2014 Porsche Boxster / Cayman Best of the best.
There is no first place
in 10Best. Officially then, the Porsche Boxster and its newly reworked
tin-topped brother, the Cayman, are exactly equal to the other cars on
our list.
But lean in close now because we’re going to let you in on a secret: The Porsches are the winners among these winners.
Unlike
several of the other cars here, the Porsches’ place on the list was
never in doubt. Over our morning (and midday, and afternoon) doughnuts,
we’d debate the relative merits of the Honda Accord and the Mazda 6 and
whether the combined forces of BMW’s 3- and 4-series would be able to
meet the challenge presented by the Lexus IS350. But there was no
discussion of the Boxster and Cayman. They were on everyone’s list, and
that was that.
We’ve
spilled so much ink in praise of these two, that this story could
consist of two words: Of course. But in case you’ve missed our fawning,
here’s the rundown.
The
secret to this duo’s success is that they somehow manage to feel so
organic, so genuine, in a world full of simulated, electro-distant
experiences. That they achieve this while employing the same
technologies that make other cars feel synthetic is a type of magic.
The
Boxster and Cayman’s steering system isn’t of the non-assisted,
purist-pleasing variety. It’s not even hydraulically boosted. It is an
EPS (electric power steering) system, three letters that strike fear and
revulsion into the hearts of most sports-car fans. That uniquely
Porsche flat-six timbre is augmented by a facsimile of engine noise
piped into the snug little cabin. Optionally available is the pricey
sport exhaust system ($2825) that gives you effectively a two-stage
volume control—those two stages being quiet and 11. There are available
adjustable shocks (PASM, $1790), an automatic-shifting dual-clutch
transmission (PDK, $3200), and a launch-control system that relieves the
driver from even having to know what a holeshot is.
Don’t
know. But when you turn the satin-aluminum-trimmed SportDesign steering
wheel ($490), it’s like turning a high-fidelity rheostat of joy. With
this level of feel, accuracy, and composure, the steering system could
be boosted by flaming cow patties and we’d still park a Boxster or
Cayman in our garage.
Your
intentions zing from steering wheel to suspension to tire almost before
you realize you have any such intentions. Yes, the car posts adult
levels of grip on the skidpad (right around 1.00 g for both base and S
Boxsters), but achieving those figures is child’s play compared with
what these cars can do away from the calm of the asphalt lake and out in
the scarred, undulating, unpredictable place known as the real world.
Nothing is better at staying the course with absolute ease, come what
may. These cars never lose their cool, never become perturbed. They
simply go about their work with effortless tenacity.
Yes,
Porsche makes extensive use of its own famed Weissach test track and
the equally famed Nürburgring Nordschleife to hone the ride and handling
characteristics of its cars, including these two. But then, developing a
car at the ’Ring has become commonplace enough that its use alone
cannot explain why the Boxster and Cayman have transitional behavior so
lively, stable, and natural that their bodies feel like extensions of
their drivers’, even as other ’Ring warriors leave us cold. Could it be
that the difference here is just a group of the world’s best engineers
developing a car with a clear and unwavering focus?
You
can easily find quicker cars, cars with higher top speeds, and goodness
knows you can find less-expensive cars, but you simply cannot find cars
any more satisfying to operate than this duo. Oh, and they’re gorgeous,
too.