- convertible 8,616
- Raleigh, NC
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- autoshopper.com
2013 porsche boxster review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. New generation is lighter and more mature. introductionthe 2013 porsche boxster features a lightweight new body with fresh styling and a completely revamped chassis that rides on a longer wheelbase and a wider track with larger wheels. Two six-cylinder engines are available, a 2. 7-liter for the 2013 boxster and a 3. 4-liter liter for the 2013 boxster s, each more powerful yet more fuel-efficient than the engine it replaces due to direct fuel injection and other technologies. how far things have come since the original porsche boxster made its debut 15 years ago. Back then, it was one of an assortment of new german roadsters, along with the mercedes-benz slk and the bmw z3, aiming to carve out a niche above that most affordable of 2-seaters, the mazda miata. That first-generation porsche was fun to drive and arguably the most sporty and competent of the teutonic trio, but there was a massive gap between the boxster and the classic 911. Each successive generation of the boxster has gotten better and better, both in terms of looks and performance. And that's clearly the case with the 2013 redesign. this latest version is more mature than the outgoing model. The new roadster is a significant achievement that takes what has long been the entry to the porsche franchise and moves it up several notches. While it's by no means perfect, the new boxster is good enough to give some porsche aficionados reason to think twice before moving all the way up to the new 911, at nearly twice the price. like the seventh-generation porsche 911, the new boxster is longer, slightly wider and a half-inch lower than before. It makes extensive use of lightweight materials including magnesium and aluminum, which results in both a lower overall mass and a better center of gravity. we were somewhat surprised when we first heard porsche would downsize the base engine, which drops from 2. 9 to just 2. 7 liters. But that proved no reason to worry, the wizards of stuttgart still managing to squeeze out 10 more horsepower than before, at 265 hp. Torque did slip, ever so slightly, but not enough to negatively impact performance, we quickly discovered. better yet, the 2013 porsche boxster winds up eking out a full 3 mpg increase in highway fuel economy: now rating an epa-estimated 32 mpg highway with the 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. for those who want more performance, there's the new boxster s which swaps for a bigger 3. 4-liter package that takes power up to 315 hp, a 5-horsepower bump over the old boxster s, while torque holds flat at 266 pound-feet. With the lighter mass and other improvements, the 2013 boxster s cuts about a second off the standard boxster's estimated 5. 5 second 0 to 60 times. if there are reasons to be disappointed they include the decision to make the optional manual gearbox a 6-speed, rather than offering the breakthrough 7-speed introduced with the all-new 2012 porsche 911. The other gripe is with the new electro-hydraulic steering system. Okay, not a big gripe. That said, the steering feels slightly more precise than that on the 911, which a porsche engineer explained was the benefit of launching the 2013 boxster a half-year later. but the bottom line for us is that the new 2013 boxster is what we always knew porsche was capable of. It's handsome, competent and as much fun to drive as the original. Okay, a lot more fun. If we hadn't seen how far the german maker could go with the latest 911 we might have thought this was the marque's flagship. lineupthe boxster 49,500) features a 265-hp 2. 7-liter six-cylinder engine, boxster s 60,900) uses a 315-hp 3. 4-liter flat-six. A 6-speed manual gearbox is standard, the 7-speed pdk dual clutch transmission 3,200) is optional. 2013 porsche boxster models come standard with partial leather/alcantara seats with power recline, three-spoke leather-wrapped wheel with power tilt/telescope, 2-zone automatic climate control, am/fm/cd/mp3 with 7-inch lcd, bluetooth hands-free phone, power heated mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, homelink, cruise control, alarm, 18-inch aluminum wheels. options include pasm porsche active suspension management 1,790); ptv porsche torque vectoring 1,320); power steering plus 270); sport chrono package 1,850); infotainment with bose surround sound 3,860); leather interior, power seats, sports seats, seat ventilation, special interior trim; sports exhaust 2,825); front and rear park assist 860). walkaroundthe 2013 porsche boxster has undergone significant revisions, including the development of a new chassis that anchors a vehicle with an added 2. 4 inches of wheelbase, total length stretching a slightly more modest 1. 3 inches. That translates to less overhang. The new roadster is also a wee bit lower. The sculpted side panels, which flow into deep air scoops just behind the doors, bear the imprint of the carrera gt. For those who have found the cabin a bit cramped in past generations of boxsters the new model will come as a marked improvement. the added wheelbase has largely benefited the interior, starting with seats that can travel an extra inch rearward. Those seats, meanwhile, offer substantial lateral support, as we discovered during both some aggressive track driving and a slightly more leisurely route through the alabama countryside. It was the panamera that introduced the distinctive center console where the majority of the car's switches and controls are located. As with all recent porsche offerings the maker has been recognizing that it is, after all, as much a luxury car maker as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. There's no reason to settle for chintzy switches, handles and knobs and the 2013 boxster is proof in point. driving impressionthe heart of any porsche is its powertrain. The 2013 boxster migrates from a 2. 9-liter flat-six to one displacing only 2. 7 liters. Output of the 2. 7-liter is at 265 hp at 6700 rpm. Torque slips by 7 from last year to 206 pound-feet at 4400-6500 rpm. But that had no discernable impact on performance: the boxster delivers solid 5. 5-second 0 to 60 times with the manual gearbox, according to porsche, 5. 4 seconds with the pdk transmission, 5. 2 seconds with sport chrono and pdk. Premium fuel is required. Fuel economy is an epa-estimated 20/30 mpg city/highway with manual gearbox, 22/32 mpg with pdk. boxster s, with its 3. 4-liter flat-six, gets another 5 horsepower for 2013, at 315 hp at 6700 rpm. Torque remains 266 lb-ft at 4500-5800 rpm. Porsche says boxster s can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4. 8 seconds with 6-speed manual, 4. 7 seconds with pdk, 4. 5 seconds with pdk with sport chrono. Fuel economy for the boxster s is 20/28 mpg with manual, according to the u. Government, 21/30 mpg with the pdk. No clutch pedal with pdk. we were disappointed porsche didn't migrate the new 7-speed manual gearbox first introduced on the 2012 911 into the new boxster, but the 6-speed manual is a fine compromise for those who can't fathom a car like this with anything but a stick. another debate centers around the 2013 boxster's new electro-hydraulic steering system, a concept we first saw introduced with the seventh-generation 911. We fall somewhere in the middle of the discussion. There's no question it improves fuel economy. And, if anything, we agree with porsche engineers that they had even more time to tweak and tune the steering system since the 911 rolled out. AM/FM✔ Power Seats✔ Climate Control✔ Cruise Control✔ Bluetooth✔ Aluminum Wheels
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