Used 2015 Porsche Boxster

The Porsche Boxster for 2015 conveys the same sexy exterior and passion for the road as its 911 kin, but without the exorbitant price tag. Now in its third generation, the 2015 Boxster is slightly larger than previous versions, but it is no less competent. The Boxster’s impressive road manners don’t come at the cost of comfort or convenience, with a luxurious cabin and a padded power soft top that can be activated at speeds up to 31 mph. While it lacks the hardtop convenience of a BMW Z4 or Mercedes-Benz SLK, the Boxster’s interior remains impressively quiet. On the flip side, you can achieve nearly equal levels of performance in the less expensive Nissan 370Z or all-wheel-drive (AWD) Audi TT.

With power always at the ready and a rigid structure to resist body flex, Porsche’s 2015 Boxster roadster delivers on every promise one would expect from such a car. Massive brakes ensure impressive stopping power, even after repeated testing. That’s good, because the speeds generated by the Boxster’s mid-mounted 6-cylinder engine are equally impressive. The old school of our group loved the 6-speed manual, but were also impressed by the rapid-fire manual shifts performed with the PDK automatic. We’ve heard mixed reviews about the Boxster’s variable-ratio electric power-steering unit, but found nothing to dislike on our test drive. In fact, we formed consensus that the Porsche Boxster is one of the easiest sports cars to live with on a day-to-day basis. Whether at the track or on a quick jaunt up the coast for dinner, the Boxster feels like an old pair of well-worn jeans, but on wheels.

The 2015 Boxster’s cabin is surprisingly quiet with the top up and triumphantly alive with it down. It’s also the roomiest ever. The two seats don’t so much fit you as they absorb you. All touch points, including the pedals and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shifter, are as purposeful as they are comfortable. This is what a sports car should feel like. In the center dash is a 7-inch color screen that sits above a bevy of buttons, and growing from there is the sleek and also-button-laden transmission tunnel that sits between driver and passenger. It’s high-tech and classy, but busy.

As good as Porsche’s 2015 Boxster appears in photos, it looks better in person, boasting more angles than a geometry lesson. Not surprisingly, the Boxster is at its best with the top down, but even with the fabric roof in position, this roadster draws attention. Among the Boxster’s more prominent features are sculpted side sills that direct air to the engine bay. In front, the Boxster dazzles with jeweled headlights, which are bi-xenon for S and GTS trims. In back is the traditional center-mounted exhaust tailpipe, a single outlet on base models and a pair on the S and GTS.

QUICK FOLDING TOP
The beauty of a soft top is that it not only weighs less than a hardtop, it folds faster. In just nine seconds the 2015 Boxster will have the wind in your hair and sun in your face. Even better, the Boxster’s roof can be operated at speeds up to 31 mph.

SPORT CHRONO PACKAGE
Order your 2015 Porsche Boxster roadster with an automatic transmission and you can also opt for the Sport Chrono Package. Along with adding a Sport Plus button to tighten the suspension settings, the package includes a cool analog/digital stopwatch in the dash.

Other than the fact that the base Porsche Boxster sport seats are manually adjustable for height and fore/aft positioning (the seatback recline adjustment is electric) in a world where most luxury makers go all-electric, the 2015 Boxster comes deliciously equipped right out of the box. The power-folding roof features a heated glass window, and the included HomeLink garage door opener means you’ll never have to dig for that transponder. The standard 50-watt audio system has four speakers and is controlled via a 7-inch, color touch screen. Base Boxsters come with 18-inch wheels, S models have 19s and GTS ride on 20-inchers.

From a torque-vectoring rear differential to ventilated seats and a navigation system, there are myriad ways to make your Boxster quicker, more comfortable, or more technologically advanced. High-end audio systems from Bose and Burmester are available, and an electronic logbook can record every trip for posterity or recordkeeping. We are personal fans of the wood package and matching heated, mahogany steering wheel. The most performance-minded will be interested in the carbon-ceramic brakes, a $7,000-plus feature alone. And there is, of course, that excellent 7-speed automatic transmission. It’s officially named Porsche Doppelkupplung, but it’s far easier to just say "PDK."

The 2015 Porsche Boxster roadster uses a 2.7-liter flat-6 engine that puts out a respectable 265 horsepower and enables the roadster to leap from zero to 60 mph in a scant 5.5 seconds. The Boxster S features a more powerful 3.4-liter flat-6 that produces 315 horsepower and lowers that acceleration benchmark to a rapid 4.8 seconds. The GTS adds another 15 horsepower. This last powerplant simply doesn’t have a weakness and roars like a warhorse. Both engines are mounted midship and power the rear wheels. The standard transmission is a 6-speed manual, with the quicker-shifting and more fuel-efficient 7-speed PDK automatic optional. An auto start/stop function can be used with either transmission, but we found the startups jarring when faced with a row of ill-timed stoplights.

2.7-liter flat-6
265 horsepower @ 6,700 rpm
206 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500-6,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/30 mpg (manual), 22/32 mpg (automatic)

3.4-liter flat-6
315 horsepower @ 6,700 rpm
266 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500-5,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/28 mpg (manual), 21/30 mpg (automatic)

3.4-liter flat-6
330 horsepower @ 6,700 rpm
273 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500-5,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/26 mpg (manual), 22/31 mpg (automatic)