The exhaust has the roughness of a 911, but you still get that familiar Boxster tune.

It takes a certain kind of automotive engineer to be worried about how his car performs in a 125-metre drag race when put against its competitors. Is he the apprehensive type or is he a perfectionist?

Whatever he is, he’s a Porsche engineer, because when the first shipment of Boxsters arrived in the Middle East before the car’s official launch in March, that’s exactly what the Stuttgart men did – compare this very Boxster S against its closest rivals, some of which included a Mercedes SLK350 and BMW Z4M. It was one of many exhaustive tests that the company wanted to carry out, so it could keep an eye on the competition. Porsche also brought an SLK55 along, which the Boxster S beat, apparently. The engineers came away happy; in the end they needn’t have worried.

I’m not worried either, least of all how many tenths of a second this Malachite Green Boxster S was ahead of the ‘55’ at the end of the 125m run. The trip computer on the screen of the new Porsche Communication Management system is showing 38 degrees C and the roof is down. The strength of the sun is so fierce that it feels as if an elephant is stomping its foot on my head. Sun cream mixed with sweat runs down the side of my temple and past my eyebrow, burning my eye. Photographer Alejandro and I have been driving for only 30 minutes but we pull over to have a drink. As fast as the roof mechanism may be, I can’t pull it back up; Alejandro wants to take some shots.

I get out of the car, clear my eye and look at the front of the new Boxster. Apart from the small holes in the paint on the bumper that were created by pieces of flying stones on Porsche’s test runs a few weeks ago, it’s clear the changes in styling are minimal. Front and rear bumpers are new, lights are now in LED and interior quality is a step up.

It’s just behind the driver where the significance lies. A lighter 3.4-litre flat-six now features fuel injection and, quite importantly, develops 15bhp more than the old engine – now there’s 306bhp at 6400rpm and 15lb ft more torque at 266lb ft. Having just as much significance is the ‘box at the back – the Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK for short); the seven-speed double-clutch transmission that means the S will reach 100kph 0.1sec faster than even the most capable driver in a manual. The Porsche engineer will undoubtedly approve.

The roads around Bab Al Shams are characterised by long – and occasionally bumpy – stretches of tarmac that are joined together by roundabouts and crossroads. It gives me plenty of chances to test the full range of both the engine and gearbox.

Pushing the paddles on the steering wheel forwards for upshifts and pulling them for downshifts is a hard system to get used to. Out of habit for the usual F1-style paddles I mistakenly pull the right paddle to go up a gear several times during my drive, only to remember I should be pushing it. Best to choose a hand for changing gears and then stick to it. When you do, the shifts are fast and smooth.

Our car had the optional Sports Chrono Package Plus. It gives you a button marked Sports Plus. Press it and you can activate Launch Control. Hold the brake, floor the throttle, wait for the computer to give you the signal on the dashboard, and with perfect precision you’ll see 100kph in 5.2sec. Low down, the exhaust note has a roughness similar to a 911, but as soon as you ride that linear delivery of power towards the red line, you still get that familiar Boxster tune.

The other party trick up the PDK’s sleeve is the transmission’s electronics, which apparently adapts to your style of driving, so it shifts when you would. I didn’t have enough time with the car to test this, but what was noticeable is that in manual mode it won’t change up if you don’t ask it to, which is good when you want to really push around corners. It still doesn’t beat the involvement and enjoyment you get out of a manual, though.

As the after noon heat eases ever so slightly and we finish the shots we need, I look out onto the deserted roads around us and decide it’s time to make proper use of them. I’m not familiar with them, but that turns out not to be a problem.

The Boxster’s poise means you can drive quickly on almost any road. Its taut and balanced chassis is as good as ever. It’s composed at high speed and the steering is precise and very well weighted. Carving through those roundabouts just seems too easy. Use the fantastic brakes with confidence (they work well from high speeds and are full of feel), flick right, then left, hold the car exactly where you want it, get on the power early and power out with no fuss at all, exactly on the limits of adhesion.

Driving the Boxster a day after experiencing a Dodge Viper ACR made the Porsche seem tame – too precise, too sedate, too complete almost. But the Boxster’s abilities are such that even after getting out of a supercar you can appreciate what Porsche’s obsessive engineers have done.

But if you’re thinking about the Boxster and are serious about covering ground, you might want to tick two things on the options list to make you shame those 911 drivers: a limited slip differential and PCCB – the ceramic composite brakes (originally reserved for the GT3 and GT2). It’s not like the S is lacking in performance but these two options will really make up the difference between you and a standard 911.

‘The Boxster’s poise means you can drive it quickly on almost any road - it’s taut and balanced’

It’s in the slower corners where you notice it most of all. The angles of the small bends that lead into the villages dotted around Bab Al Shams are difficult to judge. You approach at high speed, so brakes are crucial. At the exit of these corners, when you reach 90 per cent of the limit , you can feel a slight delay, where not quite all of the power is being transferred to the road. Given the significance of the LSD (Porsche has been under pressure to introduce it on the Boxster), it’s a bit of a puzzle as to why our S didn’t have it. The driving experience wasn’t made worse by the LSD’s absence, but if I drove the Boxster on a daily basis, I’d constantly have a nagging feeling that I could go faster had I spent an extra $ 2600.

The thing is that because the Boxster is hugely desirable, I can see it being used by some more as a commuting and posing tool than anything else. And that’s really a shame, because they’ll never make the most out of this car, never take it to the edge where it’s most rewarding.

It’s going to be interesting to observe the sales figures between the new Boxster, the new Cayman and the 911, because the performance gap between them has just got smaller. For the banker who’s just lost a fortune, the Boxster is a no brainer. For someone seeking performance on a budget, a Cayman is a safe bet. And for those who have to keep their image up, a 911 is a must. But take all of that context out and forget social hierarchy, and what you get with the new Boxster is something so sharp and so well-suited to your needs, it’s hard to see why you’d spend $ 18k more for the bigger 911 Carrera. Cruiser? Yes. Performance? It’s there. Handling? No question about it.

Frankly, if the Porsche engineers’ worries of 125m acceleration runs make the Boxster the car it is now, I’m all for it. It’s still the best roadster around.

	Porsche Boxster S
Engine	Flat-six
Location	Mid, longitudinal
Displacement	3436cc
Max power	306bhp @ 6400rpm
Max torque	265lb ft @ 5500rpm
Transmission	Six-speed manual (seven-speed PDK optional), rear-wheel drive, PSM
Weight (kerb)	1355kg
Power-to-weight	229bhp/ton
0-100kph	5.3sec (claimed)
Top speed	274kph (claimed)
Basic price	$ 52,600
On sale	Now
EVO Rating	5 stars