2013 Porsche Boxster S: Focused on Fun - Ignition Episode 49 - video Dailymotion

MotorTrend

On this episode of Ignition

Transcript

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.

08:33 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:34 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:36 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:38 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:40 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:42 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:44 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:46 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:48 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:50 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:52 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:54 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:56 [TIRES SCREECHING]

08:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:59 [TIRES SCREECHING]

09:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:04 (audience cheering)

2013 Porsche Boxster S: Focused on Fun - Ignition Episode 49

Category

Transcript

Recommended