Boxster S experience of a former 996 Turbo owner...
...and current 997 Carrera S owner.
It may be interesting for a lot of people how my experience with my wife's new Boxster S has been over the past two weeks and over 750 km.
To make it short:
1. the Boxster S is incredible fun, especially in twists and turns
2. PASM works really well on the Boxster S, you get both worlds
3. steering feel is a bit more direct and less "light" compared to my Carrera S
4. the automatic tranny works extremely good, I never missed the manual (which is surprising, especially since my bad experience with the Cayenne Turbo auto tranny). Very spontaneous reaction, especially in the chrono sport "sport" mode. Instant acceleration from standstill, very nice.
5. no traction problems, the PSM (ESP) light came on just once when it was wet (rain) and in a curve. Even if I fully accelerate from standstill through a curve, no PSM light coming on and no traction problems at all. Impressive.
6. exhaust/engine sound a bit too subtle at lower rev figures but changes too sudden in a sound "inferno" which shocks most pedestrians and bystanders. A more "linear" sound would be nicer but it definetely doesn't need a sport exhaust at rev figures over 3500 rpm.
7. handling in extreme driving situations and at high speeds in curves a little bit tricky, especially with the chrono sport "sport" mode turned on. Not as forgiving and predictable as the 997 Carrera S, pretty close to a sudden 360 degree spin (caution!).
8. roof operation at speeds up to 50 kph works great but it is annoying that if you hit below 10 kph, the roof stops.
9. nail braking roof release lock setup, my wife hates it and I almost broke a nail too and my nails are pretty short.
A 911 Cab-like system would be nicer, no need of releasing the roof lock by hand, it works fully automatic.
10. people seem to like the Boxster S a lot, it is an eye-catcher and especially now when the sun shines and I drive topless, people can't stop starring.
11. especially Audi and BMW drivers seem to feel provoked, never got so many "racing provokation" attempts in my entire life. Maybe those guys really think that 280 HP aren't really fast. Well: it is fast enough for 99% of the encounters I had.
12. the Boxster S definetely needs 30-40 HP more, not more and not less. 310-320 HP would have been perfect in my opinion, the engine lacks a power "boost" in the upper rev range.
13. two bad experiences with 911 drivers, one 911 (a model before the 964 and apparently with wider aftermarket tires and a stupid looking aftermarket rear wing) driver almost hit me by putting himself in a very stupid manner in front of me and afterwards keeping me at a constant speed of 60 kph behind him for several kms. When I moved to the right at a stop light and he was right next to me on the left lane, this guy asked me if my "girlie Porsche" eats fuel or perfume. When the stop light changed to green, he tried to race me but guess what, I was almost a car length in front of him when I hit 80 and had to slow down. He passed me and accelerated further, he was pretty mad. I was laughing my pants of at the next stop light but surprise surprise, this guy didn't look at me anymore.
14. the second bad 911 encounter was with a 996 Carrera at the fuel station, the driver asked me with an arrogant smile if I really like this "toy". I won't comment on what he said when he saw the auto tranny but one thing: I never knew that some of my fellow 911 drivers can be THAT stupid.
15. fuel consumption is around 16.4 litres / 100 km when driving hard with chrono sport activated. But around 13 litres are possible too when driving "normally". Remember: my wife's Boxster S has an auto tranny.
16. the 18'' Michelin Sport tires are very sticky, similar to the 997 Carrera S 19'' version. I also don't miss 19'' wheels on this car, the 18'' look good too and they provide a very sporty driving experience.
17. the standard brake is great. I don't really miss the PCCB braking power, just the brake feel and the better braking "dosage" appyling capability of the PCCB.
18. the sport seats have a great side grip and are comfortable too when switching PASM sport mode off.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the Boxster S and I'm surprised how well the auto tranny works, even in extreme driving situations. I just wish this car had 30-40 HP more, it would be absoluttely perfect, even with the auto tranny.
It may be interesting for a lot of people how my experience with my wife's new Boxster S has been over the past two weeks and over 750 km.
To make it short:
1. the Boxster S is incredible fun, especially in twists and turns
2. PASM works really well on the Boxster S, you get both worlds
3. steering feel is a bit more direct and less "light" compared to my Carrera S
4. the automatic tranny works extremely good, I never missed the manual (which is surprising, especially since my bad experience with the Cayenne Turbo auto tranny). Very spontaneous reaction, especially in the chrono sport "sport" mode. Instant acceleration from standstill, very nice.
5. no traction problems, the PSM (ESP) light came on just once when it was wet (rain) and in a curve. Even if I fully accelerate from standstill through a curve, no PSM light coming on and no traction problems at all. Impressive.
6. exhaust/engine sound a bit too subtle at lower rev figures but changes too sudden in a sound "inferno" which shocks most pedestrians and bystanders. A more "linear" sound would be nicer but it definetely doesn't need a sport exhaust at rev figures over 3500 rpm.
7. handling in extreme driving situations and at high speeds in curves a little bit tricky, especially with the chrono sport "sport" mode turned on. Not as forgiving and predictable as the 997 Carrera S, pretty close to a sudden 360 degree spin (caution!).
8. roof operation at speeds up to 50 kph works great but it is annoying that if you hit below 10 kph, the roof stops.
9. nail braking roof release lock setup, my wife hates it and I almost broke a nail too and my nails are pretty short.
A 911 Cab-like system would be nicer, no need of releasing the roof lock by hand, it works fully automatic.
10. people seem to like the Boxster S a lot, it is an eye-catcher and especially now when the sun shines and I drive topless, people can't stop starring.
11. especially Audi and BMW drivers seem to feel provoked, never got so many "racing provokation" attempts in my entire life. Maybe those guys really think that 280 HP aren't really fast. Well: it is fast enough for 99% of the encounters I had.
12. the Boxster S definetely needs 30-40 HP more, not more and not less. 310-320 HP would have been perfect in my opinion, the engine lacks a power "boost" in the upper rev range.
13. two bad experiences with 911 drivers, one 911 (a model before the 964 and apparently with wider aftermarket tires and a stupid looking aftermarket rear wing) driver almost hit me by putting himself in a very stupid manner in front of me and afterwards keeping me at a constant speed of 60 kph behind him for several kms. When I moved to the right at a stop light and he was right next to me on the left lane, this guy asked me if my "girlie Porsche" eats fuel or perfume. When the stop light changed to green, he tried to race me but guess what, I was almost a car length in front of him when I hit 80 and had to slow down. He passed me and accelerated further, he was pretty mad. I was laughing my pants of at the next stop light but surprise surprise, this guy didn't look at me anymore.
14. the second bad 911 encounter was with a 996 Carrera at the fuel station, the driver asked me with an arrogant smile if I really like this "toy". I won't comment on what he said when he saw the auto tranny but one thing: I never knew that some of my fellow 911 drivers can be THAT stupid.
15. fuel consumption is around 16.4 litres / 100 km when driving hard with chrono sport activated. But around 13 litres are possible too when driving "normally". Remember: my wife's Boxster S has an auto tranny.
16. the 18'' Michelin Sport tires are very sticky, similar to the 997 Carrera S 19'' version. I also don't miss 19'' wheels on this car, the 18'' look good too and they provide a very sporty driving experience.
17. the standard brake is great. I don't really miss the PCCB braking power, just the brake feel and the better braking "dosage" appyling capability of the PCCB.
18. the sport seats have a great side grip and are comfortable too when switching PASM sport mode off.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the Boxster S and I'm surprised how well the auto tranny works, even in extreme driving situations. I just wish this car had 30-40 HP more, it would be absoluttely perfect, even with the auto tranny.
Well...
