RE: Driven: Porsche Boxster and Boxster S

[thewheelman]

Hellbound said:

Otispunkmeyer said:

sad really... I hate leather in cars. Infact hate leather seats full stop. Wouldnt have a leather sofa in my house... not going to have one in my car. Its one of those things people just want because of the percieved image, not because its better.

I have leather sofas. They're wipe clean, and don't retain any odours apart from the leather smell when new or after its been treated. I find fabric sofas and carpets tend to retain household smells (cooking, children spilling things etc) and are difficult to get rid of.

Also good quality leather is hard to beat and ages well. Leather driving gloves, a tightly weaved leather steering wheel, leather brogues....


...leather hot pants, gimp mask etc. etc.

Brogues, hot pants & a gimp mask!? Hahahahahahaha brilliant!

[tommy vercetti]

I'm sure its a great car to drive, and the interior looks like a nice place to sit in, but its too ugly from the rear, imo.

[c2mike]

herebebeasties said:

Can anyone tell me if the seating position/legroom/layout has improved?

I couldn't get low enough or far enough away from the pedals on the old one, and I'm not even that tall (6'2").

I do wish they'd make them a bit lighter - obviously it's a bigger car with more creature comforts, but it's a full 50% more than my Elise SC, which proper purists already think is pretty lardy.

Re interior space, I know what you mean! I've never owned a Boxster because the seat does not go back far enough for me. Sat in the new model and it is a lot roomier - seat goes low and quite far back too.

[F.C.]

I had a new S back in 2003, kept it for a year sold it on for an M3, worst deal I ever did.
This new car looks like the car I wanted back then.

[Wivelrod]

herebebeasties said:

Can anyone tell me if the seating position/legroom/layout has improved?

I couldn't get low enough or far enough away from the pedals on the old one, and I'm not even that tall (6'2").

I do wish they'd make them a bit lighter - obviously it's a bigger car with more creature comforts, but it's a full 50% more than my Elise SC, which proper purists already think is pretty lardy.

I'm 6'2" also. I fit in mine fine. My knees can fit under the adjustable steering wheel/column, and when I fully depress the clutch my leg is almost straight. My seat isn't even as far back as it could go. I would recommend the 14-way or better seats as I think I'd get a bit more comfortable with them, but with the 2-way sports seats I did a 140 mile round trip (running in at the weekend) and didn't feel stiff or unduly uncomfortable at the end of it.

As always though, go sit in one and/or get a test drive if you want to squish that curiosity.

[Asterix]

I measured the gap above my head in the Cayman this morning - 18cm/7 inches.

Admittedly, I sit as low as possible and close to the steering wheel - knees about an inch away from the dash bit - but it shows how much headroom there can be for a six footer.

[Riggers]

aston addict said:

Riggers, does it have any more headroom than the outgoing model? Always liked that car but found it lacked headroom, especially the Cayman.

Also the new model looks much prettier than the 911 convertible.

I'm not the best judge of that, being only 5ft 7, but it didn't seem too bad - but then I never found the old a problem either. It's definitely fine with the roof down

Altstetten said:

Which wheel size are you talking about in the review? The base spec wheel is 18 inch but the pictures are showing the Carrera S 20 inch wheel - a 2 grand option.

Ah yes, should probably have explained that - I was talking aobut the 20s (I haven't actually tried one with the smaller wheels). Must stick that on the 'to-do' list...

[shoestring7]

kambites said:

Cheib said:

Interesting that using bigger wheels and lower profile tyres has allowed them to improve the ride.....really don't understand how that works but would be very interested if someone could explain it!

I'd guess the lack of side-wall flex means that they have been able to substantially soften the springs. Of course the wheels might be lighter than the old ones, even if they're bigger; or maybe they've just improved the rest of the car that much that they can get away with fitting bigger wheels, and it would be even better with smaller ones.

Edited by kambites on Monday 11th June 09:08

Or its complete smudge, and because the marketing department have bowed to the demands of the know-nothing buyers and specified giant rims the chassis team havee had to dial back spring rates to stop it riding like a 1948 Landrover on ste British roads.

SS7

[kambites]

shoestring7 said:

Or its complete smudge, and because the marketing department have bowed to the demands of the know-nothing buyers and specified giant rims the chassis team havee had to dial back spring rates to stop it riding like a 1948 Landrover on ste British roads.

Yes, that's probably more likely.

[Riggers]

kambites said:

shoestring7 said:

Or its complete smudge, and because the marketing department have bowed to the demands of the know-nothing buyers and specified giant rims the chassis team havee had to dial back spring rates to stop it riding like a 1948 Landrover on ste British roads.

Yes, that's probably more likely.

But does it matter - so long as it rides and handles well? (Which it really, really does)

[elvismiggell]

Riggers said:

But does it matter - so long as it rides and handles well? (Which it really, really does)

Probably not. What does matter is that I can't afford one!!!

I must admit to being intrigued though - I have 19 inch wheels on my Astra and I really struggle to imagine how 17's wouldn't give a softer ride.

[kambites]

Riggers said:

kambites said:

shoestring7 said:

Or its complete smudge, and because the marketing department have bowed to the demands of the know-nothing buyers and specified giant rims the chassis team havee had to dial back spring rates to stop it riding like a 1948 Landrover on ste British roads.

Yes, that's probably more likely.

But does it matter - so long as it rides and handles well? (Which it really, really does)

No not really, although I suppose you could argue that it possibly could have been better if they'd done something different.

[Riggers]

kambites said:

No not really, although I suppose you could argue that it possibly could have been better if they'd done something different.

Fair point. Like I said, we must get one in on 18s and see..

[pagani1]

A post next to Riggers-gawd.
Porsche have got this car exactly right for me so Angela send me some euros now I feel a bail out coming on

[kambites]

elvismiggell said:

I must admit to being intrigued though - I have 19 inch wheels on my Astra and I really struggle to imagine how 17's wouldn't give a softer ride.

Obviously fitting smaller wheels would give a softer ride if you left the suspension the same, but it might also ruin the handling. I think the question is, for a given ride quality, what proportion of the springing to you want in the tyres and what proportion in the springs, for optimal handling. The answer to that depends on all sorts of things, but most obviously on the amount of unsprung mass; the lighter your wheels/hubs are (as a proportion of the total weight of the car), the less side-wall flex you need.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 12th June 15:06

[andi_p]

herebebeasties said:

Can anyone tell me if the seating position/legroom/layout has improved?

I couldn't get low enough or far enough away from the pedals on the old one, and I'm not even that tall (6'2").

It has, we have just chopped my other half's Boxster in for one of these and there is more room - i'm 6' 5"and can drive this one safely/comfortably.

[SmartVenom]

Just saw one in windsor, fantastic looking, a nice royal blue colour (far better than gold). I realise it's heresy to say it, but it does look better than the 911. Also looks better in the flesh.

[Bezza1969]

I think the basic Boxster has taken the 911s old position as the best sports car Porsche make. Its got just enough to be perfect for the UK. Looks good, sounds good, rides well, goes well, but not so fast that you have to drive it at stupid speed to have fun. Yep, Id love one.

[jlt1000]

To those who have driven this: does it honestly *feel* as good as the previous one? Never mind about performance - you don't buy a Boxster to rip up the tarmac or post fast times, you buy it because of the way it feels.

Also, I find it hard to believe that low profile tyres allow for better ride. Tyre sidewalls offer a suspension point with essentially zero unsprung weight, and that cannot be replicated in spring/damper setup.

Edited to add: I still love it though!

[Lar]

With respect to everyone discussing how larger wheels couldn't possibly offer better ride quality, let's take a step back from what's been drilled into us from years of reading car reviews. From a mountain biking perspective (26" vs 29" wheel debate currently strife in the mtb world), if you have a small hole in the road, a small wheel can fall into it, whereas a large wheel will roll over it, offering a better ride.

Obviously there are far more factors at work here, but it's just a thought.