2015 Porsche Boxster GTS Road Test and Review

by Benjamin Hunting

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May 6, 2015

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6 min. Reading Time

2015 Porsche Boxster GTS front three-quarter top down ・ Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Most automakers would kill to have a car like the 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS in their family, but for the German performance brand it was an uphill battle to get this model to market. Those three little letters tagged on to the end of the Boxster's trunk badge indicate that Porsche has finally decided to stop protecting the 911 Carrera at the top of the line-up and let the true potential of the mid-engine roadster's chassis shine by way of additional engine and suspension tuning. To sweeten the deal further, the Boxster GTS also comes with a raft of additional equipment that would cost more than its sticker price should you try to add it to the next-step-down Boxster S.

The Porsche Boxster GTS really has few peers on the sports car market, but you'll regularly find potential buyers lining it up against the BMW Z4, the Chevrolet Corvette convertible, and the Jaguar F-Type. Oh, and of course there's the (more expensive) Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, but shhh!

Models and Prices

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS is the apex of Boxster models as sorted by price. The entry-level Boxster (MSRP $52,100) features cruise control, tilt and telescoping steering, leather upholstery, Bluetooth connectivity, air conditioning, 18-inch wheels, an LCD infotainment system, a wind defector, and a power convertible top. The Boxster S (MSRP $63,900) offers a lowered suspension system, one-inch larger wheels, HID headlights, a bigger engine, and upgrade front brakes, while the Boxster GTS (MSRP $74,600) installs an even more potent suspension and drivetrain package (with an adaptive suspension system) more upscale leather and Alcantara trim, the Sport Chrono package, sport exhaust system, top-tier sport seats, and SportDesign steering wheel.

My Porsche Boxster GTS tester came with a few nice-to-have options, including the Convenience package (dual-zone climate control, heated seats), parking assistance, and an upgraded audio system. This pushed the window stick on the vehicle I drove to $77,815.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Design

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS is a new model.
The GTS rides lower and features additional trim details compared to other Boxster models.

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS isn't just the mightiest version of the brand's compact roadster, but it's also the most aggressive-looking. The theme of the day is 'black,' as in blacked-out trim wherever possible both on the outside of the Boxster GTS and within its cabin, with notable instances including the HID headlight surrounds and the car's black exhaust tips positioned below its LED tail lamps. The overall effect makes the GTS seem wider and meaner than other members of the Boxster family, even though the former certainly isn't the case. The interior of the Boxster GTS isn't just a tale written in ebony, as Alcantara trim, leather, and carbon fiber all play prominent roles in dressing up the snug cabin, and the model I drove also came with a regal burgundy power top, which was a nice break from the silver-hued paint.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Comfort and Cargo

What’s New:

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS does not introduce any significant cargo and comfort feature changes.

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS' most notable contribution to the comfort of its passenger are its sport seats, which do an excellent job of hugging your body should you attempt to exercise the full gravity-defying capabilities of the car's chassis. Interior space is quite acceptable for two riders, although I must admit my short stature makes me more forgiving of tight convertible confines than I otherwise might be. For those concerned with how they'd haul weekend luggage on a two-day getaway, fear not: there's a pair of trunks front and rear that can handle most reasonably-sized bags (a bonus associated with the Boxster's mid-engine design).

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Features and Controls

What’s New:

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS does not introduce any new features or controls.

Much of the extra gear that the 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS brings to the table has been drawn from the standard Boxster options list, making it more of a package than a pioneer when it comes to equipment. As such, anyone familiar with the Porsche family of gear will be quite at home inside the GTS, as it loads up the center console and stack with near-overload levels of switches and buttons. You also get Porsche's left-hand ignition switch, a tribute to the brand's racing heritage but an affectation that even my left-handed self found took some getting used to.

Porsche's infotainment system isn't as modern as that of some of its competitors yet it gets the job done with minimum of fuss. The automaker also offers a variety of increasingly-louder and more complex stereo systems should you choose to drown out the mellifluous sounds of the Boxster GTS' sport exhaust system, although I can't imagine what music could be sweeter.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Safety and Ratings

What's New:

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS does not introduce any new safety equipment.

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS offers dual forward airbags and side impact airbags as standard equipment. This is in addition to electronic stability control and traction control, and a rollover protection system. If you're looking for active safety with the Boxster, you'll find but one feature: a forward collision warning and mitigation system that comes bundled with its adaptive cruise control. There's no blind spot warning system or lane departure warning system available with the Boxster at any price.

2015 Porsche Boxster GTS Crash-Test Ratings: Neither the IIHS nor the NHTSA have crash tested the Porsche Boxster.

Engines and Fuel Economy

The 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS adds a new engine choice to the top of the roadster's power pyramid.

The 2015 Porsche Boxster starts out with a 2.7-liter horizontally-opposed (or 'flat') six-cylinder engine that's good for 265 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. Moving up to the Boxster S sees this unit replaced by a more robust 3.4-liter six-cylinder mill that pushes out 315 horses and 266 lb-ft of torque, while the new-for-2015 GTS takes the Boxster S engine and fiddles with the details until it produces 330 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of twist. All Boxsters can be had with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission (PDK), with the latter opening up the availability of a launch control system.

Fuel efficiency for the Boxster is respectable, checking in at 22-mpg city and 32-mpg highway for the base model. Opting for the Boxster S or GTS changes very little at the fuel pump as long as you go PDK, but the manual transmission does knock the numbers down by a fair margin with the larger 3.4-liter engine.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Driving Impressions

It starts with the PASM active suspension package, which offers a variety of settings designed to best deal with the driving task at hand. In the GTS it's easy to choose Sport Plus and be rewarded by some of the most planted and predictable handling available from any car, at any price. With the vehicle's mass concentrated towards the center of its platform, the Boxster GTS is willing to rotate but not step out of line unless severely abused, giving it a stability that’s lacking from big brother 911 (especially when lifting off the throttle).

Next up is the sport exhaust feature, which manages to transform even the most innocuous trip around the block into a clarion call to the banshees of high performance hell. The off-throttle sound of the Boxster GTS when passing through a tunnel or beside a concrete barrier is the kind of heroic soundtrack that I hope they play at my funeral to herald my arrival to whatever afterlife awaits an agnostic gearhead. Aiding and abetting the Boxster's outstanding aural impression is the automatic throttle-blip when downshifting, a staccato punctuation linked to the most pleasing action you'll most likely ever get out of your right arm.

You notice that I'm referencing the manual transmission edition of the Boxster rather than the much-lauded PDK model. Personal preference directs me to recommend the shift-if-yourself gearbox, but not because I'm an enthusiast. The slick six-speed offers a more direct connection between man and machine, which is why I found myself drawn to it. That being said, there's no doubt in my mind that the dual-clutch setup allows for quicker driving in almost any scenario, with its blink-and-you'll-miss-it gear changes and clinical launch control capability.

Finally, I would be remiss to laud the Porsche Boxster GTS' for its driving experience without mentioning its electric power steering system. In an industry where the switch from hydraulic to electronically-actuated steering racks has been uneven, at best, in terms of road feel and feedback, Porsche has somehow found a way to retain the critical link between hands and asphalt in a way that few other sports car builders can claim.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Final Thoughts

When was the last time a company's best version of a car was also a screaming deal? Roughly $10k more than the Boxster below it, the 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS comes with a level of standard gear that you'd easily spend more outfitting to the lesser S model without any way to gain the extra horsepower and torque that are also part and parcel of the GTS experience. Frankly, if you were in the market for a loaded Porsche roadster, it's hard to justify the economics of using anything other than the GTS as your starting point.

The unbridled Boxster GTS also speaks to Porsche's willingness to accept that the 911 Carrera Cabriolet is now serving a different customer, and one who's more comfortable being comfortable than one who is seeking out the utmost in top-down Teutonic performance. This self awareness is something I can only hope continues in Stuttgart, as the results so far have been nothing short of spectacular.