Porsche Boxster 718 Review (2016-present)

Often it seems as though Porsche can do no wrong. Its flagship sports car, the 911, remains peerless in the eyes of both experts and enthusiasts, and also from the point of view of the global sales charts. Meanwhile, the company’s GT-badged hardcore offerings are consistently among the very best cars of their type. The Taycan electric saloon is a technical masterpiece. Even Porsche’s five-door cars – the Cayenne and Macan SUVs, plus the Panamera – are all but peerless in their own ways.

But nothing and nobody can be flawless. Porsche demonstrated this point very effectively in 2016 when it updated the Boxster, its long-serving mid-engined two-seater roadster. Along with a new look, new interior tech and revised badging (which saw Porsche’s mid-engined sports cars labelled 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster), in came a new range of turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The 2.0 and 2.5-litre units replaced the joyful naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines that had powered the company’s two-seat sports cars until then. Performance car enthusiasts were aghast.

Nonetheless, Porsche appeared to take notice of the criticism levelled at it: when the not-quite-range-topping GTS variants were announced in 2019, the controversial four-cylinder motor was nowhere to be seen, and in its place a new, naturally aspirated six-cylinder.

If you’re in the market for a compact two-seater convertible, then it's unlikely practicality is going to be at the top of your shopping list. Even so, cars like the Boxster aren’t just for high days and holidays, with many owners using them for the daily commute as well as longer journeys. Fortunately, the entry-level Porsche is one the easier cars of its type to get along with, proving surprisingly spacious and versatile.

For starters, the driving position is spot-on. You sit low behind the steering wheel with a wide range of seat- and wheel adjustment, while both driver and passenger have decent leg- and headroom, even with the fabric roof in place.

Speaking of which, the electrically powered hood can be raised and lowered in nine seconds at the touch of a button, and at speeds of up to 30mph, plus it’s reasonably well insulated from road- and wind noise, meaning a two-hour motorway journey in the Porsche won’t leave you with a four-hour headache.

Handy storage is in short supply, with only a glovebox, shallow compartment between the front seats and narrow door bins, but there are a couple of cup holders that slide gracefully out of the dashboard, plus a couple of coat hooks on the backs of the seats. Luggage space is far more impressive, with a useful 130-litre ‘frunk’ at the front of the car and a deep 150-litre boot at the rear, offering a combined 280 litres between them, which is similar to most superminis.

While those four-cylinder engines have Porsche purists up in arms, the reality is that the 718 Cayman remains a seriously impressive and undeniably capable sports car, thanks in no small part to the mid-engined, rear-wheel drive layout, a perfectly balanced set-up that’s been at the heart of all competitive racing machinery for the past 60-odd years.

Whichever motor lurks behind the rear seats, the 718 Boxster is a supreme drop-top sports car. It steers beautifully, has balance to spare, it’s engaging and rewarding in the finest Porsche tradition. In fact, much as diehard enthusiasts hate to admit it, the Boxster (and its coupe Cayman twin) are arguably even more fun to drive than the legendary and far more expensive 911.

What’s more, while the flat-four engines sound a little flatulent at idle, the noise improves as you work them harder, particularly when fitted with the optional sports exhaust. There’s no shortage of performance, either, the turbocharged units delivering the sort of thumping mid-range overtaking pace that was slightly lacking from their naturally aspirated six-cylinder predecessors.

That said, a mid-life refresh in 2019 added petrol particulate filters and revised engine tuning for lower emissions, and despite identical power outputs to their predecessors these versions feel a little less responsive.

That’s certainly not a problem for the 4.0-litre flat-six used in the GTS 4.0 model, which delivers muscular performance and a spine-tingling soundtrack. With prices starting near £70,000 you pay for the privilege, but no other sports car comes close to matching the GTS for driving thrills.

One that does is the Spyder, the ultra rare flagship that’s essentially an open top version of the Cayman GT4. Yet while it’s a little more involving and engaging to drive, it’s virtually unobtainable and the fabric roof is a bit of faff to put up and fold away. For most, the GTS is just as exciting, so the Spyder is best left to well-heeled collectors.

Of course, driving a Boxster isn’t all about scything through corners at breakneck speed, and happily the Porsche is just as happy to cruise. The low speed ride is a little firm, but its smoothes out at speed, while the light controls and decent visibility means its easy to place on the road. The only real irritant is the amount of roar generated by the wide tyres, particularly on coarse surfaces, but it’s nothing turning up the stereo won’t cure.

There’s a choice of either six-speed manual or optional seven-speed PDK twin-clutch automatic transmission on all models. The former is quick and precise and delivers the purest driving experience, but the latter takes the sting out of daily driving duties and is so slick in its operation that you’ll rarely miss changing gears yourself.

Also, you can pick from what seems like an endless list of dynamic chassis upgrades, including a torque vectoring limited slip differential, adaptive dampers and carbon ceramic brakes to name but a few. All are desirable (and expensive), but in truth the Boxster is brilliant to drive even in its most basic form.

Porsche hasn’t become one of the most profitable car companies in the world by giving stuff away for free, which is why the options list on a 718 Boxster is so long. As standard you get the essentials, such as air-conditioning, bi-xenon headlamps, electric windows and powered door mirrors, but anything else is extra cost.

If you’re buying new, that means you’ll need to be careful you don’t get carried away, because there’s plenty to choose from. Porsche offers all the usual upgrades such as leather trim and adaptive cruise control, but there’s also the numerous customisation options like colour-coded seat belts and wheel centre caps. It also means used buyers need to be particularly eagle-eyed when checking over a potential purchase, as no two Boxster models are ever the same.

In terms of infotainment, all cars get a slick-looking touchscreen set-up that features Bluetooth, USB connection and Apple CarPlay (but no Android Auto). It’s fairly easy to use on the move, with clear menus and handy shortcut keys.

One condition of a Porsche warranty or extended warranty is that the car in question should be serviced by a main dealer, or Official Porsche Centre (OPC). Routine maintenance at an official outlet will inevitably be more expensive than at an independent specialist, but for many owners the peace of mind, plus the valid warranty cover, will make the additional cost worthwhile.

The first service should be carried out after 20,000 miles or two years, whichever comes first. This will cost around £500 at an OPC. After the same period again, a 718 Boxster will require a fuller service that will cost around £650. Once the Porsche warranty has expired, there will be useful savings to be made by switching servicing duties away from the main dealer and to one of the UK’s many highly regarded Porsche specialists.

Inevitably, a Porsche sports car will cost rather more to keep on the road than, say, a BMW or Mercedes saloon. Tyres, for instance, could cost as much as £800 for a full set, or even more on the range-topping Spyder. Meanwhile, a full set of replacement brakes will cost around £1,500. Expect to pay about the same for a replacement clutch on manual cars, although this shouldn’t be required until at least 60,000 miles have passed by.

Vehicle Excise Duty, meanwhile, varies significantly from one model to the next. An early model with the smaller 2.0-litre engine will cost only £210 per year, while the Spyder will set you back £475. And while petrol-sipping mpg won't be too critical to the average Boxster buyer, it doesn't do too bad a job on fuel economy by sports car standards, with most versions able to crack 30mpg.

It hasn’t always been so, but in very recent years Porsche has become a byword for dependability and durability. Earlier versions of the Boxster, Cayman and 911 sports cars do still suffer enormously costly engine problems, but for the past decade or so its cars have been close to bulletproof.

Having only been launched in 2016, it’s too early to know if there are any commonly occurring reliability woes that would-be owners should be aware of. However, given that the 718 Boxster was really a heavily facelifted 981-era Boxster with a new engine – and since the 981 is known to be a very durable sports car – it’s reasonable to anticipate similar levels of dependability from this latest variant.

Porsches come with three-year, unlimited-mileage manufacturer warranties and many owners choose to pay extra to extend that cover. That means many 718 Boxsters will still be covered by a full warranty, which should be comforting for anybody considering buying a used one.

A small number of 718 Boxster owners have reported issues with the PDK gearbox (these will have been put right by the dealership) and others have bemoaned thin paintwork, but for the most part the car has a clean bill of health. Nonetheless, since driver-focussed sports cars like these do tend to be driven with a certain degree of enthusiasm, it is important that they’re maintained to a very high standard.

Servicing should be carried out by an Official Porsche Centre for at least the first few years of a car’s life, after which a respected Porsche specialist will lavish comparable levels of care onto it but at a more affordable cost. Porsches should also come fitted with manufacturer-approved tyres; look for what’s called the ‘N rating’ on the tyre sidewall.