Porsche’s brilliant little roadster, the Boxster, already known as one of the best-handling cars on the planet, is back in an all-new avatar. This is no mere refresh; the car gets extensive changes to the bodywork this time around. The open-top two–seater now sports an all-new face at the frontend and overall, looks nothing like its predecessor. The design team at Porsche has done a great job to change the looks without tinkering much with the basic silhouette. The Boxster, whose official unveiling is slated for the Geneva Motor Show in March-2012, comes with a revamped chassis that features a longer wheelbase and wider tracks, yet it weighs less than the previous Boxster, thanks to the lightweight aluminum body shell.
Inside, Porsche claims there’s more room in the cabin (the longer wheelbase plays a major role here) Along with the added space, the interior has been redesigned as well and the car now comes with a electrically actuated fabric top, no longer requiring manual assistance to put the roof up. The range-starting Boxster now comes with a flat-six, 2.7-litre engine pumping out 265hp (a 10hp bump) While the more powerful Boxster S retains the 3.4-litre engine that powers the outgoing model. The S makes 315hp and is better suited to those who crave for straight-line performance with handling to match. Both models will be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard while a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox is on the options list.
The new Boxster with the optional PDK gearbox will get from 0-100kph in a claimed 5.7seconds. The S, on the other hand, takes just 5 seconds. Despite all that, this new roadster is more economical than the previous model; Fuel-saving trickeries such as automatic stop/start, energy recuperation while braking and a thermal management system that dispenses with the gearbox oil cooler, work together to deliver better fuel-efficiency (15 percent more apparently)
Deliveries for the Porsche Boxster and Boxster S will begin in June-2012 after the unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show. As for the prices (excluding import duties), the base version will cost $49,500 and the S version can be yours for somewhere around $70,000 (depending on the options you go for)
