For speed, two cars stand out among the rest—Chevrolet Corvette and the Porsche 718 Boxster. They’re stylish, beautiful, and demand attention, but it can be hard to choose between them. Assuming that buying both is out of the option, this guide could help you decide between these two amazing sports cars.
Price
The Corvette and 718 Boxster aren’t the cheapest vehicles you could purchase, but you get what you pay for. Both cars are similarly priced. According to the Chevrolet website, the 2017 Corvette Stingray has the lower MSRP at $55,450, while the 718 Boxster starts with a base price of $56,000 as stated by Porsche. A difference of $550 isn’t huge at this price point, so both sports cars are still great contenders. Which will outshine, giving you more power for your dollar?
Fuel Economy
Fuel economy may not be the first thing people consider for their sports cars, but you want to get high mileage while you’re driving around town and showing off your beautiful ride. The 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster fuel economy is estimated at 20 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, according to Car and Driver.
Alternatively, the Chevrolet Corvette gets a lower estimated fuel economy of 16 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. The manual has a slightly lower city mileage of 15 mpg while the highway is higher at 36 mpg. Overall, the Porsche 718 Boxster has better fuel economy.
Body
These cars are built for beauty and speed, but which is better? The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 1LT is the base and comes standard with 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels with summer tires, Brembo brakes, xenon headlights, LED Running lights, heated mirrors, keyless ignition and entry, and plenty more features. Upgrading to the Z51 1LT gives you larger wheels with 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels and an exterior aero trim with larger front brakes and slotted brake rotors.
The Porsche 718 Boxster isn’t too far behind with 18-inch wheels and high-performance summer tires, but you can also get 19-inch wheels by purchasing the Boxster S. It also comes with bi-xenon headlights, LED running lights, a power-folding soft top, and automatically deploying rear spoiler.
Power
How fast can it really go? The Corvette comes standard with a 6.2-liter V8 that produces 455 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. That gives it the ability to reach 60 with the manual transmission in 4.1 seconds and in merely 4.0 with the automatic. However, the fastest is in the Z06 which can reach 60 mph in an impressive 3.5 seconds, according to reviews.
The Porsche has a smaller engine with the standard 2.0-liter turbo that has 300 horsepower, but you can upgrade to a 2.5-liter turbo engine that gets 350 horsepower. The 2.5-liter engine is also capable of 309 lb-ft of torque but reaches 60 mph at slower speeds when compared to the Corvette. The 718 Boxster S can reach 60 in 4.9 seconds, but reviews state it actually takes 4.4 seconds.