Cars.com's Mike Hanley takes a look at the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. It competes with the Audi TT Roadster and BMW Z4.
Transcript
(rock music) <v Narrator>Cars.com Auto Review. Hi, I'm Mike Hanley with Cars.com and I'm here with the latest version of the Boxster Roadster. It's called the Boxster Spyder. And Porsche calls it a sports car for the purist.
Now, why is that? Well, it weighs quite a bit less than a Boxster S but it gains more horsepower for better performance. The Boxster Spyder gets some styling changes that helps separate it from other models in the lineup. And you see them really around the back of their car. It has these big bulges behind the head restraints that make it look a little bit like the old Carrera GT supercar Porsche used to sell. And instead of a retractable soft top, now it has a removable soft top roof. You just take this whole section off, store it underneath here. In addition, it also has a retro Porsche logos on the side doors. The Boxster Spyder gets a slightly more powerful horizontally opposed six cylinder engine. It makes 320 horsepower. That's 10 more than the Boxster S makes. And that gives it a slightly lower zero to 60 time of 4.9 seconds with the six speed manual transmission. But it also gets slightly better fuel economy. It's right at 19 miles per gallon city, and 27 on the highway with the manual. The focus on weight savings continues in the spiders cabin as it has these nylon door poles in place of traditional levers. And also these sport bucket seats to save 26 pounds compared to normal seats. Now they look a lot like racing seats and they have a fixed backrest. So if you don't like the angle of it, too bad. And even though there's not much storage inside the cabin, the mid-engine design of the Boxster Spyder gives it the advantage of having a front and a rear trunk. The price premium for the Boxster Spyder is less than you might think. It's only around $3,000 more than a Boxster S. Starting at around at $61,000. So if you're looking for the ultimate Boxster and are willing to give up some comfort and convenience features, this is your car. <v Narrator>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog kickingtires.net.
