JK 23112

My stepfather came down here to visit today and drove his 2014 Porsche Boxster "S" convertible. He wanted to let me drive it (for the first time) this afternoon - in return for a ride in my 2017 Stingray 2LT 7M coupe.

I was impressed. That little supercharged flat-6 is a bear of a powerplant. I think it develops about 440 horsepower (in comparison to 460 from the Corvette's V8). His has the auto - a 6 or 7 spd, I think - and it shifts lightning fast. I just put in in "Drive" and did not worry about the paddle thingies.

The Porsche felt a lot more limber and nimble on windy roads and did not feel nearly as "big" as the Corvette. The tail seemed to stay planted a bit more firmly. In my humble opinion, the Boxster would probably have a slight advantage on a curvy road or slightly uneven pavement (which we find often in this state). The Corvette feels faster on the straightaway and its V8 obviously belts out more torque. You also don't have to put the RPMs up quite as high.

He did not drive the 'Vette (on account of a bad knee on which he had surgery not long ago), but wanted a ride in it. He was impressed with it and how nice the "base" car is. One of his friends has a Z06, but is a C6 car (not sure of the year). He likes its power and brute force, but said the interior was a bit on the Neanderthal side. My stepfather LOVED the interior of my Stingray and felt as though it was light years ahead of the previous generation. I rode in a C6 once, but never drove one -- so I can't really comment much on the difference from actually being behind the wheel.

The Boxster S and the 'Vette are two totally different cars and I like the 'Vette better (of course) - but have to give the Germans some credit for making such a good car.

You can't "see" the engine in the Boxster without taking apart a bunch of stuff. From the trunk, you can access the coolant & oil - but nothing else. The engine is transverse-mounted almost behind the seats. To start the car, you use a "key" - which is actually a big fob - that you insert into an odd socket on the dashboard. Then you turn it clockwise to start the car and counterclockwise to stop it. I guess it's kind of neat, but it looks as though it could be troublesome in the long run. I much prefer the pushbutton on the Corvette with the "keys" remaining in my pocket.

Anyway, I am glad I got a chance to take it out for a spin. Now.....if he'd only get a 911 and let me try that one on for size!

While I am partial to the Corvette (and now finally owning one), I have a lot of respect for Mustangs (had four GT coupes over the years), Camaros and even Challengers & Chargers. Anyone who is a real "car guy" at heart can appreciate any good performance-oriented car.

My neighbor has a Mini Cooper - kind of a little pocket rocket and my brother drives a Volkswagen GTI.....quite a good car for that market segment.

Have a great weekend, folks!!

67 coupe

2014 Boxter S has 315 HP. No supercharger.

Z0Sick6

you couldn't be more wrong describing the specs of the car. It's a 7 speed pdk, dual clutch trans. car makes 315 hp, no supercharger... It's n/a. I'll leave it at that as there are more things not accurately described.

Foosh

Regarding your observation suggesting the Boxster is better on curvy roads, see the link below for fastest lap times at Laguna Seca and note the C7 Stingray at #48 and the Cayman S (hardtop Boxter S) at position #73. The Stingray is 3 full seconds faster per lap, which is an eternity on that track.

Each car was driven by professional race driver Randy Pobst.

http://fastestlaps.com/tracks/laguna-seca-post-1988

JK 23112

My step-father told me it was supercharged - so I took him at his word for it.....and he said it had a 6 or 7spd auto & "about" 440 hp......again, I took his word at face value. I am not a Porsche guy, though, and my favorite one is probably the very old 911 from eons ago.

I only drove his car about 10 miles yesterday, so I have just my limited observation of it. I will have to let him know that he vastly overestimated is horsepower, though.

JK 23112

Regarding the "curvy road" issue, I was referring to some of the winding roads around here that have less-than-ideal pavement. The Porsche seemed to keep the rear end planted a little bit better than the base Stingray.

I have no doubt that on a smooth road surface, the Corvette is probably a better car to drive. My Stingray also felt a lot more powerful & needed fewer RPMs. Admittedly, I did not want to push my Stingray as hard as he wanted to push the Porsche.


Truth be told, I wish I could have had more time to drive his car - but he was just here for a short visit. He is 75 years old and we don't see each other very often since my mother passed away. He used to have a BMW "M" Roadster several years ago and it was a beast of a car.

I always like V8 power, but those Germans can do some pretty mean things with a 6-cylinder engine. With the Porsche Boxster, it really feels very fast....but you really have to wind it up to hit the sweet spot. It cannot come close to the brute force torque of the 'Vette - even though the car costs a lot more money. (I also do not like the fact that you cannot look at the engine.)

White Out

Boxster/Cayman are very fun cars to drive on twisty roads.

felkebg

Thanks for your post. I traded a Boxster S for my C7 and have had ZERO buyer's remorse. When I spot one of the Boxsters on the road I don't miss it at all. Overall, my only fear before trading was that I would be losing a little on the "exotic" factor associated with the Porsche brand but our C7 lines, performance and tech and getting out on the track again to see how it is a truly amazing ride has completely made my decision a good one.

Do I wish my '15 Z51 A8 wouldn't overheat on the track and that Tadge would fulfill his promise of a fix without warranty implications? Yes

Do I wish Chevrolet would find a long term fix for A8's? Yes

With only those 2 hold outs, C7 Life is Good!