Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet 991.2 vs Porsche Boxster Manual 987: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet hits 100 km/h in 4.05 s versus 5.47 s for the Boxster Manual. At this point, the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet leads by 1.42 s and sits roughly 9 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is doing 158 km/h against 135 km/h for the Boxster Manual. The gap is 1.06 s. The challenger starts to claw back ground.

At 400 metres standing start, the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet crosses the line in 11.98 s versus 13.65 s. The 1.67 s gap represents roughly 77 m of track - a gap visible to the naked eye.

Past 400 metres, the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet continues to build its lead. At 600 metres, it runs at 220 km/h versus 192 km/h. At 1,000 metres, the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet finishes in 21.53 s versus 24.66 s, with a 3.13 s lead.

The 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet features all-wheel drive (AWD) against the Boxster Manual’s RWD. At low speeds (0-30, 0-50, 0-80 km/h), AWD doubles the driven contact area: all four wheels transmit torque to the road, virtually eliminating wheelspin at launch. This traction advantage is decisive in the range where the motor delivers peak torque, before power and aerodynamics take over.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is capped at 303 km/h, the Boxster Manual at 262 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

With two combustion powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (3.66 kg/hp vs 5.15 kg/hp) and transmission (Automatic vs Manual).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 8.46 seconds. The 1.42 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.