Porsche is about to unveil the new 911, but we’ve already caught the next Boxster on test in Germany. These spyshots are of the Boxster S – nine months before its public debut at the 2009 Geneva motor show.
Visual changes will be minor, but under the bodywork will be new direct-injection engines and a revised interior.
So what’s new on the Porsche Boxster?
At the front, the Boxster gains a Cayman-inspired snout, with gently reprofiled headlights and indicators. The central front air dam – reserved for the S model spied in our pictures – gets a trapezoid air intake, as opposed to today’s oval aperture.
At the rear this Boxster S continues with twin exhaust pipes but the biggest changes
are the LED rear lights. Not only are they lighter and smaller than regular bulbs, they also react quicker to prods of the middle pedal. Some say they look cooler, too…
Tell me more about Porsche’s new direct-injection technology for the engines?
As with the facelifted 911, the 2009 facelifted Boxster is due to receive direct injection. No hard and fast figures are available yet, but looking at the outputs of the 911 and Cayenne with similar tech,
you can safely expect power increases of around 13 percent while fuel consumption falls by 15 percent.
With the next 911 Carrera expected to produce 340bhp, it clears the way for the Boxster S to produce more than 310bhp; the entry-level 2.7-litre Boxster should
make over 260bhp.
What else is new on the next Boxster?
In line with the new 911,
the Boxster will get a new interior with a hard-drive based sat-nav system and larger screen. The multitude of buttons will be cleared up and there will be a black as opposed to silver finish, according to quick glimpses inside the latest prototypes.
And will it get PDK?
Porsche’s seven-speed double-clutch transmission has yet to be confirmed for the Boxster; the new 911 – due to be unveiled in June 2008 – is the first company’s first car with a DSG-style transmission. It’s said to boost performance with lightning fast gearchanges, while economy jumps to approaching 30mpg.
Once the refreshed Boxster and Boxster S arrive in 2009, that’ll be pretty much it for the range, beyond some run-out special editions just before the all-new car arrives in 2011.
Unlike the 911, which will seed umpteen variations with Carrera and Carrera S models with fixed or convertible roofs, Targa tops and four-wheel drive, plus Turbo, GT3 and GT2 variants all in the pipeline.
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