Road Test: 2004 Audi TT Roadster vs. 2004 BMW Z4 vs. 2004 Porsche Boxster S vs. 2004 Nissan 350Z
So what's not to like? There's a tinny, hollow sound to the doors when pushed closed that doesn't send a premium message. The Boxster's cockpit is businesslike but somewhat plain compared with the TT. Material quality falls a bit short of that standard as well. Commented one editor, "The cabin doesn't seem luxurious for $59K, although you can feel the money in the performance hardware." Porsche certainly didn't skimp on the seats, which are firm and supportive (one editor credited the Boxster's seat with curing a lower backache he got driving the Z4). And, surprise of surprises, this Porsche has luggage space in spades; there's a front trunk and another one behind the engine for a total of 9.1 very useable cubic feet.
The price of the Boxster S is nothing to sneeze at. At its $52K base, stability control is extra cost and you even have to pay more for Porsche-emblem wheelcaps. "Sure the price is high," a staffer said, "but so is its performance and development." In the art of driving, not one of the competitors here can touch the Boxster. Another editor summed it up: "With a bottomless well of power, planted chassis, fluid steering, tireless brakes--damn, the thing is just brilliant."
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