2013 Porsche Boxster / Boxster S
Is this the greatest roadster ever built?
Our expectations for the new Porsche Boxster couldn't have been higher. We've put the Boxster on our 10Best list 13 times since the model's introduction in 1996. Well, hello number 14. To say that this stem-to-stern reworking for 2013 exceeds expectations is to engage in an almost British level of understatement. The new car is roomier, thanks to a longer wheelbase, but lighter than the car it replaces. A slinky new body makes the Boxster look less like the 911's little brother and more like an exotic. It will generate 1.0 g on the skidpad. It can stop from 70 mph in a shorter distance than the McLaren 12C. According to our testing, the Boxster S accelerates as quickly as a standard 911. But the Boxster is not really about generating big performance figures. Driving it is a holistic sports-car experience, an exercise in interactivity. The standard 265-hp 2.7-liter flat-six sounds as thrilling as the 315-hp 3.4-liter in the S model. The steering is genius. Utterly unperturbed by broken or wavy pavement, this car remains steadfastly on the line you've chosen. A redesigned Cayman (the Boxster's hardtop brother) is not yet available, so it doesn't share the award this time. But something tells us we'll end up liking that one as well.
