Porsche unveil new Boxster

Just as the all-new Porsche 911 is technically a very different, though ultimately similar-looking, variation on a well-known theme, so too the new Porsche Boxster.

The latest Boxster’s lightweight body is entirely new, the chassis has been completely revised, the flat-six engines (with direct petrol injection) are new… but in typical Porsche tradition, the styling is an evolution, rather a revolution. From the side, Porsche fanatics will immediately notice the shorter front and rear overhangs and ‘flatter’ silhouette; but for the rest of us, perhaps the most important change is the increased cabin space for driver and passenger.

And then there’s the engines. With every new iteration of a Porsche (or indeed, other prestige sports car) we’re promised both more power AND lower fuel consumption – and the Boxster is no exception. Power increases are admittedly small: just 10bhp more for the 2.7-litre Boxster, now developing a healthy 261bhp; and a mere 5bhp upturn for the feistier Boxster S, with its 3.4-litre engine that now puts out 311bhp. But the performance figures are mightily impressive.

If you opt for the seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission (that’s shorthand for Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, of course…), you should be able to stamp on the throttle and reach 62mph from rest in 5.7sec – or 5.0sec if you’re lucky enough to be at the wheel of the Boxster S.

And yet the PDK-equipped cars claim 36.7mpg and 35.3mpg, respectively. Not something you’d boast about down at your local eco-warrior HQ, perhaps, but given the performance… remarkable. The economy is helped by a range of technical enhancements, from electro-mechanical power steering to electrical system recuperation, thermal management and start-stop functionality.

If you’re tempted by all this technical wizardry, and have a very healthy bank balance to boot, the new models go on sale from late April, priced from £37,589 for the Boxster and £45,384 for the Boxster S.