2005 Porsche Boxster S front.jpg

Porsche revamped its whole car lineup for 2005, not that the styling gives any indication. But with the 911 already out of the spotlight, Porsche focused on its even newer Boxster. As the undisputed dynamic champion of the German roadsters in either its first or eighth year, the Boxster wasn't dying for an update, but Porsche found improvements anyway. The somewhat cruddy interior got some elegance (and a telescopic steering wheel). More significantly, side curtain air bags make their first appearance in any roadster. Variable-ratio steering found on the new 911 (and emerging on BMWs) is standard, and it's said to retain the great feel of the last Boxster. The base Boxster uses a 5-speed, the Boxster S a 6-speed, and a 5-speed Tiptronic is optional on either. The wheels grew, horsepower grew by 8 and 18 (276 is the new max), yet the price did not grow.