Unsung Hero of Fuel Efficiency: Porsche Boxster

Surfing the net today, I read about a man who is looking to beat high gas prices by finding alternatives ways to commute to work. Sounds like a story you have heard before. Everyone is trying to find ways to save gas, but how many of you would kayak to work? A man living in Seattle does it, and even more impressive (although some would describe it as crazy) his entire commute to and from work takes 8 hours by kayak! Talk about dedication. At least he will not find himself stuck in traffic. But for those of you who are not ready to brave the open waters or have 8 hours to spare for commuting, I have another Unsung Hero of Fuel Efficiency to tell you about, the Porsche Boxster. Now, I know what you are probably thinking...a Porsche? Porsche is known for high performance, and usually high performance means more fuel. Well, you will be surprised to know that the Boxster delivers the signature Porsche performance, but not at the cost of fuel efficiency (more on that later).

The Boxster is offered in two models: Boxster (base, starts at $45,800) and Boxster S. The Limited Edition Boxster and the Boxster RS60 Spyder are also available, but are fewer in number. Eric Davis (pictured with the RS60), a client advisor there, says there are only 1,960 RS60 Spyder Boxsters in the entire world! I had the opportunity to check out one of the very special and rare RS60s. Eric showed me #498 of the 1,960 produced. A plaque sits on top of the glove box lid to show the limited numbers. Number 498 makes a bold impression with its Carrera Red leather interior. Very stylish. 

The Boxster is a two-seater convertible with a mid mounted engine layout. It is powered by a 2.7-liter, 6-cylinder boxer engine with 4-valve cylinder heads. With the engine placed in the space between the back of driver/passenger seats and the rear of the vehicle, the Boxster gets ideal weight distribution giving it awesome handling and performance. The engine technology on the Boxster is impressive, and I wish I could have taken a photo to post here, but seeing the engine is actually a bit of complex process and requires a Porsche mechanic. But never fret, if you are really interested in the seeing the engine visit the Porsche website. They have detailed diagrams of the Boxster engine. It is pretty cool stuff.

On the Boxster there is also an engine management system called the Motronic ME 7.8. This serves as the control center for all the engine-related systems, including fuel supply. Ah, fuel the magic word. ForbesAutos.com named the Boxster on its Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient Luxury Cars list. It gets 29 highway miles, and 20 in the city. With its 17 gallon tank, you can get around 500 miles on the highway.

Other than the engine, I was wowed by the amount of cargo space the Boxster offers. With the engine fitted snuggly in the middle of the car, it leaves room for two generously sized storage compartments at the front and back. Eric even joked that I could fit comfortably inside the front compartment! 

Safety wise the Boxster has you covered with standard features including: Anti-lock braking system (ABS); 4-piston monobloc fixed alloy calipers and ventilated brake discs; seatbelt pretensioner; immobilizer system with transponder system for safety protection; two full-size Advanced Airbags; and the Porsche Side Impact Protection system with dual side airbags. Boxsters are also equipped with Porsche Stability Management (PSM). When the car is in motion, the PSM monitors direction, speed, yaw velocity (speed of the rotation around the vertical axis), and lateral acceleration. Using that information, the Boxster can correct over or under steering. It comes in handy especially during bad weather.

There are a ton of optional features to choose from for the Boxster. A few that caught my attention are: the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) which includes goodies like advanced audio and navigation systems; ParkAssist (rear bumper sensors to aid with parking); and HomeLink (standard remote control garage opener in roof console). The full list of features is found here.

Like I mentioned earlier, there are only a few RS60 Spyders and the Limited Edition Boxsters in the world, and you do not want to miss your chance to see them. Visit Checkered Flag Porsche, 2865 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach or call (757) 490-1111 for more information.