Porsche Boxster GTS
It takes balls to tamper with a car as perfect as the S, so when Porsche announced the GTS, many people thought they were mad... but with a number of exterior design and mechanical changes to the S model, the new range-topper promises to be just as much fun as the S but a better all-round machine.
So is it?
Proper Boxster fans will be able to spot the differences between the GTS and S from a mile away, but for motorists not clued up on their Porsches, the changes are less obvious.
First, let's start with aesthetics. The GTS sits 20mm lower to the ground than the S, on top of all-new 20-inch low-profile alloy wheels. The headlamps are now smoked - rather than transparent - and there's a new front bumper and rear valence, along with obligatory GTS branding on the rear. That completes the changes to the exterior of the car, so let's move onto the mechanical changes.
Porsche has extracted a further 15 horsepower and 10 lb /ft of torque from the Boxster's naturally aspirated 3.4-litre flat-six engine, so it now develops 325 horsepower at 6,100rpm and 273 lb /ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels only through the same six-speed manual box', and the car will now get from 0 - 62 mph in 5 seconds flat and onto a top speed of 175 mph.
As you might have guessed, the extra 15 horsepower and 10 lb /ft aren't really noticeable even when you're really caning it. The standard Boxster S has always been a powerful car for what it is, and the GTS continues this theme - although the extra power isn't really all that important here.
What is important is that the GTS is now the range-topper, and it costs £5,840 more than the S. In the world of Porsche, £5,840 isn't a lot of money - you spend almost half that selecting metallic paint, sat nav, and a digital radio on the Boxster's options list... and in terms of pure equipment, there's little to choose between the S and GTS. If you gave the S PASM, 20-inch alloys, the Sport Chrono Pack, sports seats, and dynamic headlights - all of which come as standard on the GTS - the prices would end up around the same... but let's not forget that you do get more power in the GTS, along with unique styling details and GTS branding - or in other words, bragging rights.
So at £52,879, the GTS is actually good value for money. In fact, I suspect many 2013- 2014 S buyers will be having nightmares about the value on offer here - even if £5,840 is peanuts in Porsche terms.
The S then has now been demoted to a middle-order car, and the GTS is the better buy overall.
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