Automakers amaze us every single year. When we think there can’t be any way to gain more power they drop the weight of a car or add supercharging or direct injection to the engine. When we feel like they can’t cut through the air any better, the show a lower drag coefficient and when we feel like the vehicle can’t get any more efficient we have EVs that can reach 200 miles or more to be the perfect all day driver. Automakers have been advancing their vehicles for over a century and keep bringing us more of what we love to see on cars.
One of the most impressive examples of adding more power and speed is the new Porsche Boxster Spyder which is an awesome mid-engined convertible that has been updated for 2016. As with any sports car we should begin at the engine which is a 3.8-flat six-cylinder model that has been sourced from the 911 Carrera S to give us 375 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque. Finally we see Porsche getting serious about the Boxster by giving it this engine. This new engine gives the Boxster Spyder a 55 horsepower increase over the previous model. The only transmission for this beauty is a six-speed manual which will surely make purists extremely happy. This powertrain claims a time to sixty mph of only 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph, certainly fast enough to be a lot of fun.
As for the looks, the exterior borrows the tow fascias from the Cayman GT4 to gain a bit of length and an actual weight loss of 72 pounds over the GTS model. Normally a convertible or Spyder model will be heavier than its running mate, but in this case the weight is down and the look is simply flawless in its design and approach, giving you a sports car that is the one you want to drive everywhere you go.
The top is always a topic of conversation with any convertible and here is one way we see the weight savings. The soft top on this car is more refined than before and still requires you to manually store it in order to drive in convertible mode. When the top is up you can take it through a car wash or reach the top speed of the car, which is an improvement over the previous version. Because it’s a manually stored top you don’t have the added weight of the motor to put the top down, which is a bit of a tradeoff.
As you would expect the drive of this car is one that falls in line with the rest of the Porsche lineup, perfected, balanced and confident on any road or track. What is different about the Boxster over a 911 or Cayman? This car wants you to ride it hard. Push the accelerator right from the line and let this car take off and show you want driving can really be all about. You can wear this car out and it will do nothing more than grunt a little while begging to be taken hard into corners and scream fast out of them. This is the car you want when it’s time to show off what you can do on a track.
Even if you have loved the Boxster in the past, you won’t believe what you find in this car. This is not the same Boxster you had previously and it does give you one of the most impressive rides you will ever find on the market. If a classically built sports car with a 911 engine, a top down feel and a manual transmission are for you, this is the car to buy for the most impressive driving experience of your life.
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