Taken delivery of new 981 Boxster

[stefan1]

After a short delay as a result of VAG, rather than Porsche, controlling the transport process from the factory to the dealer, today I picked up my new Boxster S.

Very pleased with how the colour combinations have worked out, including the unusual, but I think striking, satin finish wheels (allegedly in the same colour as the paintwork, but they look rather darker to me!).

First impressions are, as expected, excellent - a lovely driving position (Porsche never fail to get that wrong these days); a slick manual box, which feels halfway between the sports shift on my old Boxster and the old car's normal shift; great pedal feel (less over servoed than 997 ceramics I've driven); and fantastic steering. I really can't tell that its electrically assisted; it seemed fractionally more noticeable in the 991 I drove last week.

The hood is super quiet at motorway speeds, a big improvement over the old car. I also like the speed with which it goes up and down, and the fact there is no catch to manually undo.

I shall be using the long bank holiday weekend for a good period of running in!

Cheers

[stefan1]

Robsti said:

That is lovely what colour is it Steffan?
What is the spec?
Enjoy!

Thanks. It is platinum silver. It has a very slight bronze tinge to the colour that works well with the brown hood.

The spec is fairly high - most of the usual things plus PTV, PCCB, phone, PCM, plus the cosmetic things like the twin tone leather, painted wheels etc.

Cheers

[stefan1]

535dBoy said:

Very nice, I like the wheels with that finish

Do you track it ? PCCB is a mega spend

Is that interior full leather agate/pebble

It is the one thing that I regret about ours, not going full leather with that colour combo and I think it will bug me for a while

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

Also, probably biggest gimmick on car but have you worked out if the G-force meter can be shown on the main screen as well as just the little dial on the right. I'm sure I saw it show it on their on the configurator

Enjoy

I have to say your looks lovely as well. The paint colour and interior go really well together.

My car does have the full leather and adpative sports seats. I do like the full leather, although the dash quality is so good now in standard form I am not sure it's really necessary.

I do like PCCB. I had them on my last Boxster. I like the fact there is almost no brake dust; that they never rust (an issue with my very first Boxster when I used the car irregularly); and that if I do take the car to the 'Ring (which I probably will one day), the brakes shrug off track use with ease (although the steels are probably just as good). I also do notice the lower unsprung mass in the steering. I plan to keep the car, like the last one, for 5 years, so the cost is amortised over a decent period.

Enjoy yours!

[stefan1]

Nody31 said:

stefan1 said:

a slick manual box, which feels halfway between the sports shift on my old Boxster and the old car's normal shift; great pedal feel

Any further observations on the Manual box - has it moved on since the 987 - have read
some reveiws which state the clutch is heavy - have read others which state that the box is fantastic?

I've done around 200 miles now and yes, the 'box, is lovely. First of all the positoning of the gearlever is better, raised on the central tunnel. It's a very small movement from the steering wheel to the gearlever - it feels very natural.

The shift action is very slick but with a nice, positive sense of engagement. My old 987 Boxster with the sports shift was a bit shorter in throw, but no faster as it was slightly stickier. The new 981 shift is much nicer than the old (non sports) shift in the 987, which I always found a bit too light and long, even a bit woolly at times.

The clutch is indeed quite heavy - heavier than my old car, but less so than a GT3.

What also helps is that the engine seems to have a very light flywheel - certainly lighter than in my old car, and that means it blips when doing a heel & toe change really nicely, and also that the revs drops on upshifts quickly, facilitating a fast, smooth change.

Overall, it's pretty near perfection.

Cheers

[stefan1]

nickfrog said:

Stefan, are you going to speak to your dealer about this ? All cars I have seen are 4 or 5mm out at that point. The huge plastic sill is clearly too short.

Interesting, had not noticed that. The other side (in other photos I have) seems fine, so it is just the pax side. I'll take a closer look tomorrow.

If they are all like that, then it has to be something in the manufacturing process. Intriguing.

One thing I have found is that the locking wheel nut adaptor is made of cheese. Just as with the one on my Cayman R (also 2012) which snapped after two uses. Apparently Porsche are aware of the batch issue.

Cheers