Over two years have passed since we last drove the Boxster S (you can read our review here). Despite that, we have had the opportunity to sample the Boxster S on several other occasions – at Porsche’s Driving Experience and a club trackday at Sepang, and a number of breakfast runs. And so yes, I still remember it to be the awesome sports car that it is. But now, Porsche has come up with a GTS variant for both the Boxster and Cayman models, tuned for more power. But how do they drive?
Thanks to Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), we had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the all-new Boxster GTS, on the sunny island of Singapore. As we headed to the hotel to check-in and pit-stop for a late brunch, the weather did indeed look terrific. But as luck would have it, clouds started to loom over our heads just as soon as we got comfortable in the cockpit. That day turned out to be one of the largest rain storms the island had seen in months.
If you know us by now, you’ll know a little bit of bad weather does nothing to dampen our mood. Turn the key in the fob and as then engine starts up, the first thing you’ll notice is the bellowing, rorty exhaust note. Heads will turn. Sports exhaust comes as standard, but all Porsche GTS variants have sounded good and this one was no different. Surprisingly, the car sounds better than even a Boxster S fitted with an Akrapovic exhaust system. This new variant looks good too – new lip spoiler painted gloss black, smoked tail lights, and massive 20-inch wheels wrapped in 235/35 rubbers front and 265/35 on the rear.
We head out, roof stowed in the rear, wary that the skies have almost completely clouded over. There are several routes already pre-set into the car’s GPS system, and we find one that takes out farthest away from the gloomy skies. But this is a small island, and escape was impossible. We’re in a bit of pickle now – try and get as many pictures whilst we can or drive, hard, while the roads are still dry? No, we were not given an option; as the clouds started to open up, we tried to snap as many pictures as we could, stowed our gear in the boot, closed the top over our heads, and continued our route, this time in traffic and with some light flooding in certain areas.
The rain only started to subside as we were done with dinner. I won’t lie, I was disappointed. I sent a quick text to the local Porsche rep, asking if we could have the car for the rest of the night as well; and we were green lighted! So I headed back to the hotel to freshen up (and to let the roads dry out a little bit), before heading back out again to drive. On paper, there seems to be only small tweaks – an extra 15hp/10Nm from the 3.4 litre flat six, with more changes on the exterior and interior trim.
Despite the slightly damp roads and, ahem, speed limits in the many parts of town, the Boxster GTS continued to impress. The improvements may be marginal but is clearly felt – that extra urge, that extra grip, the improved finesse. Power into a corner and you can tell by your fingertips, how much traction you have. The Boxster GTS just coaxes you on, pushing you harder and rewarding you with the bellowing soundtrack. And there just seems to be no limit to the grip that is available from the rear tyres.
Clearly, the car has plenty of character. It’s one of those thoroughly enjoyable cars that make you want to keep driving, even though aimlessly. I started off following some pre-set routes, but then just ambled along randomly. The point is, I didn’t want to stop driving. It was 3am before I finally decided to take a breather at Gardens by the Bay, before taking the long route back to the hotel. I was exhausted, and if it wasn’t for my eyelids that refused to stay open, I would have kept on driving.
Prices for the Boxster GTS start from RM660,000 and for that money, you’re already getting quite a fair bit of kit. Perhaps SDAP will get a Boxster GTS test unit (or maybe a Cayman GTS?), and we will be able to test it on roads that we are more familiar with in Malaysia. In the meantime, one man can only hope…
