If Porsche’s turbocharged 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S offend your natural-aspiration sensibilities, we have bad news: The brand’s mid-engine sports cars, the 718 Boxster and the upcoming 718 Cayman, are going turbo, too. Now for the good news. As we found to be the case in the turbocharged 911 Carrera, the Boxster’s transition to forced induction?along with a reduction in cylinder count?needn’t be accompanied by tears and tantrums. Based on the spec sheet alone, power and fuel economy are up, weight has been held in check, and the new turbocharged 2.0- and 2.5-liter fours in the Boxster and Boxster S can rev to an un-turbo-like 7500 rpm. None of this comes as much of a surprise, as the Boxster’s flat-four engines are derived directly from the turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six in the 911.
When Six is Good, Borrow It for Four
Of course, the biggest open question among enthusiasts is how the 718 Boxster’s four-cylinders will fill the emotional void created by the departure of the old model’s flat-six engines. Porsche is not a company known for underdoing things, and it devoted considerable effort to ensuring the new flat-four engines live up to the brand’s sporty image. Its hand forced by tightening fuel-economy requirements, Porsche nonetheless took the opportunity to enhance the Boxster’s drivability with greater engine torque. Toward those ends, lopping two cylinders off of the 911’s turbo flat-six is a good sta...