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For 2003 Porsche treated us to a wealth of minor
revisions designed to further improve the car, without introducing any
major changes that would detract from its appeal. Working from the
old motto, don't fix it if it ain't broke, changes were mostly cosmetic,
though minor technical changes gave us slightly better handling, and
slightly more power across the range.
Clear Indicators
By far the most significant of the cosmetic changes were
the clear indicators front, side and rear.
2003 Boxster and Boxster S Clear Headlight
These immediately set the
car apart from the older models with orange turn signals, without altering
its shape at all. For owner's of older models, it's quite simple to
make your car look newer and fresher by fitting the lights from the new
model.
But sign up now to be notified when a set comes on the market.
Alternatively, if you're not desperate to follow the latest trend, then
the really good news is that there are even more sets of old style
indicators available on ebay, from owners who have upgraded their Boxster
to the latest style.
The new lights look great - especially on silver cars.
Revised front and rear Body Kit
Minor changes to the bodywork are limited to the plastic
components front, rear and side - good thinking Porsche - a new look,
without the need to change any of the metal bashing tooling. The new
bodykits are nice and fresh, and a little bit sharper than the old
versions, without being too edgy for the sleek body of the Boxster.
As with the lights, it might have been nicer for the 911 (996) style to be
carried over to the Boxster, but they have to leave some differences
between the two cars or else the 911 buyers are going to wonder what
they're getting for their extra pounds.
To go with the changes at the rear, the tailpipes have
been updated.
2003 Boxster S Tail pipes
We think the S's twin pipes look great with the new
rear apron, though the optional stainless steel pipe looks fine too.
Revised Standard Rear Spoilers
Changes to the shape of the rear spoilers are so tiny
you have to look carefully to spot them. The effect is that Spoiler
Stickers for the old style Spoilers won't fit the new ones; so if you have
to have Boxster or Boxster S displayed on your
spoiler when it lifts, then make sure you get the right version for your
car. The word is that Porsche have been trying to stop the sale of
these third party spoiler stickers, allegedly to prevent problems with the
spoiler. We've never bothered with them anyway, as most people know
a Boxster when they see one, and hopefully wouldn't be close enough to
read the sticker when it lifts at 75mph.
New Side Air Vents
Add to this a change to the profile of the side air
vents, and you've pretty much covered the bodywork changes. At first
this looked like such a minor detail, that we wondered why they bothered,
but once you're used to it the old style vents look dated, and you feel
like you want to replace them.
New Style Alloy Wheels
The new wheels complete the external changes and give
the 2003 and 2004 models a distinctly different appearance to those that
went before. Many were sad to see the old ones go, particularly the
turbo look which is still available as an upgrade.
2003 / 2004 Boxster S UK Standard Alloy Wheel
(Available as an upgrade on Standard Car - as in this case)
However, there's
no arguing with the fact that the new wheels do look good, and more
importantly from Porsche's point of view, different. Standard wheels
on both models are airy, providing a good view of the brakes , which is
particularly effective on the S with its red callipers and large drilled
disks.
Glass Rear Screen
The replacement of the old plastic rear screen with a
slightly smaller glass unit is a most welcome change - no more scratching
or cracking of the screen; and it's convenient too - drivers of
earlier models were advised to make sure the plastic folded neatly to
avoid deterioration. No worries on that score with the new one,
which also includes an anti-mist heater. From the rear view
mirror, the smaller screen does nothing to reduce the drivers' view,
though it does marginally reduce visibility when you look over your
shoulder as you emerge from certain junctions; however, on balance
it's a very welcome change on those days when you've had to have the top
up, and want to get it down quickly. The official time to lower or
raise the hood is unchanged at 12 seconds, though that figure didn't allow
for making sure the old plastic screen had folded neatly.
Interior Changes
Minor changes to the inside retain the style of the
original model, but add a wonderful but small (5l), lockable glove
box. Drinks holders are now standard, and don't take up the
space of either of the useful cubby holes like the old ones did.
Neat aluminium look details add to the package, and look great.
Audio Changes
Mmm. The big change here (on the standard UK Car)
is the introduction of the CDR-23 CD Radio. Except that this doesn't
work with the old speaker upgrades, including the aftermarket ones.
So if you don't like the standard speakers you either have to 'downgrade'
back to the CDR-22, or else upgrade to the Porsche Sound System, or the
brilliant Bose system.
Engine Changes
From the driver's seat, the most noticeable change is
the introduction of Variocam which adds a small, but useful amount of
power and torque across the entire rev range. For more details read
our notes on the 2003 Boxster
Engines.
2004 Boxster and Boxster S
There were no significant revisions to either car for
2004.
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