Porsche Boxster GTS – Is it a real Porsche?

“A Boxster isn’t a real Porsche” or “The Boxster is a women’s car” are sentences we all know too well and might have even said ourselves before. While you could argue that these statements are possibly valid in regards to the first and maybe even second generation of the Boxster, you definitely have not driven the latest version of the Porsche Boxster if you still believe these statements are valid today.

The new Porsche Boxster is better than ever! It even challenges its bigger brother the 911 Carrera in both, performance and in sales. While the quality of the first generation Boxster was a joke, the current model is on the same level as the 991 Carrera. When you sit inside the cabin, you can’t feel the difference. At least we didn’t. Everything is full with Alcantara, Carbon Fiber and Aluminum, just like what’s considered a “real” Porsche. The Porsche Sport Design steering wheel made out of Alcantara fits perfectly in your hands and the PDK shift paddles have the perfect size and feel to it. Just the travel range of the paddle itself could be a bit shorter like in a GT3.

Handling wise, the car is taking advantage of it’s true race car like, mid-engine layout. The car rotates very well and is so easy to drive fast, that even a beginner can set fast laps in this car. Especially if the car is equipped with the 7-Speed PDK transmission – the best transmission in the business.

We drove the car in the GTS version, which might be the best overall version of this car. There is one faster version that just came out which is the Boxster Spyder but it suffers in comfort and is a radically stripped out version of the GTS. The GTS is the better allrounder.

The Porsche Boxster GTS we tested has 330 HP and accelerated from 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds with Sports Chrono package and PDK. Some might say this is not quick enough, but I believe this is just the right amount of power for this type of sports car. You can make a turn and floor it without even thinking if the tail might break lose, which is a very nice and comforting feeling. Trust me, those are some of the most emotional 4.7 seconds you can imagine. Especially with the roof down, the sound while accelerating is absolutely phenomenal in addition to the little backfires when lifting off the accelerator.

Overall the Porsche Boxster GTS blew us away! I have to admit I am one of the guys who once said these earlier mentioned statements, but after driving the new Boxster, I will never again even think about these comments. The car is more fun than any regular 911 in my opinion. It drives absolutely fantastic, feels very expensive, and has a phenomenal soundtrack. The design of the car is also sexier than ever, however the rear still looks a bit too soft and round in my opinion.

I can’t wait for the next generation of the Boxster.

Article, Photos and Video by Kai Groschupf

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