Automobile Magazine, August 1998, Volume 13, Number 5
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Four Seasons Test, Porsche Boxster.

Shod with Pirelli Winter 210 Asimmetrico tires, the Boxster storms through winter. The cold weather dims our ardor for our Automobile of the Year only slightly.

11,105 Associate editor Eddie Alterman's ardor hasn't diminished at all: "Other than a dearth of interior storage space, I can't think of anything I don't love here. The car is wonderfully evolved and undeniably Porsche. It's intoxicating." Easy, fella.

11,621 The driver's window freezes shut, so that the window can't drop down like it's supposed to when the door is opened and bangs against the top frame when you try to close the door. Fifteen minutes with the heat blasting gets it moving again.

11,886 "I took this car to show to a family friend who'd been vaguely considering trading his T-Bird for a Boxster. It only took thirty minutes with this car for him to start foaming at the mouth. That 'Bird's days are numbered."

12,849 On a long drive home from the Upper Peninsula through snow, then ice, the Boxster tracks true.

15,622 "We made the right choice!" enthuses technical editor Kevin Clemens about our Automobile of the Year. But he notes that side visibility is hindered by rain runoff from the windshield, and the defroster struggles to clear the windows without baking the occupants.

Automobile Magazine reports: 6/96, 3/97, 2/98, 4/98
Price as tested: $45,706
Months in service: 6
Miles to date: 15,843
Observed fuel economy: 21.2 mpg

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