Besides getting better at drifting this year, the other thing I wanted to do was to rent a sports car to broaden my driving horizons.
This last weekend was perfect for this. My GT86’s clutch died after a dynamic session and I was stuck at home. So on Thursday, I opened a local rental car app and booked a 2019 Porsche Boxster GTS. To my pleasant surprise, the car was free and I had it booked from Friday noon to Sunday.
This is the infamous four-pot Boxster, albeit the more powerful 2.5 in GTS form. The car looks really good in this silver, though the black wheels get a bit lost from only a few ten meters away, and on absolutely all photos.
I haven’t driven that many cars to be able to properly compare the car, so my thoughts are mostly related based on how the car feels compared to my GT86.
![](https://www.dejanmurko.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_4026-1024x576.png)
The first impressions were not amazing. But over the course of the few days, the car has grown on me, a lot.
Engine & Gearbox
Mornings in the garage were pretty awesome. Roof down before start, then this:
A great way to start the day. 🙂
Since I haven’t driven previous versions of Boxster, or a 911, I did not mind the four-cylinder sound. It has a lot of pops and bangs that make it fun to listen to, especially with the roof down and when you find a nice tunnel. 😀
The engine itself works best between 3k and 5.5k. Below that, there is turbo lag, and revving it higher doesn’t really make a big difference in sound or push. Not to mention, it’s already fast at those RPM. Really fast. For me, it was bordering on too much for our roads. I could’ve easily done with 50 HP less.
The PDK suits the engine and character of the car really well. I haven’t really missed the manual, though it would give a bit more to do between shifts. When you have an automatic, you drive a bit faster just because there is not much distraction and you can have your hands constantly on the wheel.
![](https://www.dejanmurko.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_4003-1024x576.png)
Handling
I drove it to my regular spots around LJ where I also drive my GT86. The Boxster feels way more like a GT than a small sports car on these corners. It feels a lot heavier though still planted.
![](https://www.dejanmurko.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/roads-1024x387.png)
Feedback is also missing – from the steering wheel and from below the butt. The car doesn’t move a lot (I also didn’t want to get it to move because rental), and when it does, you barely feel it.
It feels like a proper, grown-up car. It’s perfect for long-winded roads and cruising, but, at least for me, it felt a lot less at home on closed twisties where you’d want to trash it around.
![](https://www.dejanmurko.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_4023-1024x576.png)
Fun Factor
I really enjoyed the roofless driving. It’s a ton of fun and way more than expected. When the sun goes down and you turn for the mountain roads, it’s just pure joy.
A special occasion was also driving around town, even though Ljubljana is a very small one so the enjoyment there was pretty short-lived. Would love to drive it in a bigger city and just enjoy the surroundings.
![](https://www.dejanmurko.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_4024-1024x576.png)
One great thing about driving a roadster is that you don’t have to push that much to get enjoyment from the car. The roads where I trash my GT86 were fun at much lower speeds.
Summary
I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. I got to drive one of the current benchmarks in sports cars. I would love to take it to a longer trip to the seaside with my significant other, but I will keep the GT86 for attacking the corners. 🙂