DIVA Drives

from Ohlala Bahrain September 2019

Porsche has somehow managed to improve the appeal of the interior with an even greater level of sophistication than ever before. The impressive leather trim complete with uninterrupted stitching extends all the way to the storage compartment and looks magnificent. In fact, all of the accents, trimmings and materials used throughout the vehicle are of the very highest quality as one would expect from a Porsche. The 375 mm diameter sport steering wheel is reminiscent of the 918 Spyder and felt fantastic in hand. The option of five new interior colours allows for one to customise their vehicle to better express their taste and personality.

A principal element of this new interior layout is Porsche Communication Management (PCM) complete with mobile phone preparation, audio interfaces and the Sound Package Plus with 110 watts of audio power. Various extensions to this easy-touse system are on offer that allow one to customise and improve on its performance and capabilities. Available as an alternative is a navigation module with voice control, improved map display and free map updates within the first three years. The Connect Plus module is offered as an extension to the navigation module and enables simple interfacing of a smartphone to the PCM and the use of online functions such as navigation information services, wireless Internet access for Wi-Fi devices and an LTE telephone module. All-in-all, a very impressive and user-friendly setup indeed.

The most exciting part of our latest Boxster experience however began when we engaged the ignition. The roar from the newly developed, four-cylinder flat engine with turbo charging was music to our ears and we could not help but smile at the sounds emanating from under the hood, promising us an extraordinary experience. Once out on the road, we could immediately feel the 220 kW of power on offer from the two-litre engine that boasts 380 Nm of torque. This abundance of power allowed us to surge from 0 – 100km/h in around 4.7 seconds! The Boxster 718 has a top speed of 275 km/h, which is far more than anyone would need outside of a racetrack. Along with these improvements in speed, fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 13 percent, whilst the completely new chassis tuning and stronger breaks help one to be in complete control of the vehicle at all times.

All too soon we found ourselves back at the Porsche Centre Bahrain showroom. It is never easy handing back the key fob of a truly great sports car, but we took some comfort in that we get to keep the memories of this outstanding experience.