First Drive Review
Standing as we were during this press launch amid Porsche racing luminaries such as Derek Bell and Hurley Haywood—in addition to current Porsche racing stars like Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long—didn’t make formulating an opinion of the revised-for-2009 Porsche Boxster very easy. It might have had something to do with our gawping, wide-eyed awe at a gathering of drivers who had 10 combined wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 10 combined wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona, five combined wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring, and four combined American Le Mans Series championships. You try to concentrate under those circumstances.
The Boxster itself cleared things up; it’s that good. Indeed, after gathering our wits, we came to the conclusion that the Boxster remains one of the world’s best cars, and this year’s addition of direct injection (for S versions only) and Porsche’s new PDK dual-clutch automated manual gearbox only make it more so. As we bombed around the Streets of Willow Springs road course in Rosamond, California, the Boxster’s carry-over strengths and latest improvements were readily apparent.
This isn’t an all-new car—although Porsche calls it the second generation of the 987 chassis—so the superb underpinnings that have made the Boxster a multiple 10Best Cars award winner remain, albeit tweaked for 2009. The precise and talkative steering has been lightened a smidge. The already impeccable ride quality and wheel control are enhanced by increased comfort due to softer spring mounts. Tenacious grip and handling are even better, owing to retuned rear shocks and springs, as well as a larger rear anti-roll bar on cars with the optional limited-slip differential, a feature that is now available on all Boxsters. These alterations aren’t groundbreaking on their own, but taken together, they make for a more capable, cohesive Boxster, something we might have thought impossible before our drive.
Aesthetically, there are redesigned front and rear fascias with copious amounts of LED lighting, new mirrors, and new exhaust tips. The front lights can be customized with your choice of swiveling headlamps, bixenon illumination, or sweet-looking Audi-style LED daytime running lights. Standard wheels are 17s on the base car and 18s on the Boxster S. The cabin gets a refresh with a new steering wheel and upgraded in-car infotainment setups; we didn’t get a chance to fiddle with the new electronics, but they promise more intuitive controls and things like Bluetooth music streaming, a built-in hard drive, and a slot for your phone’s SIM card.
