All-new Boxster and Boxster S go on sale from April 28

PORSCHE is launching cars as fast as the legendary sports cars fly up the road.

New 911; new 911 Cabriolet shown at Detroit (Jan 2012); and now this: the new Porsche Boxster.

And if you like the looks of this desirable roadster you only have to wait to spring for the new Boxster to arrive in Porsche dealerships.

Still unmistakably a Boxster – and let’s face it, the Porsche way is to evolve design – the new Boxster is available as the Boxster, priced £37,589 with 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds, and the Boxster S, from £45,384 and 0-62mph in 5.0 seconds.

Sounds good? Does to us here, where the Boxster remains a favourite with directors of SME businesses thanks to its performance image, bullet-proof reliability, every day practicality – and the great sound from the flat-six engine. Enough to make any business day go better.

So what else do you need to know? Well, there’s an all-new lightweight body, new flat-six engines with direct petrol injection, and a completely revised chassis.

The weight of the Boxster has been lowered, there’s a longer wheelbase, widened track and larger wheels which, says Porsche, significantly enhance the driving dynamics.

These features, including electro-mechanical power steering, result in the new Boxster not only offering better performance but also up to 15 per cent greater fuel efficiency. Which is always handy for any business driver.

Both Boxster and Boxster S feature the same, new, 3.4-litre flat-six engine as their base. In the Boxster S the engine bangs out 315hp (an increase of 5hp), in the Boxster the engine has been reduced in capacity to 2.7-litres with 265 hp – 10 hp more than the engine it replaces in the current Boxster which was a 2.9-litre unit. Who said smaller couldn’t be more beautiful?

Both models feature a manual six-speed gearbox as standard, with the seven-speed dual-clutch (PDK) available as an option. Most business users will opt for the latter we suspect, which also offers the best fuel performance. Fuel consumption for the Porsche Boxster with PDK is 36.7mpg, and 35.3mpg for the Boxster S.

If you’re considering running a Boxster through your business, or running one as a company car, here are the financials you need to know about.

The business end – Boxster company car tax The Porsche Boxster PDK has a P11D value of £39,141 giving a benefit in kind of £10,568 thanks to its 27% company car tax rating.

This means the company car tax payable at 20% on the Boxster PDK is £2114 for the 2012/13 year and if you’re in the 40% bracket it’s £4227.

With CO2 emissions of 180g/km, the Porsche Boxster is definitely the wrong side of the writing down allowance tax break, qualifying for just 10% corporation tax write down.

The more powerful Porsche Boxster S PDK has a higher P11D value of £46,806 giving rise to a benefit in kind of £13,106 thanks to its 28% company car tax rating.

This means the company car tax payable at 20% on the Boxster S PDK is £2621 for the 2012/13 year and if you’re in the 40% bracket it’s £5242.

With CO2 emissions of 188g/km, the Porsche Boxster S qualifies for only a 10% writing down allowance.

What do you get for your money? In terms of specification, the Boxster features an Alcantara interior, 18 inch alloy wheels, auto stop/start and Sports mode, remote control hood operation, audio CD with 7-inch colour touch-screen control, a universal audio interface offering MP3 connectivity and a three year warranty.

The Boxster S adds 19-inch alloy wheels, partial leather interior and bi-xenon headlights.

You can upgrade your driving experience further with Porsche’s Sport Chrono Package option featuring Dynamic Transmission Mounts for the first time as well Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with a mechanical rear limited slip differential.

So what are you waiting for? Get your your business cheque books out and head for your nearest Porsche Centre. The new Boxster and Boxster S go on sale from April 28.