Driving Impressions

The Porsche Boxster feels all grown-up, self-assured and solid in purpose, as though it no longer has to lag in the shadow of the 911 Carrera. Turn the key and the Boxster's flat six burbles to life; there's no mistaking it for anything but a sports car engine. Both engines are more powerful on the 2007 models, and it shows. Porsche claims the Boxster can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, while the Boxster S can perform this feat in 5.1 seconds. Top speeds are 162 mph for Boxster, and 169 mph for Boxster S. It's worth noting that Porsche's factory performance numbers are generally on the conservative side. Both cars are quite fast enough to satisfy any delinquent desires. Proper sports cars, it has long been contended, have three pedals on the floor, and so it is with the Boxster. At their very best, sports car drivers are one-person jazz combos, juggling the interplay of shifter, steering wheel and pedals in a polyrhythmic balance of manual dexterity. Remove the clutch and it just isn't the same. Porsche does manual shifting as well as anyone, and there's no reason to fear the clutch. In short, we recommend going for the manual. However, the latest Tiptronic S is so good that electronic de-clutching should no longer be considered shameful. There's certainly no shame driving a Boxster with Tiptronic S, which is good for an automatic and would be the logical choice if your Boxster is condemned to a life of urban crawl. The Tiptronic S was revised for 2007 with new electronics and hydraulics resulting in improved responsiveness. If a Boxster fell out of the sky and it was equipped with Tiptronic S instead of our preferred manual, we would no doubt find a way to be content with our good fortune. At the heart of all good sports cars is a good, balanced chassis. From inception, the Boxster has been the epitome of balance. The result of the stiff, light suspension is a bigger helping of sports-car goodness, a more savory blend of power and control. Even with a curb weight of some 3,000 pounds, the Boxster is like a dancer that seems able to accept or reject gravity's rule as it suits its own, artful progress down the road. The car's structure is stiff and strong, and stiffer is definitely better when it comes to building sports car chassis.

Final Word

The Porsche Boxster is big enough to keep its place in the daily dogfights and is just the right size for an escape from the maelstrom. Top up, it's quiet and comfy; top down, the world wraps itself around you and you can't help but blip back a jolly response with your right foot. The Boxster is pure Porsche. Our only cautionary note against impulsively rushing down and snapping one up is to check off options carefully, as they can escalate the price considerably. NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Greg N. Brown filed this report.