Porsche Boxster Continues To Deliver Added Features and Improvements

It took Porsche 19 years to release a new model, but in 1997 they released the much anticipated Porsche Boxster.  The Boxster was first introduced in 1993 as a show car, only to be distributed to the public in response to the popularity of retro 2-seaters.  The name in part comes from the flat boxer configuration of its mid-mounted water-cooled engine. 

In the late 90’s, competition was stiff for sports car roadsters like the Porsche Boxster.  The Boxster immediately became direct competition to the Mercedes-Benz SLK and the BMW Z3.  When first introduced, the Boxster had a 2.5-liter 6-cylinder that helped produce 201 horsepower.  Other features of the original model included a soft top and anti-locking 4-wheel disc brakes.

Although the original version of this vehicle was extremely popular and ran smoothly, Porsche has set out to improve various aspects of the vehicle over the past few years.  With the drive to make the Boxster one of the best Porsche vehicles ever, Porsche has enhanced certain aspects of the vehicle and added more features.

It all began in 1998, as two safety-related changes were added to the vehicle.  The first addition was standard door-mounted side airbags for increased protection.  The second addition was an optional child-seat detection system.  This system automatically deactivated right-side airbags when a special child safety seat was placed in the vehicle.

While 1999 saw no changes to the entry-level vehicle, 2000 was full of advances to the Porsche Boxster.  In 2000, a brand new high-performance Boxster S model made its debut.  In addition to the debut, the overall power and engine grew a little bit.  In the base model, the engine grew to 2.7-liter and increased to 217 horsepower.  For the Boxster S model, a 3.2-liter 6-cylinder engine was placed in to contribute to 250-horsepower.  In addition to these baffling features, the Boxster S used a new 6-speed manual transmission and 18-inch tires.

In 2001 there were some additional options, but nothing like 2000.  In 2001 an optional Stability Management antiskid system was offered to the public for increased safety.  A few other changes included revised gauges, new standard electric front and rear trunk releases, softer rollbar coverings and LED orientation lights.

2002 and 2004 saw very minor changes, but 2003 proved to be much like 2000 for the Porsche Boxster.  The base engine gained 11 horsepower to reach 228 total, while the S engine grew from 250 to 258.  All of the models received modified front air intakes, body-color vs. black side scoops and smoked plastic turn-signal lenses.  Lastly, the Boxster received its first conventional dashboard glove box.

What began as simple a show car has developed into a fine entry-level car for Porsche.  Every year there are minor improvements to keep the Boxster ahead of the competition, and this year expects to be the same.