Porsche Boxster GTS 4.0: does it compete with the 911?

Created: 01/17/2022, 13:15

By: Rudolf Boegel

Dance through the curves.

With the 400 hp of the Boxster GTS 4.0, this is almost child's play.

©Porsche

Turbo out, sucker in: Porsche has upgraded the Boxster.

It has 400 hp and is hard on the 911 Carrera. 

• The Boxster is a cult car - and has been for a quarter of a century.

• With the four-liter engine, Porsche puts the cream on the 718.

• It's 25,000 euros cheaper than the 911 Carrera, but is it just as good?

Brief excursion into the

: With the idea of ​​a completely new, open sports car,

wanted to open up a new target group at the beginning of the 1990s. In the upper model series, the price level has been exhausted - now the Zuffenhausen-based company wants to fish in the lower range. The

will cost 70,000 marks

- around 50,000 marks less than a 911. In order to build such a cheap car by Porsche standards, the production costs have to go down. And that is only possible with identical parts. And so the front end and doors are identical to the new

. And of course the new one gets a boxer engine.

.

Mid-engine, short body overhangs at the rear, long bonnet and the centrally mounted exhaust pipe – the audience at the Detroit Auto Show in 1993 liked that straight away.

Those responsible decide: "Please build the study the same way!"

Read current driving reports here.

The original Boxster came onto the market in 1996 and was a success right from the start with more than 10,000 pre-orders.

©Porsche

In the beginning there were six cylinders and 204 hp

The Boxster was launched three years later. Patience is called for from the outset, as there are already a record-breaking 10,000

in the order books. Almost 165,000 copies of the first generation were sold. The centerpiece is the six-cylinder boxer engine, which for the first time in the series comes with water cooling. The first-generation engine produces 204 hp with a torque of 245 Newton meters (Nm) from 2.5 liters. That's enough for a time of 6.9 seconds from 0 to 100 and a top speed of 240 km/h. This puts the Boxster far ahead. Even the

pales in comparison, even if the Z 3 is presented in a more spectacular way – namely in the new James Bond film Golden Eye.

25 years later.

The Boxster has increased from the original 204 to 400 hp in the GTS models.

©Porsche

Also read:

Porsche Boxster GTS 4.0: Back to the future - with a vacuum cleaner

we drive has one thing in common with the original Boxster

: Today, as then, a naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine generates steam under the hood. This is unusual for today's model range. Because the vacuum cleaner was actually already out there and both the normal Boxster and the closed Cayman only have a four-cylinder with a turbo engine (300 hp) installed. For the

, before the combustion engine finally becomes history in this series, the Porsche developers reached into the engine shelf again and dug out this wonderful

that was already used in the 718 Spyder and the Cayman GT4 does.

The interior of the Boxster is tidy and almost spartan.

Reduced to the essentials, driving.

©Porsche

It doesn't get any better in this series

What a treat - this high-revving naturally aspirated engine! First he starts a little hesitantly, then turn out the gears. Full of anticipation for the irresistible traction that sets in from 5,000 rpm. That push, that punch! This is cult for friends of upscale motor art, which could soon be a thing of the past. Whether the new 718 in 2024 will come as a purely

, or whether there will be a

at the same time - there is still a lot of speculation in the specialist media. However, if you want to be on the safe side, it is

better to buy the

now if you have the wherewithal .

It doesn't get any more iconic in this series. Especially since Porsche also has a

offers.

And that's a must.

Even if it loses half a second (4.5 instead of 4.0) when sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h compared to the model with the PDK dual-clutch transmission.

Read here

The Boxster and the closed variant Cayman are classic mid-engine sports cars with their strengths in corners.

© THOMAS STROGALSKI / Porsche

Manual switch also because of the engine sound

We've driven both versions and have found that an

is only half the fun.

This also applies to the exhaust sound.

You can only

conjure up your own carpet of sound with the

From babbling to spluttering to bubbling.

And then the high saws when the four-liter engine unpacks its full power of 400 hp at 7,000 rpm.

This is the sound that has fascinated and electrified generations.

Let's see whether the artificial sound worlds of electric cars can replace the characteristic trumpet blasts from two metal tubes.

Also read:

The lever whizzes through the gears crisply and precisely

However, the petrol dinosaurs are still allowed to rock the streets. Best with a

that is 20 millimeters lower and equipped with adaptive dampers to adapt to the current road conditions in a flash. The

reacts directly and sharply - and as is the case with mid-engine sports cars. The

is more direct and dynamic. Especially if you don't just step on the gas pedal when accelerating to activate the kick-down, but first have to downshift properly in order to then accelerate in a cultivated manner. And shifting gears is quite fun with this gearbox. Great is the narrow and precise gait control. Short, crisp and precise.

So close to heaven.

As a convertible, the 718 series from Porsche is a real classic.

Soon only as an electric car?

© Rudolf Bögel

Also interesting

Porsche: Can you compare the Boxster and Cayman with the Carrera?

With the

, Porsche has made a big splash. So good that the

has real competition from your own company? Which is also around 25,000 euros cheaper? Even if this question is obvious because all sports cars always want to rub shoulders with number one, the answer here is so clear. A 911 is a 911. No other model from the Zuffenhausen automaker masters the balancing act between extreme sportiness and comfort like the Carrera. In comparison, the Cayman and Boxster GTS 4.0 are much harder, more direct and also more spartan than their big brother. And if you like: also more authentic. Because nothing beats a sucker. At most a 911 with a suction cup. But unfortunately it doesn't exist anymore.

Specifications: Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0

• Engine: 4 liter naturally aspirated

• Displacement: 3995 cc

• Power: 295 kW (400 hp) at 7000 rpm

• Torque: 420 Nm between 5000 - 6500 rpm

• Drive: 6-speed manual switch, rear

• 0-100km/h: 4.5s

• 0 – 200km/h: 14.1s

• Top speed: 293 km/h

• Standard consumption: 10.9 l

• CO2 emissions: 247 g/km

• Length/width/height: 4.39/1.80/1.26 m

• Curb weight/allowance: 1405/295 kg

• Trunk: 150 (front) + 120 l (rear)

• Price: from 87,074 euros

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