Driven! 2009 Porsche Boxster S with PDK in Sicily, Italy
German based sports car maker Porsche has officially unveiled the new, refreshed Porsche Boxster to the motoring press in a certain gorgeous island situated somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea and home to a number of beautiful Roman and Greek ruins such as the Roman amphitheatre and the Greek temple at Selinunte, and yes, I am talking about Sicily, Italy!
Just like its Porsche 911 big brother, the Boxster series, which includes the standard Boxster and more powerful Boxster S, has received a face lift on the outside, while under the hood, Stuttgart engineers have worked their magic by replacing both the 2.7 liter engine in the Boxster and the 3.4 power plant in Boxster S with revised motors.
Many other improvements were made on the new version including new transmission options, uprated suspension, mildly reworked interior and so on. I was given the opportunity to test drive the new Boxster S on breathtaking winding roads along vineyards and mountainous locations.
Continue reading to allow me to share the experience with you.
Design.
Although dimensions wise, the new models are generally of the same specification with the previous models, the Boxster and Boxster S look slightly bigger with a number of improvements made. First of all, up front the air intakes (finished in body colour on Boxster and black on Boxster S) have been slightly improved although they look pretty much the same as the old one but the major upgrade up north are the new blacked-out halogen headlights with a two-tube look.
Porsche has also added horizontal LED daytime running lights with a total of six LEDs on each side to the new front light clusters. If you look closer at the image, you will also notice enlarged wing mirrors. With a new convertible top colour added; Red, the rear end has been refined and this time with a new two piece diffuser panel which surrounds the exhaust tail pipes on both sides. The standard Boxster comes with a single tail pipe while the S variant features a dual tail pipe design.
Porsche has also let go of the ‘fat’ panels which were previously placed on both sides of the rear vehicle registration plate. Just like the rest of the new Porsches, the rear tail lights feature LED technology which help give it a distinctive, gorgeous look when the sun goes down.
Its also improves safety by enhancing response time from the driver driving another car at the back. Both models are finished with redesigned wheels; new 17 inch with open five spoke design on the standard Boxster while 18 inch Boxster S 2 with double five spoke design on the Bosxter S. There are also optional 19 inch wheels offered by Porsche.
Although the Boxster just received a facelift, the exterior design gives you a feeling of refreshment, especially with blacked out head lights with LED daytime running lights up front and a LED tail lights with a diffuser panel at the back. The Boxster doesn’t look like the ‘cheapest’ Porsche there is now, it looks matured enough be parked just beside the 911.
Interior.
The interior is treated to slight improvements here and there and the first thing you can notice is the redesigned centre console which houses the standard CDR-30 CD/DVD audio system featuring a five inch monochromatic display with integrated MP3 playback. This new centre console features far less control buttons compared to the previous model which may seem a little confusing.
There is an improved version of the optionally available Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system which serves as central control unit for all audio, communications and navigation functions. Just like the PCM system on the 911, it features a 6.5 inch coloured touch screen, the ability to connect with an iPOD (with a compartment for it as well) or a USB stick and an integrated 40GB hard drive to store navigation data.
You can also upgrade the PCM system with optional accessories such as six a CD/DVD changer, a TV tuner, a voice entry module and a Sound Package Plus which offers seven loudspeakers while a BOSE Surround Sound upgrade has 11 loudspeakers and a seven channel digital amplifier.
I have tested the BOSE system and I feel its worth the extra money because the sound quality is very good, since its amplified based on the specific geometry of the Boxster. Also available as an option is the seat heating system and a fan powered ventilation. Made out of magnesium and fabric, the electric light weight roof can be opened or closed at speeds of up to 50 km/h. Porsche has also made available a three piece wind deflector made of plexiglass as well as an aluminium hard top which weight is rated at 23 kg.
The Boxster is a comfortable place to be in, with reachable controls from the driver’s seat. The seat offered good support for casual as well as for spirited driving. It was also a treat to drive the 2 seater roadster with the top down since I can hear a good balance of the wind noise as well as the exhaust sound which ‘pops’ at times during gear change.
Driving.
The new Boxster comes with a 2.9 liter 6 cylinder boxer engine which is capable of 255HP (up by 10HP compared to the previous model) and 290Nm of torque while the Boxster S features a 3.4 liter variant with 310HP (up by 15HP) and 360Nm of torque. Both engines are fitted with key features including the VarioCam Plus variable valve timing and valve stroke system, two stage switching intake manifold, hydraulic valve play compensation, dry sump lubrication with an on demand oil pump, two three way catalytic converters on each row of the cylinder and so on.
The 2.9 liter engine comes with a sequential multi point fuel injection system meanwhile the combustion chambers in 3.4 liter power plant receive fuel via Porsche’s Direct Fuel Injection system (up to 120 bar of pressure) with DME or Digital Motors Electrics engine management. Both engines are also 6 kg lighter than their predecessors which help reduce overall weight.
The engines can be mated to either a standard 6 speed manual which replaces a 5 speed unit or Porsche’s optional 7 speed PDK dual clutch transmission which replaces the former Tiptronic S. For the 6 speed manual, Porsche has also made available a gear shift point indicator housed in the rev counter to help reduce fuel consumption by recommending gear shift points in the interest of fuel economy.
The 7 speed PDK transmission (7th gear as an overdrive) allows improved speed in gear changes by up to 60% over the conventional manual which enables the Boxster with PDK which has steering mounted shifters to sprint from naught to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds instead of 5.9 seconds while the S model sprints in 5.2 seconds instead of 5.3 seconds.
Top speed with PDK for the standard model is figured at 261 km/h which is 2 km/h slower than a Boxster with the 6 speed manual compared to 272 km/h for the Boxster S with PDK which is also slower by 2 km/h with the 6 speed manual gearbox. Both these transmissions also feature the Start-Off function which help prevent the car from rolling forward or backward on a gradient.
As standard, both Boxsters sit on the ground with independent wheel suspension on track control arms with conical stump springs and McPherson design optimized by Porsche up front and independent wheel suspension on track control arms with coil springs and a Porsche optimized McPherson system at the back.
Porsche also offers the PASM (Porsche Active Suspension) which help lower the car by 10 mm as an optional upgrade which allows the driver to choose between Normal or Sport mode. Normal mode is suited for comfortable driving while the latter provides a harder damper control mapping for sporty driving.
Stopping power is provided by a twin circuit brake system with four piston aluminium monobloc brake calipers and cross drilled, inner vented discs for the front and the back, however with slightly larger discs up front (318mm x 28mm over 299mm x 20mm) with the option of upgrading the brakes to Porsche’s Ceramic Composite Brakes for the Boxster S model. This upgrade offers even larger discs all round with special brake linings. A six piston setup up front and a four piston setup at the back, both finished in yellow complete the package.
The German sports car maker has also fitted the latest version of the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) which includes functions such as ABS, traction control, engine drag force control, automatic brake distribution, pre filling brake system which improves brake pressure and shorten its stopping distance and brake assistant which help increase brake pressure during emergency braking.
Porsche also offers two optional packages in regards to dynamic driving; the Sports Chrono Package and the Sports Chrono Package Plus. Both packages provide an analogue stopwatch on the instrument panel, a sports mode to activate the PASM and PSM systems and a Sports Plus mode which optimizes as well as offer a more race-like kick during gear changes and provide a launch control system (activated by fully pressing down both brake and accelerator pedals) for the Boxster with PDK. With the Sports Chrono Package Plus, the driver can monitor performance of the car via the PCM display system.
Also available as an option is a limited slip differential which help enhance performance on track as well as on winding roads. The test drive unit given was a Boxster S with PDK and I had a blast driving it on winding Sicilian roads especially on the mountain areas. The 3.4 liter engine with direct injection offered a responsive feedback throughout the rev range and gear change with the highly rated PDK was as impressive. In normal mode, gear change was smooth while in Sports Plus, I felt every single gear change through the seat and it stayed in lower gears longer, to maintain higher revs.
There is also nothing much to say about the handling other than the fact that it responded to my every command with precision. With a nicely weighted steering wheel, the car allowed its rear end to step out a little at hairpins on winding roads whenever the Sports Plus mode was activated. However I did feel very little understeer, but at the very limits of the car. Ride comfort was a little on the stiff side of things even with the normal mode turned on but it should be much more refined at smoother road surfaces, as opposed to Sicily’s bumpier roads.
However I managed to find my way onto a freeway and once there, the Boxster offered a more relaxed drive. Even at cruising speeds of up to 150 km/h, the car felt composed, and whenever I switched it to manual shifting and slammed the throttle, it responded instantly without a fuss and it kept going until I thought to my self; “ok lets not go too far here”. Even the sound coming out of the exhaust wasn’t too intrusive. If you were to ask me how would the car ‘react’ on our local roads, well, my answer would be, “no problem”. Although we don’t really have long-stretched freeways, it wouldn’t be a problem driving it around the city, even in traffic jam conditions in the Central Business District area.
And the best part of the Boxster is that, you can still take it up north to the Sepang F1 Circuit for a couple of serious laps on track. After burning some rubber, you can drive it back at sunset and be home in time for dinner! It doesn’t get any better than that. (if you intend to bring it to the track often, I suggest upgrading to the Ceramic Composite Brakes package).
Also, the Boxster S model should handle slightly better than the standard model since the S has a shorter track up front and at the back (front: 1486mm and back: 1528mm, compared to 1490mm and 1534mm in the standard model). Another interesting feature about the Boxster is that, since it has a mid mounted engine, as opposed to rear mounted engine of the 911, you have extra luggage space at the back, apart from the front which is good news if you would like to enjoy a holiday out of town.
Overall, driving the Boxster S around at low speeds around town, and at higher speeds on emptier roads was a joy, especially with the top down. Before I end, I would also like to mention that if I had to choose between the Cayman S or the Boxster S, I would actually drive off with the latter. Although the Bosxter S is 10HP down on the Cayman S’s horse power (10HP between 2.9 liter Boxster and Caymen), and surely the Cayman S may have a slightly more rigid structure thanks to the hard top, the Boxster allows me to enjoy a top-less driving experience, by just compromising on 10HP and slightly improved rigidity.
Porsche Singapore has yet to offer a final price on both models and as soon as it is released we will give you the heads up.
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good review! isn’t sicily the home of the mafia? excellent scenery! based on the review, i think the boxster is as good as the scenery there! but, it comes back to the price i guess