Let’s just get this out of the way — if the Porsche 718 Boxster were a person, it would be that annoyingly fit, sun-tanned surfer who sips espresso at dawn, wins every coastal road race, and still has time to teach a yoga class before lunch. In short — it’s German, it’s athletic, it’s a bit smug, but goodness gracious, it’s brilliant.
We’re looking at the 2020 Porsche 718 Boxster, the fourth generation of a roadster that’s had enough twists and turns in its family tree to qualify for a daytime soap opera. This one? It’s a GT4-kit-wearing used specimen, dressed in an eye-watering green wrap over red paint — because why not? If you’re going to drop ₹1.10 crore on something that doesn’t have a roof, it may as well look like a watermelon in carbon fibre.
Design: Less Car, More Sculpture
From a distance, the Boxster looks like someone flattened a 911 with a hydraulic press and gave it anger issues. Designed by Peter Varga (clearly a man with a PhD in ‘making things look fast even when parked’), the car boasts Bi-Xenon headlights with washers — because god forbid your Porsche sees the world through smudged lenses.
The 4-point LED tail lamps at the back shout “I’m fast” in Morse code, while the centrally-mounted exhaust subtly whispers “try and catch me”. It rides on 20-inch alloys wrapped in enough Pirelli P Zero rubber to supply a MotoGP grid.
Interior: German Discipline with Italian Flair
Step inside and it’s like sitting in a premium espresso shot. Black leather upholstery wraps around everything, while aluminium and soft-touch plastics remind you that your money didn’t just go into horsepower — it went into Porscheness. The 7-inch PCM infotainment screen supports Apple CarPlay, USB, FM, SD cards, and probably communicates with Stuttgart if you press the horn thrice.
You also get a stopwatch on the dash. No, really. Because apparently timing your grocery runs is now a thing.
Roof Operation: Faster Than Most Tinder Swipes
The fabric roof disappears in just 9 seconds, even while doing 50 kmph. Which means yes, you can show off at red lights and still make it under the flyover without a drop of monsoon rain landing on your tan Alcantara dreams.
Performance: All the Right Noise in All the Right Places
Under the rear boot lid (because Porsche does things backwards for fun), lives a 2.0L turbocharged flat-four petrol engine that sounds like a boxer puppy learning to growl. 300 horsepower, 380 Nm torque, and a 0-100 kmph sprint in 4.7 seconds. That’s fast enough to get you pulled over before you finish saying “it’s not a 911”.
There’s also a 2.5L version with 365 horsepower in the GTS trim if you fancy being banned from every apartment parking ramp in India.
Top speed? 275 kmph. Fuel economy? Allegedly 13 kmpl. Realistically? Somewhere between “don’t ask” and “petrol station loyalty card platinum member”.
Handling: Because Corners are Your Playground
This is where the Boxster becomes a magician. With a mid-engine layout and rear-wheel drive, the balance is so perfect it might trigger a standing ovation from Isaac Newton. Porsche Active Suspension Management lets you lower the car by 10 mm, because apparently driving a millimetre lower makes you feel more “connected to the Earth”. It has adaptive dampers, direct steering, and sports exhaust — everything you need to ruin a superbike’s day in the twisties.
It even has a “Sport Plus” mode. Not to be confused with “Sport”, which is for the mildly confident. Sport Plus is for when you’ve had too much coffee and think you’re Charles Leclerc in Bandra.
Practicality: LOL
Boot space? A total of 275 litres if you count both ends. Enough for a weekend bag and maybe your ego. A wind deflector helps keep your hairstyle intact, but don’t expect miracles — especially if you’re going through Gurgaon in peak smog.
Safety-wise, there’s more steel and acronyms than an Avengers movie: ABS, PSM, SIPPS, rear camera, parking sensors, and 6 airbags — because even German hooliganism comes with a crash plan.
Verdict: Still the Best Mid-Life Crisis Money Can Buy
Yes, the Porsche 718 Boxster has been discontinued in India, but it’s still alive and roofless across the world. If you can get your hands on one (like this used GT4-kit model), congratulations — you now own one of the most fun, best-handling, ridiculously impractical, and irresistibly lovable sports cars ever made.
Just don’t expect anyone to believe you bought it for the fuel efficiency. Or the boot space.
