The steering wheel is manual tilt and telescope, and unless you option up, has only a horn button (and shifters on PDK). Unlike most cars either shift button is pulled toward you for downshifts and pushed away for upshifts, the same directions the floor shifter uses. If you're used to a + right and – left system, or gear lever that uses forward for downshift (BMW, Mazda) your acclimation time will increase but you will acclimate. It is unlikely you will need to shift if the wheel's turned so far you can't use the paddles; the console shifter always works. Both shifter and handbrake are well-placed, and the floor-hinged gas pedal eases heel-and-toe shifting.
The key goes in left of the steering column, remembering the days of LeMans starts where drivers had to run across the track, get in, fire their cars and engage first gear, then roar off hoping to get buckled up before the first corner or crash.
The Sport Chrono package puts a big stopwatch atop the dash, controlled through the tach display menu. Below the vents are all the controls not found on steering column stalks: Climate, audio, chassis systems, etc. Multiple sound systems are topped by a Bose system that keeps up even with an open top, but that six-channel petroleum-powered sound system right behind you still has the last word in sonic amusement.
Porsche Communication Management is otherwise known as the navigation/infotainment center, and offers an electronic logbook for saving trip data; there is a SIM card slot on the face of it. It is a DVD-based system and though the mass of white-on-black buttons may seem initially daunting it is quick to master. Climate controls are simple and the tiny cabin volume quickly heated or cooled.
Small items and coins may be stored aft of the console-mounted handbrake; optional audio inputs are here too. A glovebox holds little more than documentation and pockets inside the door armrests handle keys, sunglasses, and portable electronics.
Larger items go in his-and-hers trunks, one each end. Up front a deep well that might just hold your carry-on roller bag or groceries stacked with bottles on the bottom. The back cargo area is a wider, shallower expanse roughly 32x18x8 inches. The two cargo areas offer 5.3 and 4.6 cubic feet, better than anything we know of in this category. Trunk space is unaffected by top position, unlike many others, and despite the proximity to coolers and the engine, internal temperatures measured only 10-15 degrees above the 90 F ambient.
Once the single release handle is twisted the electric top can be lowered or raised in about 10 seconds at speeds to about 30 mph so you can start the process slowing for a light or stop sign. The top is well-insulated, even in black does not feel like you're wearing a dark ball cap on a sunny day, and the glass rear window has electric defrost.
Conversations can be carried at 70 mph top down, though better with the side glass up in busy surroundings. A removable clear panel between the headrests (the windstop) cuts down on internal buffeting a bit; one is already well-ensconced in a Boxster. If you really don't like the wind, or get a lot of snow, there is a factory Boxster aluminum hardtop option and, of course, the factory hardtop Porsche Cayman. Next Page