Review of the new Porsche Boxster 2.7

There's definitely something to be said for buying an entry-level car. Most of the important bits are the same as in the pricier version you could have had and at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself exactly how much a chromed gear knob is really worth. All right, so more money buys you a bigger engine and more power, but even that doesn't always justify the extra outlay. For proof, check out the £33,375 Porsche Boxster 2.7 we're looking at here. Especially in its latest 245bhp guise, this is a car you'll want to drive just for the sheer kick of it.

Acceleration is punchier than owners of early Boxster 2.7 models will remember, whilst the torque curve has been extravagantly plumped up across the midrange. Porsche claim this Boxster is tractable from 700rpm right through to 7200rpm and they're probably right. The first thing you notice about the engine is that it's the most vocal unit in Porsche's range. The 3.2-litre powerplant in the Boxster S is slightly more muted whilst contemporary 911 engines all have pretty low-key soundtracks. Specify the Boxster with the optional 'Sportauspuff', (sports exhaust!) and you'll get the most astonishingly fruity engine/exhaust combination that whines like a TIE fighter on the overrun. Punch the revs up above 4,500rpm and the accompanying engine note is to die for. It's not as manic as a Honda S2000 roadster, but it will nevertheless have you seeking out tunnels, dropping the hood and flooring the throttle.

Should you get medieval with the gas pedal, you'll see 60mph come and go in 6.1 seconds on the way to around 160mph. There's 273Nm of torque and it's available from 4,600rpm. Porsche claim an average fuel consumption figure of 30.4mpg although you'd have to be immune to the engine's breathily seductive charms to achieve this. The refreshing thing about the Boxster is that it's largely as fast as you want it to be. Unlike the S model where a possible custodial sentence is a mere dip of the ankle away, the Boxster 2.7 makes you aware of your velocity through its volume and in the way the engine still responds to a soaring tachometer needle, doing its best work at the upper end of the rev band. The Bosch Motronic fly-by-wire throttle delivers the sort of feel and precision that proved beyond electronic loud pedals of the past. For those 'old-schoolers' who get a kick out of such things, you'll be disappointed by the appearance of the engine as, apart from a few filler necks to check and top up fluids, any evidence of internal combustion is buried deep within the guts of the car.

"The Boxster just feels as if it's been built by people who know what they're doing "

Handling is as exemplary as you'd expect from a Porsche that boasts near perfect weight distribution. With the electrically-powered hood up you do get a couple of squeaks and shudders over the more horribly pockmarked surfaces that make up a British B-road, but the ride is pretty compliant. All of the controls are beautifully designed and weighted, the brakes are superb and the depth of engineering is instantly apparent not to mention enormously confidence inspiring. The Boxster just feels as if it's been built by people who know what they're doing.

The post-2004 current generation model takes a fundamental reappraisal of the Boxster theme with almost 80 per cent of its componentry being either new or heavily revised. Every single body panel is different to the original car, with larger air ducts at the front and a sleeker look to the front bumper area. The indicators are still integrated into the headlamp assemblies but this time round, the effect is neater, giving the Boxster a far more classic Porsche look. The wheelarches reprise the styling of the original 1993 show car with a more pronounced Coke bottle profile. The doors are reshaped with better quality handles and the tail lamps are that little bit more angular, spread across the car's haunches.

Weight has crept up slightly in this latest Boxster - by 20kg in fact - but the power to weight ratio has been incrementally improved to make up for it. Although the basic shape has remained the same, dimensions are up a little on the old car, being 9mm longer, 20mm wider and 5mm higher. The underbody has come in for some special attention with a flat tray covering much of the floor, helping to drop the drag coefficient from 0.31 to a very slippery 0.29. Lift has also been reduced and the electrically powered rear spoiler is now a tad bigger and more aerodynamically effective.

If you drove an original Boxster and weren't exactly overawed by the standard of fit and finish, you'll be much more impressed with this current car, the cabin being styled in the same vein as the 997-series 911. A multi-function multi-adjustable steering wheel, an expensively slush-moulded fascia and the option of a colour LCD display imbue the cabin with an upmarket feel and the seats have been designed to offer more comfort for larger drivers. Safety has also been improved, with door-mounted airbags that work in conjunction with thorax bags to reduce the effects of a side impact. Twin front airbags are standard, as is the latest version of Bosch's four-channel anti-lock braking system and Porsche's PSM stability control system.

Since its launch in 1996, the Boxster has seen of all comers. Driving the latest 2.7-litre car, you soon realise that still nothing comes close.