2005 Boxster and Boxster S Excitement!
by Chris Huck
Porsche first brought the Boxster to market in 1997. Waaaaay back 7 years ago! Despite two model revisions, most of us couldn’t even tell a difference without a VERY close look.
With the announcement of an all new 2005 redesign, expectations were high that this 7 year old roadster would be much more exciting.
And then the pictures arrived.
At first glance, it was still a Boxster. Pretty much the same shape, the same lines. In fact, it didn’t really look that much different at all. “No – wait, look at the headlights – they’re new.” The shape of the hood, the mirrors – “Hey! That’s looking more like an older Porsche, even a bit like the Carrera GT. OK, I guess it is new.” At first, not a whole lot of excitement.
Porsche Cars North America sure knows how to change that! Imagine getting salespeople from dealers all across the United States to fly into Palm Desert to see the 2005 Boxster and Boxster S for the very first time.
Walking up to the car– “Hey! It looks bigger!” “Wow, the dash looks much better than the pictures!” “Cross drilled rotors in the base Boxster too!” And sitting in the Boxster for the very first time – “There’s a lot more space inside, I don’t even have the seat all the way back!” “The side window openings are bigger, I can see out better!” And the excitement is growing.
Classroom sessions gave us all the details – dimensions, specs, options and pricing. (Just go to www3.porsche.com/usa/ for all of these details.) We also got to see and sit in the competition – 2005 SLK350 “This is small inside,” BMW Z4 “I didn’t realize the hood was so loooong,” Nissan 350Z “Couldn’t they use nicer materials!?” and the new Corvette too – “Plastic quarter panels!?” Getting a chance to compare the new Porsche roadsters to the competition “Wow, the Boxster is much nicer than they are!” “The Boxster has more people space and much more cargo space than they do!” “The Boxster seems more refined.” And the excitement is growing!
But this wasn’t why we really wanted to come. We wanted to DRIVE the Boxsters! How about a spirited drive into the mountains of San Bernardino National Forest led by instructors from the Porsche Driving Experience? Luck of the draw, my first experience was in a Boxster with a Tiptronic transmission. Leaving the parking lot and making the very first turn, I “chirped” the tires! I had to ask my co-driver “Is this a Boxster S?” “NO! The new Boxster has MUCH more low end power than the 2004!” “The power is great from 2000rpm all the way to the new 7200rpm redline!” Cruising down the highway for 10 minutes “This is quieter, smoother more “solid” than the 2004!” And then into the mountains “Feel how strong this is accelerating up the mountain!” twists turns and even a hairpin “This sure “plants” better for the turns!” “I can take this turn faster than I ever would have in an earlier Boxster!” Then, later, switching to a Boxster S for the trip back down the mountain “I can’t “open it up”, I’m catching up to him too fast!” “This feels faster than a 2004 Carrera!” “This is a whole new car than the 2004 Boxster!”
“This is exciting!”
To understand better just how much different the new 2005 Boxster and Boxster S have become, just call your local Porsche dealer and schedule an appointment for a test drive.
You’ll be excited too!
Chris Huck has been selling Porsche for 8 years at Pioneer Porsche in San Diego. He was so impressed with the 987S he bought one shortly after writing this!
He can be reached at 619-339-3537
