Review of the new Porsche Boxster S

By anybody's reckoning, the standard Porsche Boxster is an exceptional car - even if it isn't exceptionally fast. However, in the latest carefully revised range, there is a version that certainly qualifies on those grounds: the Boxster S.

All this is relative mind you. The standard 2.7-litre model's figures (rest to sixty in just over 6 seconds on the way to about 160mph) make that car's 245bhp engine fast enough for most people - hence the lengthy waiting lists still found in most countries. But we're in Porsche territory here, a land in which even the slowest 3.6-litre 911 Carrera uses 321bhp to make sixty in just 4.9s on the way to 177mph.

This was a performance gap deemed unacceptably large by the engineers from Zuffenhausen, hence the plan right from the outset to build the Boxster S. In almost every respect, this car fits exactly between its standard stablemate and the car that epitomises Porsche ownership. In price (£39,995), performance (0-60mph in 5.4s/169mph), output (295bhp) - even in engine displacement (3.4-litres), this car fulfils its brief perfectly.

Which, as you might imagine, is hardly by chance. Though it looks almost identical to the basic model, the Boxster S has an appeal so different that but for the name and the bodywork, you'd be tempted to view it as a separate model entirely. The facts bear this out: after all, 44% of the components in the S are different, while many of those remaining are borrowed from the 911. A perfect ownership stepping stone then, and a car with all the weapons necessary to charm BMW and Mercedes buyers into something more stimulating. And make no mistake, that's what they'll be getting. It takes only a twist of the ignition key to realise that the 3.4-litre water-cooled flat-six engine means business. Porsche claims that 85% of its torque is available at just 2,000rpm, which means instant acceleration in almost any gear at almost any speed.

"The Boxster S has a very different appeal..."

If you haven't tried one of the latest post-2004 revised Boxster models, you'll find that they're a fair bit different to early versions of this car, even though they may look the same to a casual glance. The current model takes a more 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 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.

The outright performance figures may suggest this to be a junior supercar, but in the real world, on anything but an autobahn, it would take a very good driver indeed with an outrageous amount of power at his disposal to show it a clean pair of heels. Moreover, thanks to a brake system also borrowed from the 911, you can lose speed even more quickly than you gain it. Also different for Boxster customers is the slick six-speed manual gearbox with closely-stacked ratios that are perfectly tuned to the more powerful engine. As in the standard car, buyers also have the option of a five-speed Tiptronic automatic with steering wheel-mounted buttons that provide the perfect compromise for the enthusiast forced to do much of his or her mileage on urban roads. In its latest form, the driver can even over-ride the system when in automatic mode, via a toggle switch on the steering wheel.

Weight has crept up slightly in this latest Boxster S - by 25kg 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.

Safety has been well sorted in this car, even running to 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.

It should take quite some physics to test the PSM unduly but this Boxster looks capable of generating some serious g-forces. Bigger wheels and tyres have allowed Porsche to fit bigger brakes, the S getting the option of the hideously expensive but massively powerful Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes. The steering has been modified to offer a smoother gradation in the amount of assistance it offers. Wider tracks and a reworked front suspension layout also promise to endow the Boxster with even better roadholding than before. Porsche insiders claim that with race ace Walter Rohrl at the helm, the Boxster S can lap Germany's Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in 8minutes and 18 seconds - a massive nine seconds quicker than its predecessor and within shouting distance of Porsche's 911 Carrera 2 which will trip the stopwatch at 8 minutes and 15 seconds.

Want to look at the engine? The only way to do it is to leaf through the handbook. The real thing is hidden from above and below and the sole contact you can have with it is through a small service panel inside the rear boot. Here you'll find a dipstick as well as filler caps for oil and water. Otherwise the recipe is pure Boxster, which means you get a beautifully integrated electric folding roof that can be operated in just 12 seconds. A removable hard-top is optional. This is also a roadster many have found to be surprisingly practical to own. Luggage can be stowed in two compartments (one in the nosecone and the other behind the engine) and the total volume equates to 260 litres - excellent for a car of this type.

Not that many customers will worry about such practical considerations. For them, the Boxster will probably be a weekend plaything, pure and simple. Pure and simple in fact sums the design up. With Porsche, it was ever thus.