Porsche Boxster car review

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 87%

The Porsche Boxster leads the way when it comes to small two seat sports cars with impeccable handling. And it's no surprise, given the pedigree of the German car maker.

View our Porsche Boxster slide show

The standard Boxster is the cheapest way into new Porsche ownership and its rock solid used values makes it even easier to justify the expense.

Stuart Milne spent a week with one to find out if the baby Boxster offers bargain basement thrills.

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor

1. Looks
The Porsche Boxster is an exceptionally pretty car, and a facelift in 2004 saw a nip and tuck keeping it at the front of mind for anyone choosing a two seat sports car. The front end is virtually indistinguishable from the more expensive 911, but the rear has a look all of its own. Its curvy rump is certainly more attractive than the Boxster-based Cayman coupe and there are nice touches all around, such as the centrally-mounted exhaust. The Sport Edition we tested adds some subtle body modifications in the shape of a new rear diffuser inspired by the Carrera GT supercar and extensions for the pop-up rear spoiler and front bumper.

9/10

2. Looks inside
The interior is immediately identifiable as a Porsche. It's largely form over function, but the materials used and the quality with which it's all put together is first rate. Most surfaces are covered in neatly-stitched leather. All the controls are where you'd expect to find them, and are clearly labelled, with the exception of the speedo, which goes up in 25mph increments. However, there is a clear digital readout under the large, centrally-mounted rev-counter.

9/10

3. Practicality
For a dinky two-seater, the Porsche Boxster has a vast 280-litres of storage space. The rear boot is shallow, but its 130 litres means it's just big enough for the weekly shop. The 150 litre front boot stretches all the way from the bonnet to the floor. That means luggage space is comparable with the more conventional front-engined Mercedes SLK and almost three times the size of the Nissan 350Z Roadster's boot. There are a few storage spaces in the cabin in the usual places, but a trio of hidden cubbyholes behind the seats with sliding lids are very handy. The electric roof can open or close at speeds of up to 30mph in 12 seconds.

8/10

4. Ride and Handling
Handling is the Porsche Boxster's raison d'être. Its chassis is a masterpiece of engineering, offering more grip and feedback the faster you drive. The mid-engined layout means almost perfect weight distribution and superb traction out of bends. The steering's variable assistance means low speed manoeuvres can be made easily, but the steering adds weight at speed and has an almost telepathic way of communicating information about the road surface and grip levels to the driver. High-speed stability is aided by a pop-up spoiler which rises automatically at 75mph and retracts below 50mph, and can be raised and lowered manually. Our Sport Edition test car features Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as standard (it's optional on other models). PASM allows the driver to firm the suspension for a more focussed drive. But remarkably whether on Sport or Normal settings, the ride quality is excellent.

10/10

5. Performance
More full marks here. We tested the 3.4-litre engined Porsche Boxster S; although a 2.7-litre powerplant is also available. The 295bhp 3.4-litre engine is sensational and plenty of pulling power makes it incredibly tractable, with it as happy crawling through town in a high gear as it is thrashing on a country lane round to its 7,300rpm redline. The power is transmitted through a wonderfully slick six-speed gearbox. The 3.4-equipped Boxster S will reach 62mph from rest in just 5.4 seconds, before reaching 169mph. The 2.7-litre engine will hit 62mph in 6.1 seconds before hitting 161mph. Semi-automatic Tiptronic gearbox-equipped cars are slightly slower.

10/10

View our Porsche Boxster slide show

6. Running Costs
Despite being the cheapest way into Porsche ownership, the Boxster is still an expensive purchase. But used values are rock solid, so expect to see between 60 and 65 per cent of your original purchase price (less options) when you sell after three years/36,000 miles. However, early examples have started to lose value faster due to the sheer number of Boxsters around. Servicing is expensive, and a necessary evil to retain a strong used price, but Porsches are well built machines and a well-maintained one should last well into six figures.

Naturally insurance (group 20) and road tax (band G - £400) are steep, as are the fuel bills – the standard Boxster will struggle to achieve 30mpg is driven carefully, while a heavy foot in a Boxster S could easily cause consumption in the mid-teens.

7/10

7. Reliability
As exciting sports cars go, there are few which look better built and even fewer which feel better built. Just watch for signs of a used example being a trackday regular and signs of crash damage. Only the Perspex wind deflector felt fragile.

9/10

8. Safety
No EuroNCAP crash test results are available, but the Porsche Boxster has a good level of safety kit and a chassis which is communicative enough to help stop an accident in the first place. All models come with Porsche Stability Management (PSM) which varies the braking force to each corner should the car begin to understeer or oversteer. The Boxster is the first open-top car to feature a head airbag concealed in the door panels, and joins driver, passenger and a pair of side 'bags. Should the car turn over, protection is offered by two roll bars behind the seats.

8/10

9. Equipment
All models in the Porsche Boxster range feature alloy wheels (17 inch for the standard Boxster, 18s for the S), 'welcome home' headlamps, electric windows, air-con, partial electric seat adjustment, water-repellent side windows, heated windscreen washer nozzles (a useful feature as the mid-mounted engine can't generate the heat to thaw them in cold weather), a CD player and a trip computer. The Boxster S adds half leather upholstery and a six-speed gearbox. Most other features are available from Porsche's vast option list.

7/10

10. X-Factor
It’s a Porsche well within the reach of the average petrolhead. And one of the best handling cars available at any price.

10/10

View our Porsche Boxster slide show