MPH

http://example.com

4.0 GTS

Porsche is notorious for giving away very little standard equipment and this is true of the Boxster. Even the range-topping GTS model goes without the kind of kit you might expect as standard on a car costing such a serious wedge. You'll need to pay extra for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/what-is-cruise-control-and-should-you-have-it-on-your-next-car/n26822">cruise control</a>,&nbsp;power-folding door mirrors, heated seats and even climate control.

So what do you get? Well, the standard Boxster comes with an electric roof, electric windows, air-con, 18in alloy wheels, xenon headlights and part-Alcantara seats.

Meanwhile, the S adds 19in wheels, while the GTS (our pick) comes with discrete styling upgrades, 20in wheels, lowered <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/types-of-suspension-adaptive-suspension-explained/n27085">adaptive suspension</a>, a limited-slip differential, a sports exhaust and the Sports Chrono Pack (which adds, among other things, launch control).

If you want a&nbsp;convertible, you're spoilt for choice. But what if you want a two-seat&nbsp;drop-trop that goes like a sports car, and makes you smile no matter whether it's summer or a sodden Saturday in January? Well, the&nbsp;Porsche 718 Boxster might just fit the bill. 

In fact, the Boxster is arguably the default choice. It’s basically a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/cayman/coupe/review/n17361">Porsche 718 Cayman</a>&nbsp;– one of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/sports-cars/n24412">best sports cars</a> on sale –&nbsp;with the roof removed but very little, if anything, left on the table dynamically. 

That’s why the Boxster isn't just&nbsp;comparable with other drop-top sports cars –&nbsp;such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/z4/sports/review/n64">BMW Z4</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mg-motor-uk/cyberster/sports/review/n26928">MG Cyberster</a> –&nbsp;but also hardtop sports cars, including the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/alpine/a110/coupe/review/n185">Alpine A110</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/gr-supra/coupe/review/n19387">Toyota GR Supra</a>.

Oh yes, and it doesn't hurt that it comes with a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals/make/porsche">Porsche</a> badge on its nose to impress the neighbours. So&nbsp;how do we rate the Porsche Boxster in the areas that matter? Read on to find out...

Despite having its engine mounted in the middle of the car, the Porsche Boxster is plenty roomy enough to accommodate a couple of tall people. It’s also wide enough to ensure that you’re never brushing elbows with your passenger.

Storage is more of an issue. Yes, there's a decent-sized glovebox, a couple of cupholders and several cubbies, including two in the doors and one in the centre armrest,&nbsp;each of which is&nbsp;big enough to take&nbsp;a mobile phone. But the door&nbsp;pockets are shallow, tricky to access and certainly not big enough for something chunky, such as a bottle of water.

Any sports car (<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/convertibles/n17007">convertible</a> or not) worth its salt needs to offer handling excitement in spades and the Boxster doesn’t disappoint. Its steering is wonderfully accurate and precise, with enough feedback to give the driver plenty of confidence. Turn in to a bend and there’s virtually no body roll and an enormous amount of grip.

Put simply, its handling is on a different level to rivals such as the BMW Z4 and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/gr-supra/coupe/review/n19387">Toyota GR Supra</a>.&nbsp;Only the lightweight Alpine A110&nbsp;comes close&nbsp;– albeit in a different way. Yes, it&nbsp;leans more and&nbsp;has less grip than the Boxster, but that helps it feel a little more playful on the road, and some drivers will prefer that.&nbsp;

The Boxster, meanwhile, has a wonderfully broad range of talents. It feels at&nbsp;home on fast, sweeping corners&nbsp;just as much as it does pottering around town, where the steering is light enough to make parking easy.

As standard, you get a 7in <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/best-car-infotainment-systems-tested-and-rated/n21269">infotainment touchscreen</a>&nbsp;with Bluetooth, a DAB radio and sat-nav. <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/what-is-apple-carplay/n1193">Apple CarPlay</a>&nbsp;is also standard, so you can mirror your iPhone to the screen, but disappointingly there's no <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/what-is-android-auto/n1194">Android Auto</a>.

The touchscreen is within easy reach, is quick to respond to your inputs and the menus are reasonably logically laid out, with shortcut buttons to help you navigate straight to key&nbsp;functions. However, some rivals' systems are better, including the&nbsp;iDrive setup in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/z4/sports/review/n64">BMW Z4</a>.

There are no audio controls on the Boxster's steering wheel unless you pay extra, and the standard stereo is a fairly mediocre with six&nbsp;speakers and just 110W. Of course, you can pay to upgrade it. The first option is a relatively affordable Bose system with 10 speakers and 505W, while the second is a pricey 12-speaker, 821W Burmester unit.

The entry-level Porsche Boxster 2.0-litre is a sound choice. With 296bhp it's far from slow (0-62mph in 4.9&nbsp;seconds with the standard seven-speed <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/automatic-gearboxes-everything-you-need-to-know/n17022">PDK automatic gearbox</a>)&nbsp;and power builds willingly as the revs rise, before things really get&nbsp;going at around 4000rpm.

Don't buy&nbsp;the S model version, though. Yes, it's quicker (0-62mph in&nbsp;4.4 seconds)&nbsp;but the 2.5-litre&nbsp;engine (a four-cylinder, like the 2.0-litre) isn't&nbsp;as sweet, with some unpleasant&nbsp;flat spots as you rev it.

The best engine is the glorious&nbsp;395bhp 4.0-litre six-cylinder in the Boxster GTS.&nbsp;It'll pull easily from low revs in the higher gears, but delivers explosive acceleration when&nbsp;you want to drive your sports car like, er, a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/sports-cars/n24412">sports car</a> – that is, flat out. It really is worth the extra cash if you can afford it.

Whichever engine you choose, there's no doubt the&nbsp;PDK gearbox&nbsp;offers the fastest&nbsp;gearshifts. However, the optional&nbsp;six-speed <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/which-cars-come-with-a-manual-gearbox/n26678">manual gearbox</a>&nbsp;is delightful to use and one of the best manuals around.

The Boxster is sensational to drive and beautifully built

Probably the biggest disadvantage of the Boxster's mid-engine&nbsp;layout is that there’s nothing but a bulkhead behind the front seats. Some two-seat drop-top <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/sports-cars/n24412">sports cars</a>, including the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/z4/sports/review/n64">BMW Z4</a>,&nbsp;offer cubbies or luggage nets to stow loose items behind the seats.

If you’re not the tallest of drivers, and your&nbsp;seat isn't slid all the way back against the rear bulkhead,&nbsp;you&nbsp;will find small gap behind the seat. Indeed, there's a hook&nbsp;on the&nbsp;back of each seat to hang a jacket&nbsp;on.

There is no question which engine to buy for the right noise: the 4.0-litre, six-cylinder in the Boxster GTS. It's&nbsp;rich and soulful, which is exactly what you want from a sports car, and in the Boxster,&nbsp;with the roof down, it sounds even&nbsp;more invigorating.&nbsp;

However, you’ll be very disappointed by the noise of the four-cylinder&nbsp;engines in the Boxster 2.0-litre and Boxster&nbsp;S 2.5-litre. Their monotonous drone isn't too dissimilar to&nbsp;the original Volkswagen Beetle's, although&nbsp;the 2.0-litre is smoother and less obnoxious than the 2.5-litre. If your budget doesn't stretch to a GTS and you want a sweet-sounding sports car, try the Alpine A110, which uses a four-cylinder engine but one that's much sweeter than the Boxster's.

Wind and road noise are the biggest bugbears of Boxster&nbsp;ownership&nbsp;– with the roof up there's more of both on the motorway compared with a BMW Z4. On the plus side, with the roof down&nbsp;and the wind deflector in place,&nbsp;buffeting in the Boxster is minimal.&nbsp;

"I can't think of many engines (in any price point) that sound as glorious as the 4.0-litre flat-six in the Boxster GTS." – <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/authors/will-nightingale/n1020">Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor</a>

In the 2024 <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/most-reliable-cars/n27337">What Car?&nbsp;Reliability Survey</a>&nbsp;the Boxster finished joint top of the coupé, convertible and sports car class, alongside its hard-topped sister, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/cayman/coupe/review/n17361">Porsche Cayman</a>. Only 6% of cars suffered faults, and these were all fixed for free in a day or less.

Every Boxster&nbsp;comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty but, like most cars of this type, it will chew through consumables, such as tyres and brakes, at a rate of knots.

Adaptive dampers called Porsche Active Suspension Management, or PASM for short,&nbsp;with a 20mm lower&nbsp;ride height are optional on the Boxster and Boxster&nbsp;S, but standard on the T and&nbsp;GTS.&nbsp;We've only ever tried models with this <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/types-of-suspension-adaptive-suspension-explained/n27085">suspension</a> fitted and it makes the Boxster&nbsp;ride&nbsp;remarkably well by sports car standards –&nbsp;even with big&nbsp;20in alloy wheels.

Sure, it's firm-ish, but the damping is good enough that it keeps you from feeling uncomfortable over the usual lumps and bumps. Only really big&nbsp;imperfections, mainly around town,&nbsp;expose the car's inherent stiffness.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/z4/sports/review/n64">BMW Z4</a> is noticeably softer&nbsp;but also bouncier over really undulating roads, while the lighter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/alpine/a110/coupe/review/n185">Alpine A110</a> manages the balance between firmness and control just that little bit better than the Boxster.

It’s got a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals/make/porsche">Porsche</a> badge on the nose&nbsp;so, naturally, buying a 718 Boxster&nbsp;will require a hefty initial investment&nbsp;– especially if you're buying&nbsp;our&nbsp;favourite&nbsp;GTS model.

More positively, the Boxster&nbsp;will hold onto its value well, so the costs stack up surprisingly well against rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/alpine/a110/coupe/review/n185">Alpine A110</a> in&nbsp;the longer term, and in the short term if you're buying one on a PCP finance deal.

Servicing, replacement parts and tyres will all cost more than you might expect. And our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/real-mpg-calculator">Real MPG tests</a> on the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/cayman/coupe/review/n17361">Porsche 718 Cayman S</a> (basically a Boxster with a roof, so the results will be similar) revealed an average of just 28.4mpg –&nbsp;the GTS 4.0-litre won't be much worse in the real world. The 2.0-litre Cayman did better, managing&nbsp;a much more palatable 34.4mpg.

There’s no <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/the-safest-cars-on-sale-today/n19724">Euro NCAP</a> safety appraisal available for the Boxster, and there isn't much in the way of active safety kit compared with many modern cars. You'll also have to pay extra if you want to add Isofix <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/best-car-seats-the-safest-child-seats-for-newborns-and-toddlers/n26320">child seat</a> mounts to the passenger seat.&nbsp;

More positively, Security experts Thatcham Research awarded the Boxster a maximum five-star rating for resisting being stolen and four stars for guarding against being broken into.

"I think it's disappointing that Porsche hasn't added more active safety kit to the Boxster throughout the years. Automatic emergency braking really should be standard." –<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/authors/neil-winn/n1101"> Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor</a>

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Apart from having an electrically adjustable backrest as standard, the Boxster's passenger seat&nbsp;doesn’t do anything of note.

You can add 14-way electric adjustment, which includes adjustable&nbsp;lumbar support, or an 18-way seat&nbsp;that feature adjustable side bolsters.

boxster

style-edition

OUR PICK

The Porsche Boxster GTS, with its glorious 4.0-litre flat-six engine, sounds amazing, is sensational to drive and is beautifully built. Put simply, it’s one of the best sports cars on sale. The four-cylinder versions aren't nearly as appealing, but are still far superior to the BMW Z4.

Sports cars and convertibles are notoriously hard to see out of, with thick pillars, small rear windows and a low driving position. So&nbsp;you won't be surprised that reversing isn't is easy as it is in a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/aygo-x/hatchback/review/n24132">Toyota Aygo X</a>.

That said, all versions have front and rear parking sensors, and you can pay extra to have a reversing camera to make backing up even easier. It's also relatively easy to see out of the front of the Boxster and to judge its width.

At night, the standard bi-xenon headlights offer excellent illumination. You can upgrade these to directional headlights that aim their beams with the steering&nbsp;to help you see better through bends, or you can opt for the&nbsp;adaptive LED headlights that can be left on main beam without dazzling other drivers.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Ride comfort shouldn’t be sacrificed at the altar of handling sharpness</li> <li>Plenty of power from a melodic engine</li> <li>Handling that doesn’t come at the expense of a back-breaking ride​​​​​</li> <li> Practicality is not essential but nice to have </li></ul>

Driving fun is right at the top of any sports car buyer's priority list, and every one of our award candidates has backroad entertainment coded into its DNA.

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