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So, what’s it like to ride in an electric Porsche Boxster? The good news for enthusiasts is that it feels and sounds just like you’re in a regular, gas-powered Boxster.
We just got our first real taste of what Porsche’s been cooking up for the much-anticipated, first-ever EV versions of its next-generation 718 Porsche Boxster and Cayman at the automaker’s Weissach, Germany, test facility in advance of their debut late next year. What we can say after our brief shotgun seat run is, dang, that was fun.
A Few EV Details
Porsche’s new EV sports cars employ what Porsche is referring to as its E-Core battery arrangement setup, where the pack has been packaged behind the seats in the middle of the car, helping to give it a mid-engine-like weight distribution. It also helps preserve the low-slung sports car seating position of the traditional Boxster/Cayman layout.
Riding Shotgun in the Boxster EV
Our quick Weissach ride-along was in an early Boxster prototype with a professional driver at the wheel. From where we were sitting, it hustled much like any other Boxster we’d been in previously, with our driver adding that the instant torque makes it faster upon takeoff.
The driver was hitting it hard around the circuit, and the Boxster’s low center of gravity and extra weight only enhanced the sense of grip. He hit the raised rumble strips on the track repeatedly, and the car showed impressive composure as he did, with its braking feeling duly strong and effective when he mashed the pedal.
Yes, it also has artificial sound, a dulcet Porsche tune that’s eerily reminiscent of a high-revving flat-six along the lines of the GT3. We particularly dug the throttle blips on the downshifts.
All that simulated up and downshifting is courtesy of Porsche’s E-shift system. Unlike other automakers that emulate a shift change by interrupting the motors while accelerating and dropping the torque to create a moment of hesitation, Porsche creates its own unique sensation by engaging overboost for a split second, allowing occupants to feel more as the shifts happen.
Our brief time in the prototype was a blast and left us incredibly hopeful for what’s to come. Porsche is cooking up an electric sports car that emits the feel, sound, and emotion of the tried-and-true Boxster—all that was missing was the smell of gas burning.
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