Four real seats? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

I've been shopping for a convertible and fallen in love with the Boxster. The steering feel is brilliant, I love the cozy cabin, and the handling is outstanding. The long summer afternoon I spent wandering through the Wisconsin hills in a Boxster is easily the most fun I've ever had driving in my life. However, my family situation might make a roadster impractical, and so I have to consider 4-seated substitutes. I have two questions: 1) how close are 911s to Boxter in feel? I don't need tons of power, I care more about handling and road feel. 2) What's the closest thing to a Boxster with 4 real seats? I know nothing will be close, but what's the best option if I have to go that route?

The 911 has pretty much the same front suspension-steering as the Boxster S so if you like the steering in the Boxster you'll like the steering in the 911. But the 911 backseats are pretty useless... Closest thing to a Boxster with 4 real seats? That's a tough one... light weight, RWD, great steering feel,...hmmmm... Well there's the Mazda RX-8 but the power is nothing like a Boxster S. Maybe comparable to a 986 base model, but still, the lack of power below 6000RPMs will be a shocker to you. Aside from that...Perhaps an E36 M3, it has great steering feel but the suspension is very soft. Try out an RX-8 and see if the engine doesn't bother you too much.

those 4 seats are real enough when needed .. I've driven a 3000gt which is also a 2+2 seater .. and I've fit 4 adults in the car seats. The 2 in the back just gotta twist and squeeze a bit .. and biggest person go to the front. =]

panamera

OP requested a convertable? As far as I know the Panamera will never have a convertible top ? Off topic: Is anyone on this board actually `in love` with the Panamera ? IMHO, seems like Porsche mated the Cayenne and 911 cab, and had an child which is the Panamera. Like all product of incestuous relations, its not quite right. Certainly has all the facial feature of the family line, but the package as a whole seems wrong ? Anyone else ?

I know how you feel about the Boxster, but there is probably no 4 seater which will give you the same driving experience as a Boxster. Why do think that we all drive them and not something else. Sorry. Ed

http://www.eurocarblog.com/post/1062/lotus-evora-new-pics

The Lotus looks great, much better then the Panamera. To the OP, I think you'd be hard pressed to fine a mid engined convertable that drives like the Boxster with 4 seats. So...buy a Boxster, and a Honda Accord. To nefarious986's question, no I do not care for the Panamera. If I was in the market for a 4 door sedan it wouldn't be on my list.

Panamera for sure will not take any trophies home. M5 has been around for some time and has been the class leader in performance sedan category.

The M5 would be a great choice, as well as several offerings from Acura and Lexus.

Agreed. If you need a four door sedan, get a good looking sedan instead of a sporty four door. They look like wannabes to me. Its just not right.

Both of those brands have nothing that comes close to the M5. IS-F is just a poorly engineered car.

I think it depends on what your in the market for, BMW, Honda, and Toyota all have a long history of producing quality cars. I'd look to any of those before the Panamera. I'd like Porsche to build me small sports cars, and roadsters, not SUV's or sedans. As FTD stated, "it's just not right."

Thank you for the replies. I think I would love an RX-8, but I really am looking for a convertible. I know nothing with four seats can really replicate the Boxster's mid-engine dynamics. _But_, I figure many of the posters here have driven a wide array of cars, and was hoping someone would suggest the best option out of the unavoidable compromises of four seats.

OP wrote "I care more about handling and road feel.", there's no 4-door from Acura or Lexus that has handling and road feel. Reliability is another topic. It's not right, but it's people like OP that Porsche is marketing the Panamera towards. It's the "I got kids" or "My wife won't let me" car.

1) The 911 is a nice handling car but is certainly different than the Boxster. Also the rear seats are really tiny. No adult would want to be back there even for a short drive. If you have infants and toddlers they would be ok (although its a real pain to strap kids in the back of a two door car) 2) The closest thing to a Boxster with 4 real seats is 2 Boxsters. any convertible with large enough rear seats to be called "real" will have tons of issues with buffeting and handling because of the big hole in the middle of the car. Personally I would not even try searching for a car that's like a Boxster with 4 seats. Instead I would buy a Boxster and a 4 door sedan, wagon or minivan.

Drive a BMW 3 series. It is no Boxster but it is a World Class drop top with 4 useable seats. A 911 is only an option if your rear passengers have no legs.

VW EOS convertible hardtop Audi S4 Cabriolet (if you like to go fast in syle) Audi A4 Cabriolet (lots in the pre-owned market) While I am a German car fanatic all the way, considering the sorry state of car sales at Volvo, maybe a look at their convertible hardtop...

In retrospect, the Cayenne probably didn't get a red carpet welcome from the Porsche community either. But it turned out to be a good thing. Even the Boxsters were poorly regarded first when it was announced. Being considered "the poor man's Porsche" is not exactly flattering. Lets hope the Panamera is going to be freakin brilliant.

IMO, if you want a convertible sports car, and you need room for four, the BMW M3 is the only car to get. The E36(older) , E46(newer), and E92(newest) bodystyles have all been fantastic sports cars with room for four. The M3 will not handle the same as a boxster, thats a given due to different dynamics, i.e. engine location, size, and weight. But, the M3 is similar in that you get a lot of performance in a stock package. Their power to weight ratios always seem ideal as well. I believe an M3 would put a smile on your face everytime you drive it, like a boxster would, just probably not quite as big.