The 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster is now powered by a turbocharged flat-four cylinder engine with a displacement of two liters, producing 300 horsepower for the base model and 350 horsepower for the Boxster S. The new engine is paired with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or Porsche's PDK 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The introduction of the turbocharged engine has brought about significant changes to the design of the car. The body of the 718 Boxster has been rescaled to have a wider and more angular appearance, paying homage to the classic 1950s and 60s racing cars that also featured four-cylinder engines. This is evident in the new set of independently styled fenders and side skirts, as well as a redesigned rear that emphasizes width. The front of the car has been fitted with Porsche's distinct four-point running lights, while the interior has undergone significant changes to accommodate the new engine.

Inside the cabin, the layout of the boxer engine is sleek and functional, with a driver-focused design that places all the controls within easy reach. A cascading panel of controls starts at the 7-inch color touch screen, flowing down to the armrests where media, air conditioning, and other control systems will be found. The Sport Chrono Package and PDK transmission have been paired together to provide a sporty driving experience, with the ability to adjust settings on the fly using the sport response button on the steering wheel.

The performance of the 718 Boxster has also seen significant improvements thanks to the new engine. While the fuel economy remains the same as the 2016 model, the car's power output has increased significantly. The base model produces 300 horsepower, while the Boxster S produces 350 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful roadsters in its class.

However, with great power comes great lag, and this is particularly noticeable off the line. When starting from a standstill, the car can feel sluggish, but as soon as you put pressure on the accelerator, the engine begins to breathe more freely, and the car quickly picks up speed. This is especially true in the manual version of the car, where the driver must use the clutch carefully to avoid stalling.

The 718 Boxster's handling has also been improved thanks to the new engine. The torque vectoring system pulls the car into a tighter radius when cornering, making it more responsive and agile. Porsche Stability management has also been tweaked to be more hands-off, allowing the driver to take bigger corners without intervention from the stability control.

One of the most notable aspects of the 718 Boxster's handling is its ability to handle tight turns and hairpins with ease. A particularly windy stretch of road was provided by Austin, which seemed to be perfectly designed to test out the car's capabilities. The car's tires gripped well, and the brakes came into play when needed, halting the Roadster with immediacy.

Overall, the 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster is a significant improvement over its predecessor. While it may not have changed dramatically, every tweak has been an incremental improvement towards delivering a sporty Cabrio that befits its badge. For those who are comfortable with the idea of chains, there should be little to fear, as the 718 Boxster delivers more power without much compromise.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enchange can be a difficult pill to swallow for a scarf and sometimes for as much innovation as we demand there's a lot of things that we want to keep the same and we don't get as frazzled when it comes to a refreshed look when it comes to engines things get a little tense for 2017 Porsche swaps out the flat six out of its Boxster and Cayman and replaces it with a turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant is this change for the better there's only one way to find out the 2017 Porsche seven one eight Boxster is now powered by a turbocharged flat-four cylinder engine with a displacement of two liters giving the car 300 horsepower or 2.5 litres for the Boxster S which turns up 350 horsepower and 309 pounds of torque these engines can be married with a 6-speed manual gearbox or Porsches PDK 7-speed dual-clutch transmission for those wondering what the new seven one eight badge signifies it's Porsches way of paying homage to the race cars of the 1950s and 60s that also has four banger engines this is proudly tagged on a body that has been rescaled it for a wider beefier appearance as you would expect from Porsche much of this has to do with the packaging of the inner workings for instance the larger cooling air intakes are subtle nods to the turbocharged power plant hidden within the roadster gets a new set of independently styled fenders and side skirts and a redesigned rear emphasizes width overall this sports a new set of taillights while the front gets fitted with Porsche distinct four-point running lights inside the layout of the boxer is notably sleek and functional with a driver focused cabin that has everything placed where it's expected to be running down the middle is a cascading panel of controls starting at the 7-inch color touch screen flowing down to the armrests where media air-conditioning and other control will be found with the combo of the Sport Chrono Package and the PDK transmission the steering wheel gains the sport response button which is like an afterburner for your car when pressed the engine and transmission are primed for the maximum responsiveness delivering maximum power as quick as a can for 20 seconds rocketing you forward faster than you can say dopo coupling ask a three-bed yeah that definitely took a couple tries for all lamenting the traditional flat-six engine that's been replaced with a turbocharged four pot the numbers don't lie you get more with less with 350 HP on tap the 2.5 liter has 34 more horses in play than the engine it replaces the shift nets the car a bit more performance but the boxer s is 24 MPG combined fuel economy remains the same as what the 2016 offered more power for the same cost is nice but a touch more mileage for your buck even on the numbers sheet would go a long way to cement the engine downside off the line the lag everyone so fierce does indeed exist but only if you're looking for it in fact the focus will quickly shift elsewhere particularly in the manual version of the car that's because the first gear is somewhat of a guessing game the buttery clutch is almost too smooth for its own good reducing the feedback and making the search for the biting point like trying to find a staircase step in the dark you might manage to feel it and progress normally but misjudge it and the result is a non graceful stumble forward nail it however and the boxer s can get up and running from zero to 60 in a hurry Porsche says you can get there in 4 seconds flat with the PDK equipped with the manual likely a half a second slower using both back to back I got the sense after a while that the car was designed with the dual clutch primarily in mind with the manual just being thrown in to satisfy folks who like to roll their own gears Austin provided one particularly windy stretch of road that seemed to be perfectly designed to test out the boxers capabilities the nut bends and the hair pins to keep it occupied through here all the work to make the boxer taut and controllable through bends became evident in tighter turns the torque vectoring pulled the car into a tighter radius and the brakes halted the Roadster with immediacy Porsche Stability management has even been tweaked to be more hands-off but still there when you need it now it lets the driver achieve larger yacht angles and more wheel spin before it finally jumps into say ok I'll take it from here hotshot for all the changes that have gone into the revised roadster the 7 1 8 boxers changes aren't that dramatic yet they are all for the better every tweak is an incremental improvement towards the promise that Porsche hasn't made to deliver a sporty Cabrio befitting its badge those uncomfortable with chains need not fear the boxers transplant either as it delivers more without much compromise youchange can be a difficult pill to swallow for a scarf and sometimes for as much innovation as we demand there's a lot of things that we want to keep the same and we don't get as frazzled when it comes to a refreshed look when it comes to engines things get a little tense for 2017 Porsche swaps out the flat six out of its Boxster and Cayman and replaces it with a turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant is this change for the better there's only one way to find out the 2017 Porsche seven one eight Boxster is now powered by a turbocharged flat-four cylinder engine with a displacement of two liters giving the car 300 horsepower or 2.5 litres for the Boxster S which turns up 350 horsepower and 309 pounds of torque these engines can be married with a 6-speed manual gearbox or Porsches PDK 7-speed dual-clutch transmission for those wondering what the new seven one eight badge signifies it's Porsches way of paying homage to the race cars of the 1950s and 60s that also has four banger engines this is proudly tagged on a body that has been rescaled it for a wider beefier appearance as you would expect from Porsche much of this has to do with the packaging of the inner workings for instance the larger cooling air intakes are subtle nods to the turbocharged power plant hidden within the roadster gets a new set of independently styled fenders and side skirts and a redesigned rear emphasizes width overall this sports a new set of taillights while the front gets fitted with Porsche distinct four-point running lights inside the layout of the boxer is notably sleek and functional with a driver focused cabin that has everything placed where it's expected to be running down the middle is a cascading panel of controls starting at the 7-inch color touch screen flowing down to the armrests where media air-conditioning and other control will be found with the combo of the Sport Chrono Package and the PDK transmission the steering wheel gains the sport response button which is like an afterburner for your car when pressed the engine and transmission are primed for the maximum responsiveness delivering maximum power as quick as a can for 20 seconds rocketing you forward faster than you can say dopo coupling ask a three-bed yeah that definitely took a couple tries for all lamenting the traditional flat-six engine that's been replaced with a turbocharged four pot the numbers don't lie you get more with less with 350 HP on tap the 2.5 liter has 34 more horses in play than the engine it replaces the shift nets the car a bit more performance but the boxer s is 24 MPG combined fuel economy remains the same as what the 2016 offered more power for the same cost is nice but a touch more mileage for your buck even on the numbers sheet would go a long way to cement the engine downside off the line the lag everyone so fierce does indeed exist but only if you're looking for it in fact the focus will quickly shift elsewhere particularly in the manual version of the car that's because the first gear is somewhat of a guessing game the buttery clutch is almost too smooth for its own good reducing the feedback and making the search for the biting point like trying to find a staircase step in the dark you might manage to feel it and progress normally but misjudge it and the result is a non graceful stumble forward nail it however and the boxer s can get up and running from zero to 60 in a hurry Porsche says you can get there in 4 seconds flat with the PDK equipped with the manual likely a half a second slower using both back to back I got the sense after a while that the car was designed with the dual clutch primarily in mind with the manual just being thrown in to satisfy folks who like to roll their own gears Austin provided one particularly windy stretch of road that seemed to be perfectly designed to test out the boxers capabilities the nut bends and the hair pins to keep it occupied through here all the work to make the boxer taut and controllable through bends became evident in tighter turns the torque vectoring pulled the car into a tighter radius and the brakes halted the Roadster with immediacy Porsche Stability management has even been tweaked to be more hands-off but still there when you need it now it lets the driver achieve larger yacht angles and more wheel spin before it finally jumps into say ok I'll take it from here hotshot for all the changes that have gone into the revised roadster the 7 1 8 boxers changes aren't that dramatic yet they are all for the better every tweak is an incremental improvement towards the promise that Porsche hasn't made to deliver a sporty Cabrio befitting its badge those uncomfortable with chains need not fear the boxers transplant either as it delivers more without much compromise you\n"