Porsche Boxster & Cayman: Mid-Life Update

By Feann Torr - 20/November/2008

Los Angeles, America — While many car makers are languishing in the sales doldrums as drivers find credit and finance harder to come by, Porsche is faring a little better than most.

The German car maker is even on the verge of launching the all-new front-engined Panamera super cruiser.

But we didn't get to see that crucial new model just yet. 

Instead, Porsche used the Los Angeles Auto Show to mark the coming of a couple of trendy new models: the updated, beefed up, teched-out and smoothed-over Boxster convertible and Cayman coupe sports cars.

These go-fast Germans are unlike the well-known 911 models in that the engines are not rear mounted but mid mounted, and many critics say these smaller, more affordable Porsches are better cars for it.

Engine mounting arguments aside, Porsche's dynamic duo have plenty of new bits and bobs to entice drivers to have a closer look, including the PDK or Porsche Doppelkupplung gearboxes, not to mention subtle new design details.

You may be able to tell from the photos that the Cayman and Boxster have new look headlight clusters with twin projector beams, and adding to the high tech look are new LED running lights.

Though they still look a little duck-like, the front aprons are all-new and look a lot better than the previous front bumpers, giving the Cayman and Boxster a more aggressive, streamlined visage.

The updated Porkers also get new alloy wheel designs in 2009.

Flip the cars around and you'll note the redesigned LED brake light clusters and new look rear aprons with integrated diffusers and new exhaust pipes. 

These updated exhaust pipes herald a boost in power for the new models with the entry-level 2.9-litre 6-cylinder boxer engines pumping out a credible 190kW (255hp) and 198kW (265hp) in the Boxster and Cayman respectively.

Request the 'S' models and larger 3.4-litre horizontally opposed 6-cylinder engines - now with direct fuel injection - will provide driving force, to the tune of 231kW (310hp) and 239kW (320hp) in the Boxster and Cayman, which again represents increases in power compared to the outgoing models.

As well as the tweaked engines, the new PDK automatic gearboxes contribute to the improved acceleration of these 'affordable' exotics.

Though it'll cost you a few extra bob, the doppelganger contraptions use a twin-clutch setup and include a launch control system that makes them very fast off the line.

Take the most powerful model for instance. The 3.4-litre boxer six-powered Porsche Cayman S accelerates from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds with the PDK gearbox, which is alarmingly quick and very close to its 911 Carrera stablemates.

If you were to pick the slowest model, the 2.9-litre Boxster with the 6-speed manual, it accelerates from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds, which a whole second slower than the big-daddy Cayman with thePDK but is still rather rapid.

By adding the new double clutch PDK gearbox and in combo with the various engine tweaks, Porsche has also managed to reduce fuel consumption in its face lifted small sports cars. 

Quicker and greener? You better believe it.

If you were to order a Porsche Cayman or Boxster with the piddly 2.9-litre boxer engine and tick the box for the PDK gearbox, you'd use an average of 8.9L/100km according to Porsche's mathematicians. 

That's very fuel efficient considering the kind of kinetic energy the engine generates. 

The larger 3.4-litre engines equipped with the automatic PDK transmission use 9.2L/100km, which is a 16 per cent reduction compared to the superseded model. Again, impressive.

So with Porsche's new look Boxster and Cayman belting out more kilowatts and using less juice, you really can have your cake and eat it. Unless of course you have difficulty getting a loan, which in the current financial climate is a distinct possibility.

Some of the other new features of the Porsche Cayman coupe and Boxster convertible models include modified suspension to deliver even more lateral G-forces, and the interior has been touch-up ever so slightly with a new stereo and infotainment systems.

The new model has only just emerged at the L.A. Auto Show and will be on sale in Europe from February 2009. 

It will go on sale in Australia later in '09, and will probably be priced slightly above the current models.

Related Links:
- Porsche 911 Carrera: Military (2009)
- Porsche Cayman S Sport (2009)
- Porsche 911 Targa (2009)
- Porsche 911 (2009)
- Porsche Hatchback (2012)
- Porsche Panamera (2010)
- Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (2008)
- Rich Britons Prefer Porsche (2007)
- Cayman S Porsche Design Edition 1 (2007)
- Porsche 911 GT2 (2007)
- Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet (2008)
- Porsche Cayenne (2007)
- Porsche Carrera GT by TechArt (2006)