**Quick Look** 2009 Porsche Boxster--D&M Motorsports

A nearly brand-new 2009 Porsche Boxster from D&M Motorsports. Presented by Chris Moran from Automotive Media Group.
The Boxster is Porsche's most affordable model, and possibly its most fun. Unlike most convertibles, the two-seat Boxster came out years before its coupe sister model, the Cayman, and it's priced lower. What the two share is a class-exclusive mid-engine design that puts the six-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine behind the seats - and puts excellent dynamics in the hands of the driver. "Boxster" is a contraction of "boxer," another name for a horizontally opposed engine, and "roadster," which means two-seat convertible. "Cayman" is an archipelago in the Caribbean; I have no clue why they chose that.
The Boxster was upgraded for 2009 (compare it with the 2008 version here) with more power, better mileage and revised suspensions, but it thankfully hasn't lost its soul in everyday driving - as have some cars designed for the high speeds of Germany's autobahn that we Americans seldom see. Though loads of options bloated its out-the-door price, my test Boxster S, the more powerful trim level, exhibited the same performance you'd get with standard features for $56,700.
Exterior & Styling
The Boxster remains a soft-top convertible rather than a retractable hardtop, and for good reason. For one thing, soft-tops weigh less, and that's important in a small sport roadster like the Boxster. The only comparable model that offers a choice of convertible tops is the Mazda MX-5 Miata, and it weighs 82 pounds - or 3.3 percent - more as a retractable hardtop than it does as a soft-top.
The Boxster notably weighs a mere 11 pounds more than the Cayman coupe (that's less than four-tenths of a percent). That's a testament to the car's inherent rigidity; convertible versions of coupes usually require added structural reinforcement to keep them sturdy, which adds weight.
When folded, soft-tops take up less room than retractable hardtops, which usually store their roof panels in the trunk. As a mid-engine car, the Boxster isn't long on space behind the seats anyway, so I doubt the model will ever follow the hard-top trend. Truth be told, the raised roof gives the Boxster a pretty nice line, and some retractable hardtops are just plain weird-looking when all "couped-up."
One thing I like about the Boxster's standard powered top is its willingness to open or close when the car is in motion. Nowadays, most powered tops - and especially retractable hardtops - refuse to move unless you're stopped or, at best, moving less than a few mph. In the Boxster, you can start the top in motion when you pull into a parking lot, and by the time you're parked and turn the engine off, the roof is up. Of course, whether the car allows it or not, it's never wise to do this when moving at higher speeds, or the wind will remove your top - permanently.
A minor restyling for 2010 has added a small center vent low on the front bumper, flanked by more shapely intakes that incorporate LED daytime running lights. In the regular Boxster, the vents' cross-bars are body-colored, and they're black on the S trim level. The Boxster's headlight clusters extend farther up the fenders.
Ride & Handling
The Boxster and its Cayman counterpart deliver handling like no other cars - not necessarily superior in terms of roadholding, but with loads of imminently controllable fun. At a maximum curb weight of 3,042 pounds (in the S trim with an automatic transmission), the Boxster is reasonably light for a rigid German car - and it feels that way. The Boxster's roughly 45/55 (front/rear) weight distribution calls into question the conventional notion that a 50/50 split is perfect. The car's rear end is happy to come around under heavy throttle, and it's just as willing to pop back in line. There's something about having the engine's mass fully between the front and rear axles that defies the presumed imbalance and connects the driver to the car's dynamic center. You sit in the seat of power - directly in front of the car's pulsating, six-chambered heart.
Overall, the Boxster S is best appreciated in high-speed driving, especially on a track, because the steering is firm at lower speeds, and the hard brake pedal offers more fine control when it's shaving off mph by 20s and 30s rather than 5s and 10s. Thankfully, its high-speed capabilities don't make it as prim in normal driving as the Porsche 911. The Boxster still hasn't fallen prey to the vast conspiracy to make sports cars more capable at the expense of fun. So it has been since the car made its 1997 debut.