20 Years of Porsche Boxster: 9 thoughts on how it has (not) changed from 2004 to 2024

Porsche recently confirmed that it’s the end of the line for the gas engine-powered 718 Boxster and Cayman. The electric-only successors are following on their heels, but all this means the time is now to enjoy the last gasps of greatness from these mid-engine masterpieces.

What better way is there to appreciate what we have now than to look back on the past? I recently had a 2024 Porsche 718 Boxster Style Edition in my driveway for a week of testing. I also happen to own a 2004 Porsche S 550 Spyder Special Edition. Two special edition Boxsters, 20 years apart, one from the original, first-generation, 986 model and the other from the last of its line. Let’s take a walk through these two to see just how far (or in some cases how little) we’ve come. And for even more impressions on the new Style Edition, make sure you check out our Road Test here.

The Boxster never stopped being a small car

My 2004 edition of the Boxster measured 170.1 inches in length. This 2024 model? Only 172.4 inches. To only grow a couple of inches through that era of extreme bloat is seriously commendable. Its width is a similar story, as today’s base Boxster is only about an inch wider than the first generation. All this is to say that the modern Boxster drives and comports itself like a small sports car from the 1990s, because it’s essentially still the same size as a small sports car from the ‘90s. Even weight is kept in tight check, as this Style Edition weighs just a smidge over 3,000 pounds, barely more than my 2004 model.

Electric soft top opening technology sure has improved

Not only does the new Boxster’s soft top look much nicer in its fit and finish than my car’s brown top, but it’s also much nicer to use. The original Boxster was part mechanical (requiring you to start the top removal manually) and then electric the rest of the way. It’s clunky, doesn’t make the best noises and is generally unrefined. Meanwhile, the new Boxster’s top goes up and down with just a single toggle hold, no fuss necessary. This Style Edition even has a subtle “Boxster” script embossed on the top that you can appreciate every time you walk up to the car.

Porsche’s ‘evolution not revolution’ styling directive is ever apparent

Look at bits like the front grille. Horizontal slats still rule the day, but they are greater in number and wider in the new Boxster. The rear fender intakes are a lot spicier and longer in shape today, but you can trace the lineage back to the original. Even small things like the model designation on the rear trunk lid – it’s the same exact font, without a flourish or cross out of place. And of course the Boxster is still sporting a twin-pipe central exhaust outlet, because what other way would Porsche have it?

The new Boxster’s interior is still old-school

Despite having a touchscreen and Apple CarPlay, the new 718’s interior feels much more 2014 than 2024. You get delightful toggles and buttons for essentially all vital controls, and maybe even for some that you’ll never touch. The three-pod instrument cluster is almost fully analog, too, though Porsche sneaks in a screen for the furthest right pod, which is greatly appreciated. Toggling through the cluster computer in the original Boxster is a tad nightmarish, but at least it has a digital speedometer. Funnily enough, the analog speedo is essentially just as useless in the new 718 as it is in the original due to the large gaps between numbers and scrunched size. One downgrade for the new Boxster, though, is the lack of a bridged cluster shroud. If you look closely at the original, you’ll notice that it’s not a full hood and that you can see straight through to the windshield above the gauges – that is no longer the case in 2024.

The interior packaging remains untouched

Sure, the Boxster might just be a two-seat sports car, but it’s a shockingly practical one, and has been from the very beginning. Wide and deep door pockets? Yep, those never went anywhere. Enough space to tuck narrow items behind the seats? Absolutely. A usable center console? Check. Even acceptable cupholders were present for the original, and while the design is a little different in 2024, you can still bring a couple of drinks on your drive. All that, plus the the seat ergonomics are (and always have been) spectacular for the vast majority of people.

Weekend getaways are just as easy

The Boxster continues to not only have a generously sized trunk for a mid-engine convertible, but a generously sized frunk as well. In fact, I can fit the same bags in the new one as I can in the old, and I did just that on a weekend getaway to the west side of Michigan with the new Style Edition. One eccentricity I noticed upon popping the hood is that even the lever with the red rubber cover is the same today as it was before. The only real downgrade I see for the new 718 here is the lack of a spare tire in the frunk, which I hope to never use but will be grateful to have if I ever need it.

But what about driving?

This one’s a little tough to make a proper comparison, partly because this test Boxster is a base model, while mine is an S (with even more enhancements beyond it included in the special edition package). Different trim aside, the 2024 Boxster is clearly the superior driving machine. Its cornering stability, chassis rigidity, ride comfort and steering are all modern and objectively superior to the original Boxster. You notice it immediately in the sophisticated ride provided by the more advanced damper technology, which combines with super-sharp handling response and much quicker steering. My 2004 Boxster exhibits more roll, lower handling limits and a worse ride over rough pavement. Don’t think I dislike my old Porsche for a second, because it’s still charming and capable, but I’d take the 2024 version on a twisty road any day.

The engine is a different story

Since this Style Edition is a base Boxster underneath all of its stickers and flashy wheels, it’s rocking a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four placed just behind the cockpit and underneath the folding the roof. Unsurprisingly, it’s not the most charismatic of engines from a pure sound perspective, but compared to other four-cylinders on the market today, it’s quite good. The exhaust burbles and snarls, and for a small-displacement four-cylinder, it loves to rev. To know what a naturally aspirated flat-six sounds like in its place, though, is to know that this isn’t the best possible heart for an open-top sports car experience. The 3.2-liter flat-six in my 2004 Boxster S howls its way up and past 7,000 rpm, giving you that raw, Porsche motorsports sound. It’s undeniably special in that other cars without the Porsche badge simply don’t and can’t sound like it. Meanwhile, the flat-four in the new 718 is just a tad flat in comparison. It’s perfectly lovely in a vacuum with plenty of poke (it’s more than a second quicker to 60 mph than my old S), but it’s also clear as day why Porsche brought the flat-six back with its GTS 4.0 models.

I’m still going to miss the flat-six (or four) behind my head

Despite my grumbling about the four-cylinder, I’m not sure that I’m ready for the Boxster to be an electric car. Whether it’s via a lovely manual transmission or the snappy PDK, hearing the revs rise, fall and blip through a winding patch of road is so quintessential to the Boxster experience. Being exposed to the elements and moving quickly with the wind in your hair will definitely be enough to make the next-gen electric model fun, but it’s going to be without much of the character that makes today’s (and yesterday’s) Boxster such a satisfying driver’s car. The march of time has undeniably made the Boxster a better vehicle since its inception, so I can only cross my fingers in hopes that such progress continues into the electric era.