Geneva 2012: 2013 Porsche Boxster, Now With 991 Percent More Brand Identity

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

The newest Porsche Boxster is here, with lots more aluminum, some new engines and styling cues derived from the 991-chassis Porsche 911 that has just launched in North America.

The base engine, a 2.7L flat-six, makes 265 horsepower, while the 3.4L in the Boxster S makes 315. A 6-speed manual and 7-speed PDK gearbox are both available. A Sport Chrono Package with Dynamic Transmission Mounts and a Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) mechanical differential are also available, at an exorbitant markup no doubt. The 2013 Boxster will be on sale this summer, and Jack Baruth will not be testing one.





Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Ccd1 Ccd1 on Mar 08, 2012

    Look forward to a TTAC review of this car. Several sources have released "First Drives" which are favorable of course. My take is that the new Boxster is an improvement but not much of one. Horsepower and torque receive nominal increases, weight loss is 70-80 lbs, fuel efficiency increases by 15%. Most important changes are a larger cabin which will fit larger people and the cabin electronics received a substantial update. Expect the changes to the Cayman to largely mirror those to the Boxster

  • Danwat1234 Danwat1234 on Mar 12, 2012

    It'll be interesting to see what the real world MPG will be. The electrical recuperation technology is cool. If only the alternator could turn into a motor to help the engine along too, powered by the lead acid battery or a supercapacitor.

  • Redapple2 Love the wheels
  • Redapple2 Good luck to them. They used to make great cars. 510. 240Z, Sentra SE-R. Maxima. Frontier.
  • Joe65688619 Under Ghosn they went through the same short-term bottom-line thinking that GM did in the 80s/90s, and they have not recovered say, to their heyday in the 50s and 60s in terms of market share and innovation. Poor design decisions (a CVT in their front-wheel drive "4-Door Sports Car", model overlap in a poorly performing segment (they never needed the Altima AND the Maxima...what they needed was one vehicle with different drivetrain, including hybrid, to compete with the Accord/Camry, and decontenting their vehicles: My 2012 QX56 (I know, not a Nissan, but the same holds for the Armada) had power rear windows in the cargo area that could vent, a glass hatch on the back door that could be opened separate from the whole liftgate (in such a tall vehicle, kinda essential if you have it in a garage and want to load the trunk without having to open the garage door to make room for the lift gate), a nice driver's side folding armrest, and a few other quality-of-life details absent from my 2018 QX80. In a competitive market this attention to detai is can be the differentiator that sell cars. Now they are caught in the middle of the market, competing more with Hyundai and Kia and selling discounted vehicles near the same price points, but losing money on them. They invested also invested a lot in niche platforms. The Leaf was one of the first full EVs, but never really evolved. They misjudged the market - luxury EVs are selling, small budget models not so much. Variable compression engines offering little in terms of real-world power or tech, let a lot of complexity that is leading to higher failure rates. Aside from the Z and GT-R (low volume models), not much forced induction (whether your a fan or not, look at what Honda did with the CR-V and Acura RDX - same chassis, slap a turbo on it, make it nicer inside, and now you can sell it as a semi-premium brand with higher markup). That said, I do believe they retain the technical and engineering capability to do far better. About time management realized they need to make smarter investments and understand their markets better.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Off-road fluff on vehicles that should not be off road needs to die.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Saw this posted on social media; “Just bought a 2023 Tundra with the 14" screen. Let my son borrow it for the afternoon, he connected his phone to listen to his iTunes.The next day my insurance company raised my rates and added my son to my policy. The email said that a private company showed that my son drove the vehicle. He already had his own vehicle that he was insuring.My insurance company demanded he give all his insurance info and some private info for proof. He declined for privacy reasons and my insurance cancelled my policy.These new vehicles with their tech are on condition that we give up our privacy to enter their world. It's not worth it people.”
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