Porsche 718 Boxster roadster - Interior & comfort

Not much has changed inside the 718 Boxster compared to older versions. Beyond the adoption of a slightly smaller steering wheel and some redesigned air-vent trims, it remains a superbly built and classy place to sit. Spend the extra on leather upholstery (we’re rather underwhelmed that this isn’t standard on a car that starts at more than £50,000) and it feels even more upmarket. As ever, adjustment for the driver’s seat and the steering wheel is extensive, making it supremely easy to find the perfect driving position, while the standard seats are superbly comfortable.

Porsche 718 Boxster dashboard

The three dials of the instrument cluster – an analogue rev counter, a speedometer and a digital gauge to the right for other information – sit right in your eye line, meaning you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to keep an eye on the instruments, while the infotainment system – controlled from a seven-inch touchscreen – feels far more modern and is much easier to use than any previously found in a Boxster, but now lags behind what's offered in the Porsche 911. Apple CarPlay is available, too, so mating an iPhone to the system is a doddle, but Android Auto isn't even an option. All the buttons and controls across the dash are well located.

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Equipment

As is becoming traditional with Porsche, the Boxster's standard equipment list is fairly short considering the price of the car, while the optional extras list is long and expensive. What you do get, however, is a touchscreen-operated infotainment system, which incorporates Apple CarPlay connectivity, as well as a Bluetooth connection and USB sockets. You also get automatic bi-xenon headlamps, LED daytime running lights, LED rear lights, sports seats trimmed in Alcantara and faux leather, as well as air-conditioning and power-adjustable and heated door mirrors.

Step up to a Boxster S and you don’t get all that much extra, except for another 49bhp, of course. Additions include 19-inch alloy wheels, a heated rear screen (with the roof up) and part leather upholstery.

The Boxster Style Edition is based on the regular car rather than the S, and prioritises bright colours and distinctive details over any significant specification improvements – so you can specify vivid Ruby Star paintwork inspired by the Rubystone Red on old 911s, stripe graphics and 20-inch 718 Spyder wheels, also painted white, while the interior gets leather trim as standard and illuminated sill plates.

The Boxster T Dark comes with grey 20-inch Carrera S wheels as standard, with matching mirror caps and ‘Boxster 718 T’ logos and stripes along the sides (which you can have removed as an option). Inside the T there are fabric door handles and Sport-Tex fabric-trimmed sports seats. Optional colour packs include contrasting stitching, accents on seats and coloured seat belts to match for no extra cost.

The GTS looks more purposeful thanks to black 20-inch wheels and its lower ride height. Look carefully and you’ll also notice subtle but effective changes like the smoked front and rear lights and black exhaust tips. It’s a similar story inside, where the seats, steering wheel and gearknob are trimmed in grippy Alcantara for a motorsport feel.

The Spyder RS is a different proposition entirely, with a downforce-increasing aero package, RS chassis settings and carbon bucket seats – in addition to that near-500bhp variant of the 4.0-litre engine.

Options

The list of optional extras is long and expensive, so you’ll want to be careful how many you tick. There are a couple that we’d recommend, however. The adjustable PASM suspension is excellent and is part of what makes the Boxster such a fantastic car to drive, while the Sport Chrono pack is also worth the investment.

On the Spyder RS, Porsche’s Weissach package – named after its development centre and test track – replaces several interior and exterior components with carbon-fibre equivalents, titanium exhaust pipe trims and an artificial suede finish on the dashboard to reduce glare in the windscreen. At more than £9,000 though, it isn’t cheap, and if you want the forged magnesium wheels the package unlocks, that’s another £11,573…