The Porsche Boxster has been renamed 718 Boxster as part of a mid-cycle update. It also gets a minor facelift, and it receives Porsche’s first flat-four engine in decades.
The base 718 swaps the Boxster’s naturally-aspirated 2.7-liter flat-six for a turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-four that makes 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft. of torque. Moving up, the 718 Boxster S uses a 2.5-liter turbo four rated at 350 ponies and 309 lb-ft. of twist. Both engines offer 35 more horses than the six they replace.
A six-speed manual transmission comes standard, and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic controlled by shift paddles is available as an option. The extra power allows the base Boxster to reach 60 mph from a stop in 4.5 seconds when it’s equipped with the optional Sport Chrono package and the aforementioned dual-clutch gearbox. The similarly-equipped Boxster S performs the same task in four seconds flat, half a second faster than the outgoing model. Porsche has completely redesigned the suspension and the brakes.
Visually, the 718 nameplate is accompanied by sharper headlights, larger front air dams, bigger air inlets behind the doors, and thinner LED tail lamps that emphasize the roadster’s width. 19-inch alloy wheels come standard, and 20-inch units are available at an extra cost.
The cabin is fitted with the latest generation of Porsche’s touch screen-based infotainment system and a three-spoke steering wheel whose design is loosely inspired by the one found in the sold-out 918 Spyder. Navigation is available at an extra cost. The cloth soft top carries over from the Boxster to the 718 with no major modifications.
The 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster will go on sale in June with a base price of $56,000, excluding a mandatory $1,050 destination charge. To put that figure into perspective, the 2015 Boxster starts at $52,100.
The Cayman will become the 718 Cayman, and it will receive the same mechanical and visual updates as the Boxster. Porsche admits the two cars will share more visual similarities than ever before. In short, the Stuttgart-based car maker is combining its two smallest models into a single model line offered as a coupe and as a convertible. The Porsche 718 Cayman will likely make its official debut in April at the New York show, and both models will go on sale in time for the 2017 model year. Interestingly, Porsche has confirmed the coupe will cost less than the convertible.
What’s in a name?
The heritage-laced 718 nameplate was first applied to a successful race car that Porsche introduced in 1957. Powered by a flat-four engine, the original 718 took first place twice in the Targa Florio that was held in Sicily, and it won first in its class during the 1958 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Live photos by Ronan Glon.
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