Resetting the Roadster Benchmark
Just what is a benchmark? Technically, it's something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or
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| Porsche's Boxster has been a benchmark in the roadster class since its inception in model year 1997, and the all-new 2005 version continues that trend. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
judged. Porsche's Boxster has been a benchmark in the roadster class since its inception in model year 1997. It's been given incremental power upgrades over the years, and Porsche improved it even further in its 2003 model year by adding a glass rear window and styling tweaks, but eight years of service is a seriously long tenure even for a benchmark car. Now there are more premium roadsters on the market than ever before, including the usual suspects such as Audi's upgraded TT roadster,
BMW's new Z4, Honda's
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| After spending a day in three examples of the all-new 2005 Boxster, I'm more entrenched in the German automaker's camp than ever before. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
refined
S2000, and Mercedes-Benz' all-new SLK. A little more unusual is Chrysler's previous version Mercedes SLK-derived
Crossfire Roadster, while Nissan makes a good case for premium status with its ultra-quick 350Z Roadster. So where do all these roadster rivals leave Porsche's entry-level sports car? After spending a day in three examples of the all-new 2005 Boxster, romping around some of the most engaging roads I've ever encountered in my writing career (from Quail Lodge in Monterey, California, down Carmel Valley Road, along the G17, a short run on the 101, a quick dogleg on Front St. to the CA-146 and then left onto the CA-25 to Pinnacles National Monument) and I'm more entrenched in the German automaker's camp than ever before.
