2004 Porsche Boxster S

Porsche believes that Boxster and Boxster S have resurrected the lost art of going for a drive. We believe this art may have just been in remission, never really lost—particularly with Porsche—and especially with the Boxster S. With any Porsche, going for a drive is indeed an art form.

The Boxster is rolling art, characterized by sleek, simple lines?and a definite cute quotient.

We had the opportunity to discover the magic that the Boxster S brings to driving as we drove through the mountains near Mount Tramblant outside of Montreal, Quebec. We pushed the limits of the Boxster S alongside three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Hurley Haywood, at the beautiful resurrected Le Circuit de Mont Tramblant. As Hurley reminisced of his last visit to this magnificent racetrack, during his days of driving an Audi Quattro in Trans Am, we were braking hard into corners and powering through the apexes. Hurley proving all the while that the Boxster S is a magnificent improvement over an already capable roadster.


Although we agree with Porsche Cars North America President and CEO, Fred Schwab, Porsches are meant for driving and cupholders have no place in a Porsche, the installation of the 911-styled cupholders are a must for the largest market in the world, the United States. These convenient holders retract into the dash becoming all but invisible, if you want to believe they aren't there. However, if you cannot help yourself, you still have the luxury to available to you.


The real joy of the Boxster S is the wonderfully smooth and powerful horizontally opposed, 6-cylinder engine that has made Porsche vehicles so special since 1965. The Boxster's engine is liquid cooled, has variable valve timing and a non-return fuel system that is so miserly with petrol that the Boxster can get an impressive 29 mpg on the highway. This in a sports car that offers the performance of 0 to 62 mph in just 5.7 seconds. Porsche uses 62 miles-per-hour because their tests are performed to 100 km/h, which converts to 62 mph.

The Motronic ME 7.8 engine management system enables the Boxster S to develop 258 horses at 6,200 rpm.

The Boxster S also receives two transmissions, a slick 6-speed manual or Porsche's very user-friendly 5-speed automatic with Tiptronic. We found the 6-speed, which is linked to the transmission by cable, to be a bit bulky when speed shifting on the racetrack. However, without the pressures of Mr. Haywood's persistent gaze, we had no trouble on the country roads around Mont Tramblant. The Tiptronic equipped car is an excellent compromise for those who find themselves more often than not in rush hour traffic. In fact, the Porsche system is the best in the industry and one that is licensed to many other automobile companies.