It has glorious torque, which makes for pushy thrust as the tach swings past 4000, swelling exuberantly on toward 6000. Both Boxster engines are smaller-displacement versions of the 3.4-liter six used in the 911 Carrera, and they share the variable intake-valve timing system of the larger powerplant.Ĭompared with last year's 2.5-liter car, the S fairly rushes forward.
Both engines gain a drive-by-wire throttle and a system of tuned intake runners to boost torque they switch to longer runners in the 3000-to-5100 rev range. In the smaller engine, power rises 16 hp to 217 at 6500 rpm the Boxster S comes in with 250 hp at 6250 rpm. The Boxster S maintains this increased 78mm stroke while its bore is enlarged 7.5mm to 93, thereby upping displacement to 3179cc. Taller pilots will find a bit of extra legroom by sliding the seatback tight against the roll bar, at a cost of having to listen to the upholstery scritch-scritch against metal when the structure shakes slightly over bumps.įor 2000, the no-suffix Boxster's crankshaft stroke is up 6 millimeters to 78mm, which increases displacement to 2687cc from 2480. Six-footers slide easily into the driver's space. Few will feel confined in this sportster. The Boxster's accommodating nature continues into the cockpit, too, which is exceptionally broad of beam, no doubt because the car itself is about two inches wider, more or less, than its imported competitors. The fluids can all be checked and replenished through a small service corner under the rear trunklid, but to actually see the engine, or work on it, you must come up from the bottom. You have all this useful space because, from above, the Boxster seems to have no engine. And leaves room for the power top to stow itself over the low engine with only modest intrusion into the rear trunk.
That opens trunk spaces both front and rear for cargo. The flat-six lies low, between the back of the cockpit and the rear wheels. Porsche seems to have wrung every possible benefit from the mid-engine layout.
#2000 PORSCHE 911 ENGINE FREE#
Weak for a Porsche maybe, but that first Boxster outran the others in almost every test of speed and absolutely delighted us with the accommodations that come free with this car's clever packaging. But we loved it right off the boat, awarding it the top rating in its first comparison test ("Spring Fancies," April 1997) against the BMW Z3 2.8 and the Mercedes-Benz SLK. Uh-oh, doesn't "affordable" imply giving up something you really want? The Boxster opened with only 201 horsepower from its 2.5-liter water-cooled six-cylinder engine, making for a 14.2 power-to-weight ratio, a bit feeble for a Porsche. It debuted in model-year 1997 with the promise of being an "affordable" Porsche. Highs: Supple handling, slick shifting, and the sweet sound of God's own pipe organ down in the engine room.įor those who were oblivious to sports cars until last week when the midlife-crisis symptoms kicked in, a little background on the Boxster might be helpful.