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May 31, 2010
With the top removed, it’s a simple matter for the driver to drop into the Spyder’s heavily side-bolstered seats, find a comfortable driving position (although the seat does only adjust fore and aft), and hit the road. The passenger’s seat is bolted to the floor, without any available adjustment.
  2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. Click image to enlarge |
Our car was fitted with the no-charge cupholders that I have written about elsewhere, and that are not a high point in Porsche engineering. They will accommodate a cup or a can if you insist, but are best suited as hooks for your baseball hat. Having personal experience with old British sports cars, I suspect they were actually designed by an Englishman.
It’s best to always go forward in the Spyder, as visibility to the rear and sides is virtually non-existent. The massive humps behind the seats obscure all vision to the side, making shoulder-checks pointless. There’s a small opening through which your rear-view mirror can identify objects right behind you, and that’s pretty much all you get.
There’s not much room to stow your bits and pieces in the snug cockpit. The door panels don’t contain receptacles as in other Boxster models, and there’s little useable space in the centre console. The faux ashtray can hold an iPhone, and there is a small cubby in front of the shifter for your wallet, however.
But once underway, the growl and snarl of the sports exhaust, the poise of the car and eagerness of the engine is an intoxicating combination that quickly replaces mundane thoughts of missing map pockets and the like. The Spyder is supremely responsive, behaving just as you want under acceleration, braking and cornering. This could be the relationship you’ve been looking for!
But please… don’t let it rain.
 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. Click image to enlarge |
Which unfortunately it did with biblical vengeance about an hour out of Halifax. Stopping at the side of the highway under a bridge, we set about applying the knowledge gained in our Sunsail tutorial “in the field,” so to speak.
It was a two-man job; we got wet; we installed part of it upside-down; we changed sides, we combined efforts on one side, we snapped and fiddled; pulled and clamped; we got in the car, and out of it. In the baroque top, we recognized the signature work of the Porsche cupholder engineer…
Eventually we got the top in place (with a couple of gaps and misalignments), and then found it much more challenging to get into the car. The side glass is shorter on the Boxster Spyder, which means the roof is lower. The side bolsters of the seats, therefore, become barriers to entry rather than welcoming supports that you can situate yourself between.
And with the top up and driving on a wet road, the sound levels inside the car increase to the point that normal conversation between driver and passenger is not possible.
  2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. Click image to enlarge |
But to reiterate, from Porsche, and they really do mean it: “The Boxster Spyder is intended primarily for driving in the open air.”
In fairness, owners will become adept over time at erecting and stowing the top, but it will always be a manoeuvre to be avoided. In its defence, this top will definitely keep you dry.
After about 1,300 km of cold, wet, dreary weather, the skies cleared just east of Montreal. We stopped in tiny Rigaud, Quebec, and removed the top once more. This absolutely transforms the car, and the mood of the people in it; the smiles return — as do the looks, the sound, the thrill — and the Boxster Spyder seems just about the perfect conveyance for two friends crossing the country. What else could you need?
We averaged 9.6 L/100 km over the 1,500-km journey from Halifax to Ottawa, which is a bit more than promised by the Energuide program (expected 7.5 L/100 km), but it was a brand new car.
If you’re in the market at this price point, should you opt for the Boxster Spyder or the Boxster S? It really depends on how much you value convenience. As an architect friend of mine once advised, “Exciting design comes at a cost.”
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Pricing: 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder
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Related posts:
- Porsche to debut Boxster Spyder at L.A. show
- Porsche Boxster Spyder borrows historical styling cues
- Porsche makes world debut of Boxster Spyder
- Test Drive: 2008 Porsche Boxster RS60 Spyder
- Test Drive: 2008 Porsche Boxster and Boxster S
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