RE: Driven: Porsche Boxster Spyder
Discussion
as a pleased owner I can confirm
you don't get wet at above 60 - I drove back from dealers (about 150 miles) in monsoon like rain and felt 2 or 3 spots of rain only
the roof is a bit heath robinson but 1 person can fit/take off in a couple of mins.
agree that it's not imho a daily drive
great noise, plenty of oomph, excellent handling. looks good
I'm happy
you don't get wet at above 60 - I drove back from dealers (about 150 miles) in monsoon like rain and felt 2 or 3 spots of rain only
the roof is a bit heath robinson but 1 person can fit/take off in a couple of mins.
agree that it's not imho a daily drive
great noise, plenty of oomph, excellent handling. looks good
I'm happy
AndrewKillington said:
as a pleased owner I can confirm
you don't get wet at above 60 - I drove back from dealers (about 150 miles) in monsoon like rain and felt 2 or 3 spots of rain only
the roof is a bit heath robinson but 1 person can fit/take off in a couple of mins.
agree that it's not imho a daily drive
great noise, plenty of oomph, excellent handling. looks good
I'm happy
Yeh, but mate your opinion really doesn't count!! as you actually went out and bought one !!! and actually drive a cracking car unlike 95% of the numpties on this site that don't actually drive,sit in let alone OWN anything to warrant their constant bullsyou don't get wet at above 60 - I drove back from dealers (about 150 miles) in monsoon like rain and felt 2 or 3 spots of rain only
the roof is a bit heath robinson but 1 person can fit/take off in a couple of mins.
agree that it's not imho a daily drive
great noise, plenty of oomph, excellent handling. looks good
I'm happy
t that they spout from behind their PC 
had the pleasure to have a really good look around one of these and they are gorgeous,and I'm not a boxster fan ENJOY it
I drove a couple of these at Silverstone on Wednesday - I wonder if I unknowingly bumped into Riggers?!
They're a fabulous car to drive - the engine sounds lovely and the poise and balance through complex bends (and with my ham fisted driving) is excellent. It didn't feel the mid-engined widowmaker.
I was also surprised by the PDK - it's very, very slick and I found myself forgetting to change gear after hopping from the PDK to a manual car, as within 20 minutes in the 'auto' I'd ceeded control to the car. If I was ordering one I'd be thinking long and hard about the 'box, normally a no brainer for me.
The roof is a bit 'odd' and I got so bored during a 10 minute demo of how to construct it I wondered off.
The only sad thing was that they had a Porsche spyder in the centre, and looking at that, some swoops of aluminium moulded over a steel spaceframe, I couldn't help but feel that Porsche are missing the 'soul' of a spyder concept.
The fatuous 'Is it possible to have more by giving less?" promo video drove the point home.
As a 'lower earner' I'd love there to be a Porsche for me. I don't need aircon, PDK, stitched interiors or the whole gamut of entertainment and electronic options. I need a fabulous engine in a gifted chassis, both of which the Boxster has, but without the bumpf that evidently Porsche see as integral to their brand image.
I'd be far more impressed if the spyder, in it's purist form, was stripped back to the absolute essentials of a car, as light, lithe and raw as it can be.
Then I'd spec the sat nav and the 47 speaker surround.
Lotus's ethos is 'add lightness' - Porsches may as well be 'add options'.
They're a fabulous car to drive - the engine sounds lovely and the poise and balance through complex bends (and with my ham fisted driving) is excellent. It didn't feel the mid-engined widowmaker.
I was also surprised by the PDK - it's very, very slick and I found myself forgetting to change gear after hopping from the PDK to a manual car, as within 20 minutes in the 'auto' I'd ceeded control to the car. If I was ordering one I'd be thinking long and hard about the 'box, normally a no brainer for me.
The roof is a bit 'odd' and I got so bored during a 10 minute demo of how to construct it I wondered off.
The only sad thing was that they had a Porsche spyder in the centre, and looking at that, some swoops of aluminium moulded over a steel spaceframe, I couldn't help but feel that Porsche are missing the 'soul' of a spyder concept.
The fatuous 'Is it possible to have more by giving less?" promo video drove the point home.
As a 'lower earner' I'd love there to be a Porsche for me. I don't need aircon, PDK, stitched interiors or the whole gamut of entertainment and electronic options. I need a fabulous engine in a gifted chassis, both of which the Boxster has, but without the bumpf that evidently Porsche see as integral to their brand image.
I'd be far more impressed if the spyder, in it's purist form, was stripped back to the absolute essentials of a car, as light, lithe and raw as it can be.
Then I'd spec the sat nav and the 47 speaker surround.
Lotus's ethos is 'add lightness' - Porsches may as well be 'add options'.
TheRoadWarrior said:
Gotta say tho this picture is a bit hypocritical;
So they've ditched the door openers to save 30? grams.. yet theres an airbag in the door which probably weighs several KGs. Its either a lightweight special or its not...
These 'fabric door pulls' are the biggest weight saving con ever. If they had wanted to save weight, a door 'pull' could esaily have been moulded into the plastic that the fabric loops fit into, thereby eliminating the need for the fabric bits.So they've ditched the door openers to save 30? grams.. yet theres an airbag in the door which probably weighs several KGs. Its either a lightweight special or its not...
ewenm said:
G4HKS said:
Only Porsche would have the front to charge more for less.
Or Renault with the stripped down Megane R26R, for example...Edited by ewenm on Thursday 25th March 22:18
Also if you think the R26.R with its carbon fibre seats and bonnet, cage, semi-slick tyres and "fastest-front-driver-round-the-ring..badge" was bad VFM.. you c-razey!
TheRoadWarrior said:
ewenm said:
G4HKS said:
Only Porsche would have the front to charge more for less.
Or Renault with the stripped down Megane R26R, for example...Also if you think the R26.R with its carbon fibre seats and bonnet, cage, semi-slick tyres and "fastest-front-driver-round-the-ring..badge" was bad VFM.. you c-razey!
Hi All. I sit in this car a few days ago. It is astonishing good built quality. The sportsseats just fit superb (better then the Boxster S). The car looks a bit lower and the fron more aggresssive compared to the Boxster S. Overall the car breaths exclusivity, a very special product. The combination of simplicity, quality, driving skills and engine (500 revs more than the Boxster S) makes it a very special car. The odd hood is, if you look a bit longer, also fantastic. Not average, but special. For me? This is the Porsche to have, no doubts about it.
monthefish said:
These 'fabric door pulls' are the biggest weight saving con ever. If they had wanted to save weight, a door 'pull' could esaily have been moulded into the plastic that the fabric loops fit into, thereby eliminating the need for the fabric bits.
Ah, but the door pull actions the door release, popping the door open for you to get out. It's obviously a styling feature rather than a weight saving measure though. There's a big door handle low on the door card to actually pull the door shut.I defended the GT3 and the price huge price increase against the Porsche na sayers but I wouldn't defend that...any decent mapper could map you 10bhp... aluminium doors are the only real effort they have made at weight saving..so what Subaru's had them in the mid 90's..couldn't have sprung for a CF bonnet or boot?
Dagnut said:
I defended the GT3 and the price huge price increase against the Porsche na sayers but I wouldn't defend that...any decent mapper could map you 10bhp... aluminium doors are the only real effort they have made at weight saving..so what Subaru's had them in the mid 90's..couldn't have sprung for a CF bonnet or boot?
What about the removal of the roof mechanism and rams?jdw1234 said:
Dagnut said:
I defended the GT3 and the price huge price increase against the Porsche na sayers but I wouldn't defend that...any decent mapper could map you 10bhp... aluminium doors are the only real effort they have made at weight saving..so what Subaru's had them in the mid 90's..couldn't have sprung for a CF bonnet or boot?
What about the removal of the roof mechanism and rams?jdw1234 said:
Dagnut said:
I defended the GT3 and the price huge price increase against the Porsche na sayers but I wouldn't defend that...any decent mapper could map you 10bhp... aluminium doors are the only real effort they have made at weight saving..so what Subaru's had them in the mid 90's..couldn't have sprung for a CF bonnet or boot?
What about the removal of the roof mechanism and rams?FerdiACS1 said:
Hi All. I sit in this car a few days ago. It is astonishing good built quality. The sportsseats just fit superb (better then the Boxster S). The car looks a bit lower and the fron more aggresssive compared to the Boxster S. Overall the car breaths exclusivity, a very special product. The combination of simplicity, quality, driving skills and engine (500 revs more than the Boxster S) makes it a very special car. The odd hood is, if you look a bit longer, also fantastic. Not average, but special. For me? This is the Porsche to have, no doubts about it.
Why does this remind me of 'Amari'? 
I wish there could be a proper lightweight model, but when even the GT3 RS comes with creature comforts of some kind, this is not likely!
As a weekend car (aka toy) I'd be seriously tempted - only take it out on the few sunny days in our typical British summer and hope that the roof never needs using except when parked. But I prefer to enjoy driving my Boxster every day, whether in rain, snow, or sunshine. Turn on the heated seats (sorry not even an option with the light weight seats), and open the roof on a clear frosty morning - nothing quite like it. Even better I don't even have to stop the car to open and shut the standard hood, so can grab every chance to get the roof open when the sun shines. Not sure I'd get the roof open anywhere near as often if confronted every time with the hassle of finding somewhere to stop first. I saw one with the roof up in a showroom this week, the tacky plastic rear window was wrinkled and not even taught. Also many more insurance policies now insist that the car is left parked with roof closed, windows closed etc. so the roof hassle would be needed every time you leave the car, or check the small print in the insurance to find a policy that doesn't mind. I'm just switching over to a newer Boxster S and have been seduced by the PDK option this time around. Hope I still love it as much as the test drive and playing about at Silverstone. So in summary I'd still love one as a weekend toy, but then what would I drive every other day of the week?
I really don't get it. Have a nice proper light weight car (eg Caterham) to get the true light weight car fun and accept the inevitable compromises (most of which involve poppers!) or get something much heavier that can be used in all weathers and gives some creature comforts like the superb Boxster S.
The Spyder simply sits on the fence! I suspect the buyers know this already though. They are keen on the rarity value and the pub banter they can have whilst explaining away the poppers
The Spyder simply sits on the fence! I suspect the buyers know this already though. They are keen on the rarity value and the pub banter they can have whilst explaining away the poppers
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff