'00 Santorin S4

Okay, my buddy recently got his Boxster S after much analysis. We had a great email conversation comparing the S4 and Boxster S...thinks like; HP/lb, 0-60 times, stopping distance etc. I teased him that he had "drunk the Porsche cool aid".. he sounded like a Porsche marketing guy. Well there is nothing like a little real world comparison.

So, we went out for a "spirited" drive. Do people use that term to mean a road race or just some brisk driving?

Without too many details I'd summarize as follows;
- I was surprised how equal the cars were (all in all). I was expecting to loose big in the real twisties, but NO.
- He said "I can tell you have more torque cause you're pulling away from me coming out of the turns." (about 10 miles into it I informed him that I was in stock mode!, his face SANK then he said "Bring it on")
- He now regrets not getting ESP (after nearly rolling it in a turn...no physical damage!)

Keep in mind that we are two untrained drivers and "your mileage may vary".
Cheers

rdrunner9

Personally, I would take the Boxster S over the S4 on track. The S4 may have the torque and quattro advantage but the Boxster S is lighter and has great high end power. Let's not forget that the Boxster S is a very balanced car.

Bubba-SanŽ

Actually with several Boxsters including an S. Only one of them was really serious (Boxster 2.7 owner) and we were pretty evenly matched. My tires were squealing more indicating his better grip but I could definitely launch out of the turns better.

'00 Santorin S4

I'd agree...I know the Boxster S is a better "sports" car

BOOST

As one of a couple of people on the list who have both a Boxster S and an S4, it's my experience that while the S4 has more torque, in any kind of twisty road the Bosxter will lose the S4 Real Fast.

I like them both- but for different purposes. In the dry, on most any track, a well-driven Boxster S will lap faster.

OTOH, on the street, even a mildly modified S4 will be quicker to 60. But that wasn't what Zuffenhausen made them for...

CatOne

The S4 isn't a "sports car" it's a "high performance luxury sedan" which is maybe on the luxury side as configured at the factory. If you start playing by "sports car" rules, it can come up shorter than something like a Boxter S or a 911 or a 360 Modena or a Mclaren F1 or ... (hehe).

It can be made into a pretty fast "dragster" which seems like how many compare it... but something like a Supra can be made into a LOT faster dragster, too.

It's awfully good for what it is, and you can tip it a lot more towards the "high performance" in "high performance luxury sedan" with mods to the chip, exhaust, and suspension (to, say, get closer to an E46 M3, if anyone's ever heard of those...) but you can't *make* it into a pure sports car. Not sure the Boxster S is a "pure" sports car either but it's a lot closer than the S4 is off of the dealer's lot.

-B

Žob

Of course, driver skill comes into play as well....