| First UK Drive | Surrey, England | Porsche Boxster |

Porsche would make a good poker player. With no majorly perceptible changes to the appearance of the Boxster, the German firm has gone and upped the ante just as it looked like its rivals might be making a bid for their stake as maker of the best mid-sized open-top sports car. We take the new entry-level Boxster out on British roads to see if the gamble has paid off.

In the Metal

It's hard to see where Porsche has spent the money in revising the Boxster from the outside. Scrutinise the details and you'll find mildly reshaped lights front and rear that now incorporate LED bulbs, including the increasingly de rigueur daytime running lights. There are also larger air intakes at the front, a rear diffuser neatly bisected by the central exhaust pipe, and some natty new alloy wheel designs to choose from in 18- and 19-inch sizes.

Inside, the changes are equally difficult to pinpoint. The only big difference is with the new (and optional) Porsche Communication Management pack that has a 6.5-inch touch-screen for the satellite navigation and audio. It costs £1,904, though Porsche reckons most customers will choose it. As for the remainder of the changes to the Boxster, they've been kept under the skin, so we'll come to those in a minute - though the key one is that the standard Boxster's engine has grown from 2.7- to 2.9-litres and now produces 252bhp.

What you get for your Money

Well, two seats, a fabric roof that works electrically and one of the most enjoyable and balanced driving experiences ever offered on four wheels. The standard car's 2.9-litre engine now sees it from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds - or 5.8 if you opt for the PDK seven-speed automatic gearbox. Top speed is 162mph, so the standard Boxster is as much a performance car as many will deem necessary.

Naturally, we'd all prefer the Boxster S with its 306bhp 3.4-litre engine that fires off 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds or 5.2 as an auto. The PDK twin-clutch 'box also comes with a racing start function - worked by holding the car on the brake and flooring the throttle - that guarantees perfect launches every time. This automatic gearbox costs £1,920 and introduces a steering wheel-mounted paddle shift to the Boxster range for the first time. There is also the option of a limited slip differential at £737 for keen drivers who take their cars on track.

Driving it

Alarm bells usually start going off in our heads when we hear a manufacturer has fitted larger standard wheels as part of a facelift. They might look good, but ride quality is almost always the first casualty. Not so with the Boxster, which now sits on 18-inch wheels as they roll of the production line. On typical British back roads, both the Boxster and S models make creamy progress that lulls you into thinking this is not an out-and-out sporting proposition of a car. Wrong. Up the pace and the Boxster answers with unerring stability and control - this is what truly well sorted suspension feels like - as straights and corners are processed with elegant fluidity. The steering is also an object lesson in how to provide all the feel and sensitivity a driver could ever want or need without the car feeling fidgety or tiring. It's even easy to park thanks to a decent turning circle.

Taking the standard Boxster first, it's a quick car and the howl from the 2.9-litre 'flat' six engine is always a pleasure as the engine moves into the upper half of its rev band. The six-speed manual gearbox is light and precise, matching the rest of the controls, which are further enhanced by a spot-on driving position and cabin that affords plenty of room and comfort for the driver. Swap into the S model and there's a noticeable step up in performance. The S is more insistent when overtaking, barks out of corners with more force and is always one notch up the entertainment ladder.

There is one black mark for the Boxster, though, and that is the PDK automatic gearbox. First off, the steering wheel controls just don't make sense: you push the button to change up and pull to shift down. It's counter intuitive and, even if an owner would get used to it, we don't see why Porsche has done it this way. We also found some of the changes could be too abrupt, especially if the Sport mode is engaged.

Worth Noting

The standard Boxster has a temptingly affordable entry price of £33,704, and even the Boxster S with its 170mph top speed looks like something of a bargain at £40,388. However, it must be borne in mind that a Boxster with no ticks in the options column is a sparsely fitted out machine. Yes, you get air conditioning, alloy wheels and seats covered in leather and Alcantara, but the vast majority of owners soon up the bill with upgraded wheels, seat trim, stereo, satnav and a hue from the fancier palette of metallics on offer. Without much trouble, we reckon you will have to budget a further £10,000 to get a Boxster in the sort of specification most of us would desire - and the used trade will consider essential.

Summary

Small changes add up to a significantly better whole with the revised Porsche Boxster range. The previous model was a very fine car, but the new one plays an unbeatable hand in its class. The performance, agility, refinement and sheer quality of the Porsche shine through on every drive. We're not convinced by the PDK twin-clutch gearbox and prefer the brilliant six-speed manual, but otherwise this is about as close as it gets to open-top sports car perfection.