German Roadsters - Porsche Boxster - Comparison

Our fighter pilots climbed out of the Boxster with raised eyebrows and silent nods. It's that good. Cracks and lumps in the pavement that disappear under the car's nose are instantly interpreted in a steering-wheel language of torque tugs and rim twitches. This car was born with its wheel cocked at a 45-degree angle, just waiting for a corner and a little velocity to get to work.

Powering it out of those corners is the smaller, base Boxster engine, which has undergone a nice revamp for 2007. Its modest 2.7 liters are now aspirated by Porsche's VarioCam Plus system, which, like the 911's version, dithers intake-cam angle and valve lift, while the induction's adjustable acoustics can split the engine into two banks of three cylinders if necessary to maximize torque. Compression ratio has risen above its 3.4-liter big brother's (11.3:1), and it now even bests the Boxster S's engine in specific horsepower (91.2 horses/liter versus 87.1). And all this shows on the road. Zero-to-60 drops to 5.6 seconds-a fast second below an example we tested back in 2000. Downshifts are quick whomp, whomp, whomps, cued by a buttery, standard five-speed manual (a six-speed manual and automatic being optional).

However, once you examine beyond the powertrain and handling, the Boxster has its own hits and misses. The two trunks, front and back, are boon; the inability to even see the ber-engine between them is a bust. Spectacular view of the road ahead-boon. Eyefuls of underwhelming dash materials-bust. But let's get back to that engine and handling part with the new roadster on the block, our 3.2-liter, quattro-gripping, double-clutch-trannied TT Roadster, version 2.