6HP is meaningless. Even Porsche admits this time there is no performance gain over the standard 'S'. The 6HP is just Porsche marketing for insecure buyers who want bragging rights over current 'S' owners (ooohhh my 'S' has more HP than your 'S'). I wish they would admit there is no real performance gain with the current S's measley 33HP mostly offset by the 80 lbs weight gain over the base. At least now they have implicitly admitted that there's a problem with the S tranny by including a short shifter. It still doesn't solve the problem. It's just a band-aid, and we must wait for the 987 'S' for the tranny issue to be fixed. They need to optimise the gear ratios specifically for the Boxster and NOT the 996.
John Brown from PPBB, a courageous and honest '04 'S' owner, explains:
"I've read that criticism ('S' tranny) in other reviews of the S over
the years since its introduction. The criticism is based on the fact that the S 6-speed gearing is the same as the Carrera 6-speed's gearing. Considering the S' considerably less power & torque than the Carrera's, it's easy to understand why either the S' engine is too little for its transmission or its transmission is too much for its engine. Many here & elsewhere have theorized Porsche did this intentionally, both to save $$ and to keep
the S way below Carrera performance territory IAW their marketing strategy.
All sounds reasonable to me. But the actual gear ratios of the S can pretty easily be compared to the Carrera specs & then we'll all know for sure. Data's probably even available on the net."
-John Brown of Northern Virginia
It's interesting that most 'S' owners refuse to believe this simple logic. They take any criticism of their precious 'S' so personally. I have always suspected that some 'S' owners may have self-esteem problems, what with their identity and self-esteem tied so tightly to their car's image. Mind you I don't think the 'S' is a terrible car just because there's an issue with the tranny. I would rather have an 'S' than an S2000 or Z4. It's just that the 2.7L base IS a better car than the 'S', because I personally couldn't take shifting in an 'S' daily. It would drive me crazy. I guess others have learned to live with it.
The great CFG had to dump his 'S' after two years because of the tranny:
"Drove 6000 miles in 2 years [Boxster 'S'] and the gearing was horrible in my opinion....I was unhappy with the Boxster 'S'...
The Boxster 'S' should have gotten the 5 speed gearbox of the 2.7..."
-Chris from Germany (CFG)
Admin for 996 board (
http://www.funcarsonline.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php)
I can't wait for the 987. I think I will finally upgrade to the 987 'S' if finances allow.
It can be the best car in the world, but if you wince when you look at it, who cares? Hopefully the production model will be alot better for porsche's sake.
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