Porsche Boxter: Standard issue

It's easy to be seduced by the allure of a top-of-the-range model. That's its job, in fact: to ensnare potential buyers with its high output, lengthy equipment list and no doubt kudos-enhancing badge. But most people will have to settle for something further down the pecking order, so what you get, and more importantly, what is delivered by the humblest model in the range, is a true test of its greatness.

So here we are then, sampling the humblest model that Porsche has to offer. The Boxster offers a little more than just your average car of course: ignore the prestige that comes with the badge, and you still get a two-seat roadster, flat-six engine in the middle, rear-wheel-drive and a six-speed manual gearbox. Fine ingredients for a sports car then, but does this entry-level machine really cut it against high quality opposition?

The looks don't disappoint. Too much. Aside from a few detail touches, it's hard to tell the basic Boxster apart from its beefier Boxster S brother. The biggest giveaway are the wheels, but a well-chosen trip along the options list can sort that. The basic shape is still confusing (which way is it facing?), and just like the 911, hasn't changed a great deal over the years. But, it's instantly recognisable, pleasingly compact and has a strong sense of class and solidity. No penny-pinching here then.

Climb inside and the feeling continues. The layout is relatively busy, especially when the optional sat-nav system is installed, but it's not hard work to use. There's plenty to keep you informed and occupied, and once again there's a good feeling of quality - it feels like it will keep doing its job until it's with its fifth owner. There's room enough for two, plenty of adjustment and a reasonable amount of storage space. Travelling light is a good idea, but if it won't fit in the cabin, you've got decent boot space.

But with any real sports car, all this stuff is incidental. A golf cart will carry you, your passengers and your luggage, but you wouldn't want to get up at 5am for the pleasure of driving one. It's the real core of the driving experience that really matters. The first thing you notice is the weight of the controls. By conventional standards, the clutch is relatively heavy, the gearbox has what appears to be slow and quite clunky action, and the steering offers more resistance than you might expect. Driving in ordinary traffic, the Boxster requires a fraction more concentration than a bog standard hatchback, and at this point it's easy to see this as something of a fault.

But the more time you spend in the Boxster's company, the more you realise that it is designed to offer a level of satisfaction that doesn't appear on any options list. Get out onto a suitable road and the extra demands that it makes of you suddenly make sense. The heavier clutch is perfect for fast changes, the gearbox responds best to a firm rather than a lazy hand and the steering comes into its element. What initially seemed like artificial resistance is actually superb weighting, allowing you to carefully measure your inputs and receive crystal-clear info about what the front wheels are up to. The Boxster has depth where some rivals tell you everything you need to know in the first five minutes. That delivers satisfaction above the norm.

Yeah, but I still want the S

OK, but then there's the performance. In plain and simple Boxster form, the 2.9-litre flat-six unit offers a comparatively modest 255bhp, enough to go through 100kph in 5.9 seconds and on to 260kph plus. Yes, the Boxster S will get you there faster and trouble the 270kph barrier, but the standard car has just the right amount of power to suit every occasion. There's enough low-down grunt when you feel like being lazy, yet it gives you even more when howling around the red line. There's a balance between power and grip that's clearly been honed to a fine edge, and that gives you the confidence to go up to and over the limit.

If all that sounds like hard work, then a) it isn't, and b) go and buy something else. The Boxster in all its forms is no hassle to use every day, it's a pleasure to drive and as a result is likely to be enormously satisfying to own. And if that's not enough reason to get an entry level Porsche, there's nothing stopping you from getting that Boxster S.

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