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A Porsche is the type of car for the man with deep levels of class and finesse. The guy in his early thirties that comes to work in his well gelled combed back hair and Parlux Cologne.The guy with the $5000 3 piece Giorgio Armani suit wafted together in blue T.M Lewin Shirts, cuff-links and Manolo Blahnik shoes. The guy with confidence in clubs and public places. The ladies man. The guy who orders a bottle of Mowet and drinks only a third of it sipping gently as he rolls. The handsome guy who works in a big firm and earns a big seven figure salary chilling on a low key.
Sadly those kind of guys would be too busy to be bothered about reading this review. They would have bought the Boxster and forgotten about it a long time ago; so let’s get to business and talk about the new Sport King in town, the all new Porsche Boxster.
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| Base Model |
The 2013 Porsche Boxster has been available in Nigeria since late last year from the Stallion Motors subsidiary; Porsche Nigeria.
Introduction
The New Boxster improves on its predecessor in ways both minimal and significant. It now has a lot more curves and angles with a lot of presence added to its styling. The Boxsters front fascia has also been slightly redesigned and its engine tho smaller, is now more powerful and economic
Underneath all the efizzy of the exterior lies a longer, wider and lower chassis that now improves its handling behavior and thanks to the new bigger tires; its cornering grip. Yes this is all good but at this point I must say that I once saw the Boxster Spyder “the lighter, stripped version with no AC” in Unilag last year. It did look good but you should have seen it climb the speed breaker in front of Jaja hostel, oooph, I felt like crying with the way the bump was just destroying the Porsche’s magnificent front fascia. So if this new version is now lower than the old one, oh well!
The New Porsche now has a noticeably shortened nose and features clever stuff like the electric-assist steering that improves fuel economy .
In Naija, just the Boxster and Boxster S version are available but in the US, the limited Black Edition and Boxster Spyder trims are available as well.
The 2013 Porsche Boxster is a two seat convertible offered in base and S trims.
Base models come equipped with 18inch wheels, a power operated soft top roof, cruise control, air conditioning, partial leather upholstery, Bluetooth and a four speaker sound system with a CD player.
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Stepping up to the Boxster S, you get bigger 19inch wheels, bi-xenon headlights and red painted brake calipers.
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| Boxster S |
In Naija, you can get the Sport Chrono Package “for serious drivers” which adds dynamic transmission mounts, a lap timer, driver-adjustable chassis settings, PDK transmission and launch control.
“US only” As usual you can spend half of Bill Gates fortune on extra packages. The Convenience package adds wind deflectors, heated seats and dual zone climate control. The Premium package adds adaptive headlights (bi xenon for the base Boxster), power sport seats and auto-dimming mirrors. The Infotainment package adds a navigation system and a seven speaker sound system with iPod/USB connectivity.
Mechanical and Electrical extras include different 19/20 inch wheel designs, limit slip rear differential, front and rear parking sensors and a sprt steering with PDK shift paddles.
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| Boxster S |
Interior Options include heated sport seats, heated steering wheels, voice control, a 6 CD changer, interior ambient lighting, a 10 speaker Bose surround sound system, and different interior finishing like wood, leather, carbon fibre etc . The Sport Chrono package also is available in the US.
Performance.
The base Boxster is now powered by a 2.7litre horizontally placed flat 6 cylinder engine that produces 265hp. It comes standard with a 6speed manual transmission or the optional 7speed dual clutch automated PDK transmission. Porsche says the Boxster would go from 0-100km/h in 5.7secs. Fuel economy is at 20mpg city/ 30mpg highway and 24mpg combine with the manual and 22/32/25 with PDK. That translates roughly to 8litre per kilometer combined or 10.7km/litre which is quite good.
The Boxster S comes with a 3.4litre flat 6 that produces 315hp and can get from 0-100km/h in about 5secs Fuel economy is just about the same with the manual transmission and a little lower with the PDK “21/30/24” or about 10.2km/litre average.
Safety
Standard safety features include anti-lock disk brakes, stability and traction control, side impact airbags and a roll over safety hoops above the head rests. In braking, it can stop from 95km/h in a short 32metres.
Summary
Its not so hard to imagine cruising along the 3rd mainland bridge, roof top down, fiancee on right hard side, ocean breeze cooling your mind off. A perfect world aint it? Yeah.. but it doesnt last. You just wait till the early Monday morning when youre about to go to work and your Boxster doesnt wanna start. Thats the day you know youre in for it. Nobody prays for these kinda things but they do happen; and being here in Nigeria where very few mechanics can handle a Porsche, you quickly realize the sort of palaver youre in.
First youre gonna have to spend a huge sum to tow it to the Porsche after service centre "only one i know is in Gbagada", then youd probably wait about a day to find out exactly what went wrong with the car.... & it doesnt end there. The thing is; a lot of the so called modern mechanics we have here in 9ja are just glorified technicicans, they just replace, they dont repair..... which means if theres a faulty sensor in the ignition system; youd probably be buying a whole new ignition unit.... thats over 50k down the drain for a faulty sensor. How does that sound.
Then if you live in Lagos "off the Island", chances are before the end of the year; you cars gonna get dented or at least scratched. By the end of 3 years, the car is going to loose its appeal. Then youd be forced to sell it at a ridiculous price compared to how much you got it. All these add up to big unnecesary losses so if you really must get the Porsche, be sure to consider all the odds.
On the up side, based on other reviews, I can safely conclude that the Boxster is fun to drive and with good fuel economy ratings, quite manageably to maintain. Compact dimensions, modest weight and a mid engine layout sll help to maximize handling ability, and though the Boxster is quite light on its feet, it still feels glued to the road. Some reviewers even prefer the Boxster to the 911 saying it would perform better if it had the same power. The main issues reviewers had with it was its small boot space.
Other issues we in Naija might have is it’s lower ride height, which technically reduces the places we can drive it to. If you’re a guy who wants to buy one and your girl friend doesnt live on the Island; even if she stays in Yaba, OYO lo wa oo.
Used Models
I cant really say much bout used models but im guessing they would be much cheaper to buy. A good 2007 model shouldnt cost more than N3-4 Mill which is still expensive but cheaper in comparism.
Thinking of it, would you be willing to drop N13Million on one small Porsche?
related... The 2013 Porsche Cayenne
The 2013 Porsche Boxster Already In Naija
![The 2013 Porsche Boxster Already In Naija]()
Reviewed by raffis
on
5:30 PM
Rating: