Every Photo of our Long-Term 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster S

The pressurized fours deliver greater output with minimal efficiency penalty. The Boxster S's 2.5-liter four-cylinder grunts out 350 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque, gains of 35 and 43 compared with the old 3.4-liter six.

During the initial visit to the test track, our long-termer touched 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and closed the quarter-mile in 12.6. The former metric meant this Boxster S was just 0.1 second quicker than the car it replaced. That was due, at least in part, to the new car's more restrictive rev limiter, which caps the engine at 4500 rpm when the vehicle is at a standstill.

But by the time we returned to the proving grounds 38,000 miles later, we'd dialed in a launch technique to work around the governor. That footwork, along with the reduced powertrain and driveline friction that comes with miles, trimmed the S's figures to 4.0 seconds and 12.4.

Our hesitation regarding the engines had nothing to do with numbers, though. This was about the subjective experience. We've chronicled the slow, steady erosion of turbo lag for what seems like decades now, but the lazy throttle response of Porsche's 2.5-liter feels like a throwback.

It's flat-footed if you don't slip the clutch just so off the line or downshift aggressively and early as you decelerate, and the tall gearing (the car will hit 80 mph in second) only exacerbates the sluggishness. The seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission mostly hides these transgressions, but choosing it would mean trading away a great six-speed manual transmission.

The new engine's torque curve is certainly better suited to traffic and suburban driving than the old flat-six's. It charges ahead relentlessly when the tach needle points anywhere between 2500 rpm and the 7500-rpm fuel cutoff.

Starting at $69,450, the Boxster S also earns the unhappy distinction of being the most expensive way to buy a new non­hybrid series-production car wrapped around a four-cylinder engine. We pushed the price higher with adaptive dampers and a 0.4-inch suspension drop ($1790), the Sport exhaust ($2540), the navigation module ($1730), Porsche Connect Plus ($1300), and Sport Seats Plus ($800) with added heating ($530) and ventilation ($730). Cosmetic enhancements on our car included the C/D-themed Sapphire Blue Metallic paint ($640) over Guards Red seatbelts ($350), and the smaller-diameter GT Sport steering wheel ($320).

Two-zone automatic climate control ($760) and auto-dimming mirrors and rain-sensing wipers ($690) fell into the category of add-ons that should be stand­ard, while freebie options such as the Smoking package (which adds a 12-volt outlet in the center console) and the small storage net in the passenger footwell made us feel slightly less cheated by the aforementioned. All this raised our car's sticker to $81,630, and yet none of our drivers were moved to complain about the price.

But for all the 718's tactility, its movements and body motions are never abrupt or jarring. They're not even particularly sharp, the Boxster boasting remarkable composure for something so capable. Palpable to highly skilled and untrained drivers alike, the Boxster's inherent goodness isn't just world-class in the sports-car world.

The ride quality rivals that of large luxury four-doors. As evidence of the Boxster's light touch, note that we lost just one 19-inch tire to road damage, which qualifies as a resounding victory given our record with other cars. A Jaguar XE that overlapped the Boxster in the long-term garage suffered three damaged wheels and 10 spent tires in its 40,000 miles.

The combination of Porsche dynamics, 350 horsepower pushing a feathery 3090 pounds, and open-air romanticism continues to be one of our office’s great shared joys.

That’s true if you’re setting a blistering pace on a desolate back road or loafing through town on a Sunday cruise. With just over 32,000 miles on the odometer, our Porsche 718 Boxster S roadster continues to collect praise bordering on hyperbole from anyone who drives it.

Senior Buyer’s Guide editor Rich Ceppos captured the consensus in a more measured voice after a weekend with our Boxster S. "This is one of the best cars Porsche builds," he wrote in the Boxster’s logbook. "Not because it’s the fastest, or sharpest-steering, or has the most grip. But because it feels great while being effortless—so comfortable, so joyful—with a great ride despite the meaty 19-inch tires."

Complaints in the Boxster’s logbook are few and far between, but they’ve coalesced around a few themes. There’s the long-running debate about whether it’s fair to criticize a mid-engine sports car for a lack of cabin stowage space.

The Boxster offers two helpful pockets in each door plus a shallow bin in the center armrest. But the lack of real cupholders (there are two spindly contraptions that deploy from the dashboard ahead of the passenger) or a bin at the front of the center console often means that drivers keep the items they need quick access to on the passenger seat.

Several staffers are still hung up on the four-cylinder's exhaust note, a Subaru-like blat that is discordant with the Boxster's seductive looks. You can fix this by hammering everywhere at full throttle in the lowest possible gear, at which point the Porsche blares an angry mechanical growl.

Then there's the whiff of turbo lag found in the flat-four's low end. You can drive around it by slipping the clutch slightly from a stop, keeping the revs up, or downshifting earlier than you might in something with more than the Boxster S's 2.5 liters of displacement.

Shortly after its 20,000-mile update, our car developed a series of cooling woes. It started with intermittent overheating and low coolant, along with the saccharine stink of antifreeze. The dealer diagnosed a leak in the hose coming off the coolant reservoir and replaced it under warranty. That addressed the overheating, but we couldn't shake the scent.