Available in two flat-four variants, a 2.0-liter with 300 PS (296 HP) for the base model, and a 2.5-liter with 350 PS (345 HP) for the “S”, the 718 Boxster is, for most reviewers, the perfect all-rounder, offering everything from creature comforts to sheer driving pleasure.
Among many things, most of them positive, downsizing has brought it within firing range of models such as Lotus’ Elise Cup 250. Not a new rival per se, but the most powerful Elise out there and one that, in true Lotus fashion, has been subjected to a meticulous weight shedding process, from the seats to the wheels.
Therefore, it might be outgunned in sheer power, but at 931 kg (2,052 lbs) it weighs 424 kg (936 lbs) less than the Porsche and this makes the performance gap between the two practically negligible, as both have roughly the same power-to-weight ratio.
There’s not mistaking the one for the other, though: the 718 ticks all the right boxes and the Elise is a track-suited driver’s car. This clear cut identity, along with not being the default choice, are part of the attraction for many, especially in this particular segment that relies heavily on emotion and not so on measurable, and mundane, things. Does it work for Lotus, too, or has Porsche raised the bar too high for the Elise to reach?