Rank
Pros
Cons
What's New for 2025?
The 718 Boxster lineup is unchanged aside from the removal of the exclusive RS Spyder, but prices are up across the board. That's partly due to the fact that the manual transmission is now a no-cost option at the PDK price level, whereas the manual 718 Boxsters previously offered a discount of a few grand. Hey, at least it's still available. The 718 Boxster itself may not be available after the 2025 model year; production is scheduled to cease at some point in 2025.
FAST FACTS
"The Boxster-vs.-Z4 battle is as old as this segment, although the Z4 starts being called the Z3 if you go back far enough. But these German lightweight heavies have been swinging at each other for the better part of three decades, and as ever, so much comes down to what's in the engine bay. We take a dim view of the turbo four-cylinder engines in the base Boxster and the Boxster S, finding them laggy and uncomfortably reminiscent of Subaru boxer fours. But if you can stretch for the six-figure 718 Boxster GTS 4.0, boy howdy — that's a future classic and one of the finest sports cars on the planet, full stop. Engine choice notwithstanding, the Porsche maintains its traditional advantages in handling and feel through the corners, although the Z4, which happens to serve as the basis for the Toyota GR Supra, acquits itself just fine."—Ranked #2 out of 2 Small Luxury Roadsters
MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2025 Porsche 718 Boxster that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.
Scroll to:
Porsche's PDK automated manual transmission improves fuel economy significantly, which is a nice fringe benefit if you didn't want to shift your own gears anyway. We're generally stick-shift advocates, but the base Boxster's turbo four-cylinder isn't exactly the purist's choice anyway. This specification works just fine with the automatic.
The six-speed manual transmission soldiers on, even in the base Boxster, but it's now offered as a no-cost option at the PDK price point, so there's no more three-pedal discount. We don't think the laggy, vaguely Subaru-like engine in the base Boxster is a great match for the manual anyway. PDK makes sense here, especially at the same price.
Upgrading to the Boxster S gets you an extra half-liter of engine displacement and corresponding bumps in power and torque. It will always and forever be a bummer, though, that Porsche decided years ago to stop making six-cylinder power standard across the Boxster line. As with the base car, the Boxster S engine reminds us too much of that other maker of turbocharged flat-4 engines: Subaru. Unlike the base Boxster PDK, incidentally, the Boxster S PDK doesn't get much of a bump in fuel economy relative to its stick-shift counterpart.
You'll pay significantly more for the Boxster S manual this year, even though the stick is technically a no-cost option. As is the case across the lineup, you're effectively paying the PDK price and opting for the manual. Although the 2.5-liter Boxster S engine represents a significant upgrade over the base 2.0-liter unit, it still lags and rumbles like a WRX. Prices being equal, which they now are, we'd be tempted to take the PDK.
PDK chops a full half-second off the GTS 4.0's sprint to 60 mph, but it's not just the transmission doing that work — it's also the Sport Chrono package, which comes standard and includes launch control. If launch control's not activated, the difference is probably more like 0.2-0.3 second. Of course, this decision is more about feel than cold hard numbers, but while we're on the stats, we should mention that PDK also unlocks an extra 8 lb-ft of torque compared to the manual.
Although we've said nice things about the GTS 4.0 PDK, we'd absolutely want the stick in the GTS 4.0, even at no discount this year. There's something undeniably special about orchestrating that flat-6 howl with both feet, and three-pedal GTS 4.0 specimens will always command a premium when it's time to sell. That's why you can't judge the manual Boxster GTS 4.0 by its 0-60 time, which is just a tenth of a second quicker than that of the Boxster S manual. It's arguably a bargain even at its lofty asking price.
What are the different versions of the 2025 718 Boxster, and how much do they cost? Select a version below or just hit the button to see our full 2025 718 Boxster specs and model data.
| Version | Price | Fuel | MPG | Power | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Porsche 718 Boxster Base (2.0T Automatic) | $74,900 | Gas | 24 | 300 hp | 280 lb-ft |
| 2025 Porsche 718 Boxster Base (2.0T Manual) | $74,900 | Gas | 22 | 300 hp | 280 lb-ft |
| 2025 Porsche 718 Boxster S (2.5T Automatic) | $86,900 | Gas | 22 | 350 hp | 309 lb-ft |
| 2025 Porsche 718 Boxster S (2.5T Manual) | $86,900 | Gas | 21 | 350 hp | 309 lb-ft |
| 2025 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 (Automatic) | $101,800 | Gas | 21 | 394 hp | 317 lb-ft |
| 2025 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 (Manual) ✅ our pick | $101,800 | Gas | 19 | 394 hp | 309 lb-ft |
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008. Prior to founding MotorDonkey, he spent 15 years shaping Edmunds' expert automotive content in various capacities, starting as an associate editor and ultimately serving as a senior editor before wrapping up with a five-year term as the company's first-ever director of content strategy. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has driven, compared and critiqued thousands of cars in his career. Helping people find their perfect car never gets old—seriously!
Latest Reviews
Let's make it official!Be a good donkey and we'll deliver delicious car news straight to your inbox, spam-free forever.
