All-new Porsche Boxster revealed
2012 Porsche Boxster
Over the last few months we’ve seen a lot of spy shots with the third generation of the Porsche Boxster but now we have official photos courtesy of the German manufacturer. The car will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will become available in UK towards the last of April.
2012 Porsche Boxster
The new styling of the Boxster is the work of Porsche’s design boss Michael Mauer. It adopts a cab forward stance and comes with heavily sculptured flanks, longer doors, bigger wheel houses that will be accommodating larger wheels up to a size of 20 inches. At the back it will remind us of the classic 911 ducktail.
2012 Porsche Boxster
The carmaker has stated that the new model has a longer wheelbase and will feature wider tracks that guarantee more space inside the cabin. Codenamed 981, the new Boxster has a fully automatic cloth hood that no longer needs manual assistance. There is no need for a tonneau cover as it stows behind the cabin in a fully exposed position.
2012 Porsche Boxster
Autocar estimates that the car’s structure is more than 100kg less heavy in comparison to the all-steel body of the outgoing model. This means that the entry-level model is going to have a curb weight of less than 1,300 kg, even though it will pack more equipment.
2012 Porsche Boxster
This third generation of the Porsche Boxster features an entirely new chassis that has a longer wheelbase and a wider front track. Up front it features a MacPherson struts suspension while at the back it adopts a multi-link arrangement, which means that it can accommodate 20-inch wheels so Porsche will also install beefier brakes.
2012 Porsche Boxster
Probably the most significant modification in the car’s mechanical setting would have to be the steering system which ditches the hydraulic assistance in favor a new electro-mechanical system that Porsche developed in collaboration with ZF.
2012 Porsche Boxster
The previous generation of the entry-level Boxster came with a 2.9-liter engine while the new model will have an horizontally-opposed 6-cylinder 2.7-liter that has been reworked. Even though it is a smaller engine, it manages to be 10 hp more powerful than the engine it replaces so it pumps out 265 hp. As you would expect, this power unit benefits from the stop/start technology, along with a thermal management system that dispenses with the gearbox oil cooler. Porsche also fitted the new Boxster with brake energy recuperation which should help the car deliver 36.7 mpg UK on the combined cycle which is going to be a 15% more efficient in comparison to the outgoing model.
2012 Porsche Boxster
The hotter Porsche Boxster S has the same 3.4-liter engine but this one too has been revised in order to be more efficient. The power figure is up by 5 hp to 315 hp while the fuel consumption is rated at 35.3 mpg, which is better than the previous 30.1 mpg.
2012 Porsche Boxster
As standard, the new generation of the model will come with a 6-speed manual gearbox while the 7-speed PDK double clutch transmission is going to be an optional feature. Fitted with the latter, the regular Boxster needs 5.7 seconds to do the 0-62 mph sprint, while the S version will do it in 5 seconds. Compared to the outgoing model, the new version of the car is 0.1 and 0.2 seconds faster, respectively. The car will be even quicker if fitted with the optional Sport Chrono package that offers dynamic gearbox mounts. The company’s engineers have also developed a Torque Vectoring system that offers the car a mechanical differential, but this is available only for the S version.
2012 Porsche Boxster
Inside the cabin, the new generation of the Porsche Boxster is wrapped around in Alcantara and has an audio CD system with a 7-inch color touchscreen display. In addition, it will have an auto stop/start and Sports mode, 18-inch alloy wheels and a universal audio interface that offers MP3 support. The more expensive S model rides on bigger 19-inch alloys and also has bi-xenon headlights and a partial leather interior.
Source: Porsche via Autocar.co.uk
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