Safari all of the issues! The sports-car-to-rally-car motion has reached its peak as huge automakers like Lamborghini and Porsche launch off-road supercars. First up is the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar.
Let’s get proper to the purpose. It’s superior {that a} mainstream firm like Porsche is bringing a manufacturing car like this to market. Make no mistake, the 911 Dakar is a plaything/flex for the rich.
Positive it is going to clean out the potholes in LA site visitors, however for the daring, it is going to even be good enjoyable on again roads and within the dunes. Will it ever actually go additional off-road than a forest service street or sandy seashore? Uncertain, however Porsche’s volcano-climbing antics may lead some to assume so. Do word that the automobile that drove up the volcano was a full-on race automobile and never very similar to the manufacturing 911 Dakar in any respect.
Let’s dive into what’s to love and never like concerning the Porsche 911 Dakar. Oh, and dive into why if I used to be searching for an off-road sports activities automobile and had cash to burn it most likely wouldn’t go in the direction of one in all these.
2023 Porsche 911 Dakar
Impressed
Let’s first speak about all that’s proper with the 2023 911 Dakar.
First up is spectacular energy — 473 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque — and velocity — 3.2 seconds from 0-60 and a prime velocity of 149 mph. Positive many different Porsche 911 variants are sooner, however none might be sooner off-pavement.
That energy is put in test with some cool new driver help tech oriented in the direction of off-pavement adventures. First up is 2 new driving modes — Rallye Mode and Off-Highway Mode. Rallye Mode is rear axle biased and for free quick surfaces whereas Off-Highway Mode is all about traction and tackling tough terrain.
No trendy sports activities automobile can be full with out launch management both, and the 911 Dakar affords “Rallye Launch Management.” Whether or not the proper rally stage begins or simply impressing your pals this pc support helps you get fast acceleration off the road whereas on free surfaces, permitting as much as 20% wheelspin.
Dealing with on and off street ought to be fairly spectacular with the 911 Dakar’s pedigree, AWD, rear-axle steering, and specifically formulated tires (Pirelli Scorpion A/T Plus).
The ride-height carry system/floor clearance of the 911 Dakar has its execs and cons. First, it’s spectacular to see a manufacturing facility sports activities automobile get a 2- to 3-inch carry. It’s additionally spectacular that it could possibly keep at its tallest setting — it’s adjustable — at as much as 105 mph. What’s not so nice is that it solely has a floor clearance vary of two.75 to three.930 inches — contemplate a standard crossover has 7-10 inches of floor clearance.
Due to that better-than-sports-car, worse-than-SUV floor clearance the 911 Dakar has spectacular underbody armor. Full stomach skid plates will certainly be used typically. The stainless-steel entrance lip skid and aspect skirt safety pates will even probably get used rather a lot. Most spectacular to us is the aspect skirt safety, which is principally rock rails. Have you ever ever seen a manufacturing facility sports activities automobile include rock rails?!
We can also’t overlook the cool equipment Porsche has on provide for the 911 Dakar. The roof even has a 12v outlet in order that roof-mounted equipment might be simply powered, together with the superior roof basket with built-in lights — which is rated to hold as much as 92 kilos of substances. Whereas all isn’t nice with the basket filled with equipment — extra on that later — the Porsche-branded MAXTRAX Minis are fairly superior.
Not Impressed
OK, now that we’ve talked concerning the bling and why the 911 Dakar is an superior machine that’s extremely uncommon to be constructed by a giant producer, let’s dive into the issues we’re not so impressed by with Porsche’s creation.
First up, no three-pedal possibility. That’s proper, the world’s first manufacturing facility off-road Porsche sports activities automobile has a flappy paddle gearbox solely. A automobile like this ought to be about driver engagement and the driving expertise. A guide transmission helps on these fronts however isn’t obtainable on the 911 Dakar. This simply goes to point out that this automobile will principally be about displaying off round locations like Beverly Hills in stop-and-go site visitors, not really hooning round on again roads. Sure, I do know, the PDK transmission is approach sooner at shifting gears than any human with a guide gearbox, however on this automobile, for its designed use case, it doesn’t make sense to me to don’t have any guide possibility.
Whereas the three,552-pound curb weight is spectacular when you think about it’s lower than 100 kilos greater than a 911 Carrera, it’s nonetheless a considerable determine. Efficiency and sturdiness on the monitor and within the desert depend on a mixture of sunshine weight, energy, and powerful elements. The 911 Dakar is simply lacking the really light-weight a part of that equation.
A technique Porsche already saved weight on the 911 Dakar is to strip it of again seats. Yep, this can be a two-seater, so no bringing the children in your spirited off-road romps.
Styling of the 911 Dakar is one thing that may take a while to get used to for a lot of, like myself. The black plastic wheel arch cladding specifically actually cheapens the look of the automobile in my view. The peak of the entrance and rear ends can also be a bit distracting from the traditional traces and proportions of the 911, and are tremendous busy.
The Rallye Design Package deal is what Porsche expects about 80% of patrons to decide on, versus a single-color painted automobile. The livery actually does make the automobile look extra rally automobile and fewer lifted street automobile with all-terrain tires. The “Roughroads Porsche” graphics are a bizarre solution to get round paying royalties to Rothsport Racing, which the livery is a homage too, and really feel compelled.
Each full bucket seats and adaptive sports activities seats plus are on provide, each give nice help and look superb, however sadly the headrest stitching simply says “911,” with no reference to the particular “Dakar” mannequin they’re being fitted into.
The 19- and 20-inch wheels are little question wanted to clear the massive brakes and suspension elements. The difficulty is that they’re terrible for off-road use. Oh, and the automobile would look so a lot better if it had smaller wheels and extra tire sidewall.
The Porsche branded gasoline and water cans in a customized holder on the roof whereas cool to have, look tremendous low cost. The uncovered {hardware} on the mounting system is the other of what you’d anticipate out of a Porsche Design product — they most likely didn’t design it. Additionally, the dry bag within the basket appears kinda compelled and thrown in there. Why wasn’t a modern designed laborious case customized match to the basket designed? Particulars matter on a $250,000 car.
911 Dakar: Availablity & Pricing
The 911 Dakar is anticipated to start out hitting dealerships in Spring 2023, though most/all will probably be presold. Porsche has already introduced that manufacturing might be “restricted to 2,500 items globally.”
Listed beginning value for the Porsche 911 Dakar is $222,000. That’s earlier than choices — you’ll probably need a bunch of them. Oh, and earlier than vendor markups/”market changes” — which is able to little question be sizable.
Ought to You Purchase a 911 Dakar?
If I had $300,000 to $500,000 — an actually applicable vary for what these vehicles will really promote for in the marketplace — for an off-road rally/safari fashion sports activities automobile, I wouldn’t purchase one in all these. Whereas the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar is a powerful providing from a significant producer, there are simply higher choices in the marketplace already for partaking off-pavement driving experiences.
Whereas a manufacturing facility guarantee can be good, when you’ve got this sort of cash and truly wish to use one in all these vehicles off-road, you’re not going to be overly involved with that. You’ll additionally probably have your personal mechanic, or not less than one on name, to repair this machine if you discover that one G-out that snuck up on you or the tree that leapt out into the street.
I’d first dive into designing my very own construct with Russell Constructed (@Baja911 on IG). A Safari Sportsman construct, which might be comparatively equal in off-road functionality to the Porsche 911 Dakar, might be had for beneath $200,000. I’d go additional although, with a full loopy Baja 911 construct with 365 horsepower with 310 foot-pounds of torque, a 2,800-pound curb weight, 13.5″ of wheel journey, and a guide transmission. Is there a extra partaking off-road drive this aspect of a trophy truck?
One other nice possibility are the Eager Venture vehicles, which run typically between $120,000 and $200,000. Leh Eager for positive was instrumental in popularizing the 911 Safari in trendy instances along with his colourful builds and prospects who really use the vehicles to tear up gravel and grime again roads.
Porsche 911 Safari
The 911 Safari market has loads of gamers lately, which is why Porsche itself has jumped into the market with their very own product. It’s a development that the model simply couldn’t ignore, as there may be huge cash to be made.
Do I need a go in a 911 Dakar? Sure, sure I do. How enjoyable would this machine be this winter on a set of snow tires?! Is there a greater winter climate commuter — value and availability however?
