First rate describes the driving position. The seat height has been lowered this year, the pedals moved forward and the headrests slightly back. Reach and feel for the steering wheel, shifter and pedals are near ideal. Once you slide inside, you come to grips with a new, tilt and telescoping wheel. The tach is still front and center in the updated instrument cluster, but other gauges have been enlarged and spaced further apart to make them easier to read. Less easy to see are the readouts for temperature and fan settings. They're positioned at the bottom of the button-busy center stack, where top-down sunlight tends to wash out the displays. Cabin storage spots are many in number, small in size. Overhead, the Boxster's rag top is three layers thick (formerly two) with a heated, glass backlight. The trip from up to down takes about 12 seconds - just pop the header latch and push a button. When down, the top sits semi-enclosed under a hard boot. And, if a hair-trigger stoplight catches you in mid-movement, the Boxster's got your back: the top can be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 31 mph. When closed, the top is snug and weather-tight, and the cabin is relatively calm and wind-free when down - provided that you invest $375 in the windstop. Drop-top drivers should consider this surprisingly optional item a mandatory purchase.

While 80 percent of the 2005 Porsche Boxster's components are new, the visual cues are few. But, those who aren't deterred by the subtleties of Stuttgart styling changes or the near 911 nose will be rewarded with a sweet ride and a sound value. At $43,800 for the standard model, a 2005 Boxster is $2,570 less than a comparably equipped '04. With its racing reflexes, stiffer ride and near $10,000 price bump over base cars, the "S" in S models really stands for specialized. In either guise, the 2005 Porsche Boxster will satisfy all but the hardest core of drivers.