Went to the unveiling of the new Boxster 'S' tonight, people were great, food was awesome, cars were fast. Had a great time. I had been driving a 991 'S' for a few days and was excited to see how the 981 'S' drove and how it compared to my 2000 'S'.
Looks - Everything I didn't like in the photos were not even noticeable in person, everything blended so nicely. The door air scoops/intakes didn't even catch my eye, totally a none issue. The spoiler and tail lights again blended nice and didn't catch my eye at all. The rear diffuser (that plastic area at bottom of bumper) that to me looked so bad in the photos, it was much smaller in person and really hidden out of the way. The car really is nice looking, it still has a nice roadster look. I would rather see 19s on the car, these had 20s. I'm not sure if it was the 20s or if the car just needs to be lowered 1/2 inch, there is too much space between the tires and the fenders, the 991 was done right, they goofed with the 981. The interior...well it is basically a 991. I guess i would have liked it to be a little more raw, I will say if you want more then you'll like it, everything is right where it should be and it all looks wonderful. A lot of car companies could learn from Porsche. Nothing looks out of place.
Ride - Let's put it this way, the 991 is a Lion and the 981 is a Cheetah. In regular mode the car muted bumps the same if not better than the 991. I know a lot of folks will say it is too refined and I would understand, but for daily driving or that long highway drive home from the mountains it can be nice if you have a bad back. Push the Sport button and stiffen the shocks and you are now back to all the road feel you might want, is it jarring like my 2000 'S' on man hole covers...well no but the ride is pretty stiff. Plenty of power and torque under 4500 rpm...and plenty fast. Sorry to all those 991 lovers, the Boxster is the new standard. It still feels like a Boxster. The steering still has a too strong to center pull like the 991 but they did a better job with the electronic steering I think. I could do without it, there is a lose of feel, but then I haven't driven a late model 987 so I didn't have that to compare to. I took a look under the car and at all the suspension and they basically didn't change it, sure the shape of things changed a little but it still is a Boxster, I'm guessing that is why it kept its overall feel.
Sound - Finally they put some growl into it. About time.
Overall - This is a great car guys, it will sell. I'm temped myself. I will get up in the morning and drive mine just to clear my head. I really didn't know what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised. Porsche is seriously holding back on HP with this car, there is no reason they couldn't have gone 330hp with a 3.4 engine like this. The base 991 would have still been safe with it's 350hp.
I would like to see Porsche do a one year limited Turbo and Turbo 'S' version. They would all sell and be collector cars in 5 years.
Anyway, had fun, here is a crappy pic from my phone:
