On this episode of Ignition
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MotorTranscript
00:00 The new Porsche Boxster S, internally called the 981, is a very beautiful car.
00:07 Now free from using components from the 911, like its doors, the designers have been able
00:12 to give the Boxster a look all its own.
00:14 But what's even better is that underneath the sheet metal is a long list of improvements,
00:19 including more power, a wider front and rear track, and crucially, lower weight.
00:34 That means it's faster.
00:36 We also have a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic with launch control.
00:39 To activate it, we hit Sport Plus, and then you mash all the pedals.
00:43 Once you see launch control light up on the dash here, you release the brake.
00:50 Gets out of the hole very quick.
00:52 You'll hit 60 in about 4.2 seconds, and a quarter mile in 12.7 seconds at 109.7 miles
01:03 an hour.
01:04 That's about two-tenths faster than the last Cayman S we tested with the PDK transmission.
01:10 And for our 60 to zero braking test, the Boxster took just 102 feet.
01:20 And now the figure-eight test with the Boxster S. On corner entry, I'm kind of surprised
01:26 how loose this car feels.
01:28 I think what's happening is you have a lot of authority through the front end of the
01:32 car, a lot of grip.
01:34 Turns it very sharply.
01:35 But when you do that, you've got to remember there's a rear weight bias you're dealing
01:39 with, 55% or so, I think.
01:42 So if you get a little too greedy with it, you get some oversteer.
01:45 And that's good, because most cars are going to understeer when you turn in hard.
01:49 This doesn't do that, though.
01:51 This takes smooth hands and very careful control of the throttle.
01:59 That's rewarding.
02:00 That's fun.
02:01 This car does that very well.
02:05 Now we have a wider track in the outgoing Boxster, which may be contributing to that
02:10 extra authority on turn-in.
02:14 We also have in this car torque vectoring, which is going to grab the inside rear tire
02:23 when you start flying throttle to help the car rotate.
02:27 Rotate this car certainly does.
02:34 So what's happening is you get a lot of lift-off oversteer mid-corner.
02:39 So you have to be really mindful of your inputs.
02:42 You get too ham-fisted, you're going to start sliding everywhere.
02:45 Now that's fun, but it's not fast.
02:47 Fast is what we're trying to do.
02:50 And our best lap around this figure eight actually matches the old V8 R8 and the Boss
02:55 Mustang Laguna Seca.
02:56 This is really invigorating stuff.
03:02 [CAR ENGINE]
03:19 The Boxster S, then, is a very strong performer.
03:23 But it's what it does on the road that makes it so special.
03:27 I'll come right out and say it.
03:28 This may be the greatest sports car in the world.
03:32 Now that declaration shouldn't be much of a surprise, because we've said the same thing
03:36 about the previous Cayman, a car that was based off the previous Boxster.
03:41 But with this new Boxster, that sense of driving thrill has been improved, refined, honed even.
03:48 It is absolutely delightful.
03:52 Now you aren't working with a lot of power.
03:54 We only have 315 horsepower.
03:57 And nor is this car a featherweight.
03:58 It weighs a little bit over 3,100 pounds, thanks to those 20-inch wheels we're riding
04:03 on.
04:04 But it's the way the car blends its power, blends its weight into the chassis, and how
04:10 it reacts to your inputs that makes this car so thrilling to drive.
04:15 The sound, of course, is phenomenal.
04:17 We have an optional sports exhaust.
04:20 And when you lay in the throttle in the higher revs, the howl it gives you is just intoxicating.
04:25 And when you lift off the throttle, you get the sound of gunfire from the exhaust.
04:30 It sounds like somebody's firing an AK-47 behind you.
04:34 It's downright fun.
04:36 You have a sense of overall control of the car afforded a lot through this PDK twin-clutch
04:42 seven-speed transmission.
04:45 It gives you such fine, excellent control over the car with incredibly fast gear changes.
04:52 But the thing is, it's also extremely adaptable.
04:55 The transmission is always looking for better ways to match your driving style.
05:00 It's looking at your throttle position, your brake position, even your steering.
05:04 For example, if you have it in sport mode like we do now, the harder I press on the
05:08 brake, the harder it downshifts, the further gears it drops down.
05:14 And similarly, when you're doing a little power slide, the car knows it's looking at
05:18 your yaw, it's looking at your steering angle.
05:20 And it'll actually prevent an upchange in gear so you can keep the slide going a little
05:24 bit longer.
05:26 It's those sort of decisions that make this car so enjoyable.
05:30 This car is always looking for ways to make you have more fun.
05:34 It seems like when they were designing the car, whenever they got to an impasse, whenever
05:38 they got to a discussion on which way they should go in designing the car, they always
05:42 defaulted to the way that would make the driver have more fun.
05:47 And this car, the sensation that you get from behind the wheel is an aggregation of all
05:52 those decisions.
06:03 One of the more interesting things is that new Boxsters have electronically assisted
06:06 power steering.
06:08 And there was some worry that you might lose a bit of the feel without the hydraulic system.
06:12 I can tell you, though, this system is great.
06:16 I feel like I have great precision over the car, all the feedback I want, and all the
06:20 weight I want.
06:21 This is a perfect intermediary between myself and the front wheels.
06:28 And this car, being a roadster, means you can enjoy the outside experience and the thrill
06:33 of driving all that more.
06:34 This roof takes around nine seconds to open and shut.
06:37 That's very, very fast.
06:39 And you can do it up to about 30 miles an hour.
06:42 So it's really convenient when you're just putting around town.
06:45 You don't have to stop at a stoplight to put the roof up or down.
06:50 And the thing is, with a roadster, you put the roof down, and you can take in the experience
06:55 more.
06:56 It amplifies the sensations.
06:57 You can smell the air around you.
06:59 You can look up and see the sky.
07:00 You can hear the exhaust, hear the tires howling.
07:04 It just makes the experience that much more fulfilling.
07:07 And when you blend that with a car that is so harmonious, like this Boxster is, you take
07:13 it through a few corners, and you realize, yeah, this is it.
07:16 This is what a sports car should be.
07:18 This is what it's all about.
07:19 You drive this car hard through a few corners, and it just makes everything else seem insignificant.
07:26 You wonder why other automakers even try.
07:29 Now, I'm having so much fun driving this car, I almost forgot that there are downsides.
07:34 There's one big one, and that's the price.
07:37 I mentioned a lot of options.
07:38 We have Sport Chrono, we have PDK, we have torque vectoring, and a few others.
07:43 Now, the prices for all those add up really quickly.
07:46 This car, as we're driving it, costs nearly $90,000.
07:50 Now, that's more than a base 911 Carrera S. And the question becomes, would you rather
07:57 have a well-optioned Boxster S or a base 911?
08:00 Now, that question probably deserves a little bit more investigation.
08:03 But I can tell you, from the driver's seat on this road, this Boxster S feels like it's
08:08 worth every penny.
08:10 With the Boxster, you get this overall sense of a car that wants to help you in every way
08:18 it can.
08:20 Everything in this car has a singular focus, and that is making sure you have fun.
08:24 And that's what a sports car is all about.
08:27 It's not outright speed and losing your license.
08:29 It's about eliciting joy at every corner, no matter how fast you're going.
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09:04 (audience cheering)