Road Test of 2007 Boxster S by Car Keys

The first watery light of a September dawn was coming up over the horizon, more yellow and washed out than pink and blushing. I could see it way out there beyond the bonnet of the Boxster S in a split under the clouds. Although I'd been on the road since five, I smiled the smile of a man content.

Sadly, this was only 150 miles or so from where I'd be dropping off the pretty, fire-engine red roadster - the majority of my trip was behind me. Over the last few days I'd taken in over 500 miles of everything from nose-to-tailpipe crawls on choked motorways to fast, late-night sprints along empty dual-carriageways; from single-track country lanes burrowing through tunnels of trees, to quick, snaking A-roads. As ever with Porsches, I'd found nothing to worry me and everything to inspire.

Be under no illusion, the Boxster S is no budget-bucket motor. Despite being second from the bottom of the model range, it's a thoroughbred in its own right. It will mix it up with the biggest of the big boys and out in the real world it takes a hell of a lot of beating. Discount it at your peril.

I should come clean here and say that this test car had been well specced up from the standard model. The base asking price of a Boxster S is currently £39,161, but there was so much extra kit that this one tipped the scales at £54,191. The majority of that extra came from the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes which cost a dizzying £5349 over the standard anchors. How that can be I'm not quite sure, nor how the 19" Carrera Classic alloys cost £1256 more than the standard wheels.

Anyway, the test car was so pretty, it could be considered a crime against sensitivity to get into it without standing for a moment and gazing upon it. There's no doubt it's a Porsche - simple, round lights sit high on those bulging wings, either side of a steeply raked nose below which is a bank of big air intakes. The flanks are utterly dominated by big, cleanly designed wheels under elegant wheelarches. More cooling vents are set just forward of the rear wheels to take heat away from the mid-mounted engine. Roof up or roof down, it looks purposeful and elegant.

At tickover, the six horizontally-opposed cylinders in the 3.2-litre engine give out a throaty growl. Sadly, when you're going more quickly, there's little aural delight for the driver. With the roof down the engine is drowned out by the wind rush - with the roof up, it's so well sound-proofed from the cabin that all you get is road noise, which you can easily squeeze out with help from the excellent Bose sound system (£1030 option).

But that's all fringe information; the fun is in the driving. The power and torque figures speak for themselves - 280bhp and 236lb/ft are more than enough in a car weighing just 1.3 tonnes - but you also have a few extra buttons to play with that will tighten up the suspension so you can make the most of all that grunt.

The £1030 Porsche Active Suspension Management system on this car is probably one of the most attractive extras on the list. On normal setting the springs are more than supportive enough for most mortal driving, firm on the corners but short of harsh on the pocked and pitted country lanes. But when you stab the Sport button on the dash, the suspension takes on all the pliancy of a plank and you can make this agile little car dance a tarantella for you. You can become part of it, and it can become part of you - it is such a good car to drive.

Putting the roof back takes just a few seconds. At motorway speeds you'll get the top of your head messed up with the wind - drop the side windows and you'll get your ears playfully boxed too, but in neither case did I find it an unpleasant business. For me, nothing short of rain or heavy airborne pollution would tempt me to put the roof up.

On a long journey, the main downside is the lack of in-cabin storage. I know the cup holder is a joke among purists, but somewhere to grip a bottle of water or a life-saving late-night can of Red Bull would be useful. On the other hand, for such a small car with no back seat, there is a surprising amount of cargo space, particularly in the deep well under the nose.

In conclusion, the Boxster S is all the sports car anyone should need, but you should try out an unadorned one before you go wading into the pick-and-mix extras. With all the bells and whistles the price of this little car is approaching striking distance of a basic 911. It's your choice.

Price: £39,161
Capacity: 3179cc
Power: 280bhp
0-62mph: 5.5 seconds
Maximum speed: 167mph
Economy: 36.7mpg extra urban, 27.2mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 248g/km
Insurance: Group 20
Porsche figures.