2004 Porsche Boxster S - First Place - Sport Convertibles Comparison

First Place
2004 Porsche Boxster S

No one really needs a sports car. So if you're going to indulge, why not treat yourself right? Look at it this way: At $59K as equipped, our Boxster S is a bargain compared with an equally well-kitted 911 Carrera Cabriolet, costing tens of thousands of dollars less than the senior Porsche. Think of sports-car driving like wine tasting. If sports cars were a commodity, we might as well be tanking up on Two Buck Chuck by the SUV-full.

Our first-place-finishing Boxster S is the thoroughbred of the bunch. It accelerates the quickest, stops the shortest, has the most lateral grip, and is fastest through the slalom and figure-eight test courses. It has a performance pedigree evolved over years of racing and developing sports-car chassis for other manufacturers. This car feels light and lithe, with a high degree of grip and even greater tenacity. Going fast comes easy; light inputs to throttle, steering, clutch, brakes, and shifter do the trick. Our senior road-test editor reports no nasty habits or spooky mid-engine tendencies, though we recommend purchasing the optional PSM Porsche Stability Management just to be sure. "The steering is beautifully balanced in its quickness and delivery of grip," stated one editor.

The top end of this 258-horse poor-man's 911 is particularly lively. This one revs hard. Variocam variable valve timing means the Boxster's boxer-six is always "on the cam." One editor describes the Boxster's power delivery as "a surge of high-pressure water; very liquid and torquey." Porsche's dual-resonance air intake makes one of the sweetest induction sounds this side of Maranello, especially at full throttle over 5000 rpm. Even though the linkage has a long way to go to get to the transmission in the rear of the car, "there's a bit of remoteness in the shifter, but nothing that'll make you miss a gate." Huge vented discs and monoblock calipers common with the 911 Carrera seem to improve the hotter they get.

The car sits low and wide for its size. It has the sleek beltline of a real sports car, not some sedan-based coupe with its roof Sawzalled off. The Boxster integrates its folding top into the overall body shape better than the others.