When Porsche affords you an opportunity to take a brand new 911 Dakar tenting, you say sure. Or, at the very least, I did. The decision got here proper on the tail finish of winter in Los Angeles throughout a chilly snap extreme sufficient that snow nonetheless lingered on the San Gabriel mountains. Fortunately, It wasn’t too frigid for tenting on the bottom—as a result of it doesn’t matter what Instagram loves, mounting a rooftop tent on a loaner 911 in all probability takes the idea of media testing a bit too far.
I might taken the Dakar for a full week, equally curious to drive the lifted, safari-style Porsche not simply off-road, but additionally on the town and thru native canyons to search out out whether or not the manufacturing facility’s stunning challenge resulted in a legit rally racer or a gimmicky cash-grab capitalizing on current aftermarket modification traits. This was on the heels of testing out a Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato—a automotive so stupefyingly enjoyable that even commuting in L.A. site visitors transforms into an eminently pleasurable technique to waste time. Robust act to observe, proper?
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Porsche based mostly the Dakar on a 992-generation 911 Carrera 4 GTS, then basically added the favored front-axle raise system onto the rear axle. Throw on some knobby Pirelli Scorpion all-terrain tires, a roof rack, and pretend Martini livery (a pretend Rothman’s paint job can be obtainable) and increase—you’ve obtained a 911 prepared for the desert.
Utilizing the Carrera 4 GTS platform means a turbocharged flat-six with all-wheel drive, however Porsche additionally made the perplexing choice to spec the Dakar with an automated transmission solely. No handbook choice obtainable. Fortunately, the engine places out 473 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque means down within the rev vary, and the eight-speed PDK transaxle is really one of many highest within the sport.
A Porsche Nonetheless Must Be at Residence within the Canyons
Michael Teo Van Runkle
Ripping via the Malibu canyons, the entire bundle evokes unbelievable ranges of confidence regardless of the extra trip peak. The planted rear finish appears to defy physics. Are there nonetheless three liters hanging off the again axle, or am I driving a mid-engined Cayman with a raise package? The steering by no means sacrifices an oz. of sensation, supremely reflexive regardless of noticeably extra cushion within the suspension and tires versus a lower-slung 911. With the drive mode dial and dampers set to Sport, and the traction and stability management turned down, the flat-six can crank out sufficient torque to interrupt traction at virtually any RPM. As I hustled via fast whiffs of oversteer, the all-wheel-drive system compensated to scoot the rear finish again into line.
In addition to a Dakar drives on the restrict of traction on asphalt, although, the benefit and luxury of driving to and from Malibu may simply be the automotive’s important promoting level. Even on the regular trip peak, I by no means clunked and clattered over tough sections of street, due to the longer journey of the PASM dampers and decrease spring charges—when not in Sport mode, at the very least. Mixed with taller tires, the suspension system merely renders something however the largest velocity bumps irrelevant.
The one bummer, particularly for metropolis life, can simply get checked off the choices checklist: a set of carbon-fiber bucket seats that make completely no sense in a automotive in any other case so comfy to drive. Actually, if something, I discovered myself wishing the Dakar rode even softer, with extra squish within the shocks to permit extra physique roll, extra compliance to soak up something—something in any respect—that I would blast over. I additionally observed a weird buzzing within the cockpit, from about 1,500 to 2,200 RPM at gentle to medium throttle. The entire automotive appeared to vibrate: home windows, door playing cards, sprint trim.
I think that the agency hydraulic raise system fore and aft is accountable, or that possibly Porsche ought to have skipped utilizing engine mounts borrowed from the GT3 to assist iron out the peculiar reverberations. To fight the buzzing, I simply flippy-flapped the paddle shifters down a pair gears and saved the flat-six revved up greater. This did the trick, earlier than embarking on the week’s greatest check—departing the pavement and blasting deep into the desert.
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Packing a Porsche 911 Dakar for an Overlanding Journey
Michael Teo Van Runkle
However first, there was the problem of packing up the Dakar for a tenting journey. Fortunately, the 911’s frunk is good and deep, with loads of room to carry a Jackery moveable energy pack—to maintain my gadgets charged, we’re not roughing it too arduous right here—and a Dealer Joe’s cooler bag filled with meals. I strapped a folding desk and chair to the roof rack longitudinally, and threw a few backpacks into the erstwhile backseat (deleted to create space for the rear axle raise componentry). Really tossing the luggage onto the rear shelf would have been simpler with entrance seats that folded down, however I knew I wanted to pack gentle anyhow. Rather more gear, and I’d must strip a number of the Porsche Tequipment equipment off the roof rack.
After one other hour-plus of freeway driving, with the Dakar ripping over the worst of the 405 freeway’s rhythmic rollicking with ease, I lastly turned off onto a graded desert street. Time to see what this pet can do, I assumed, as I fiddled via the drive modes to pick out the brand new “Rallye” setting, then held the ESC button for a number of seconds to ship the digital nannies on a time-out. Following my common protocols, I stepped out to verify my roof load within the hope that nothing may go flying, then climbed again in, scooted the carbon driver’s seat a bit additional ahead and as much as enhance my visibility, and punched the fuel.
Rallye mode clearly retains the GTS engine greater up within the rev vary, the place throttle response latency borders on nonexistence. Filth driving makes the Porsche model of instant pickup so precious (even for a turbo engine) due to how rapidly I began sliding round left- and right-hand bends. The drivetrain appeared to bias rearward with the burden distribution, too, which at all times presents the psychological quandary of whether or not to steer with my proper foot and belief the entrance wheels to finally hook up—or, extra Scandinavian fashion, really decide to the squigglefest and begin utilizing extra countersteering to take pleasure in wider, longer drifts.
I wasn’t on the clock, anyway, so go forward and guess what ended up going down in a brand-new, lifted 911 rally automotive. Every little thing that Porsche hoped to instill in a safari-style 911 straight from the manufacturing facility got here true as soon as I began pushing the Dakar tougher and tougher. No, we’re not on the degree of a Polaris RZR or Can-Am Maverick’s suspension journey. Tough washboards do prang and bang via the chassis nonetheless. And although I by no means tried any jumps—deciding knowledge must be the higher a part of valor in a one-of-2,500 automotive destined for buyer possession following my shenanigans—I think that doing so would in all probability end in a bevy of chiropractic appointments on my upcoming calendar.
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Porsche 911 Dakar in Its Native Habitat
Michael Teo Van Runkle
However that form of hardcore off-roading isn’t the place the Dakar shines, anyhow. Greater speeds and sliding sideways match into the sport way more. Suppose Monte Carlo WRC greater than Baja 1000. And, but, attending to my deliberate campsite would require a little bit of the slower-speed stuff, too—over a brief phase of rutted path climbing carved out even worse than I remembered by current rainstorms.
The Dakar’s drive mode dial on the steering wheel permits for 2 choices {that a} base Carrera 4 GTS lacks: Rallye and Off-Street. The place Rallye retains the chassis in its unique, 50-millimeter lifted trip peak, Off-Street pumps up the hydraulics to extend floor clearance by one other 30 millimeters. Alternatively, piano keys on the sprint may also individually management the trip peak, suspension damping, and traction management intervention protocols. As in most automobiles, whereas driving the Dakar I finally settled alone most well-liked mixtures, relying on the state of affairs.
Whereas Rallye mode works properly sufficient on flatter graded sections, I truly ended up in Sport mode with the dampers as smooth as potential and the PDK gearbox in full handbook mode. However to climb up about 100 yards of gnarlier path, I pumped up the hydraulics and turned ESC again to Sport, with the gearbox nonetheless in handbook mode so I might preserve the revs decrease and keep away from any wheel slip.
All of my considerations went proper out the window on the primary side, although—throughout a good left over the deepest rut of the day. The Dakar simply waved the entrance left tire up within the air a couple of foot or so, and preserving a slow-and-steady software of throttle, I felt the rear tires chatter for a second. Then the traction management caught up, the rear e-diff locked, and each tires merely stepped proper into the ditch. By the point all 4 wheels hit the bottom, the rears had crossed the deep rut with out even lifting. Possibly that rear-engined format that so many Porsche haters like to diss truly does some good whereas off-roading in any case!
Michael Teo Van Runkle
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The remainder of the trail offered a lot much less of a problem, although I detected possibly a second and third few moments with a entrance tire off the bottom. Not dangerous, for basically a evenly modified sports activities automotive. Ultimately, I pulled into the campsite having by no means aired down the Pirellis both, which might have solely improved traction and compliance concurrently. However doing so would have required bringing my compressor package, and packing the backseat even additional to the brim.
Some Ultimate Ideas on the Porsche 911 Dakar
Regardless of the spectacular efficiency within the dust, as on metropolis streets and canyon carving, I ended the day considering that the Dakar may do even higher with even softer suspension, and (clearly) a handbook transmission to assist differentiate the Dakar from the Huracan Sterrato—even when Porsche might be right that off-roading with a stick shift truly form of sucks. Right here, I’d counter that the upper speeds this 911 loves make for extra three-pedal enjoyable.
The truth that I’m even contemplating enhancements to an off-roading Porsche 911—straight from the manufacturing facility, with a guaranty—or a lifted Lamborghini all able to rock, is completely laughable. What an superior, completely surprising period of automotive engineering.
After a heat cup of espresso to stave off the coolness of night time setting in, I crawled into my little REI tent, anxious to nod off for the night time. A nylon door flap away, the Dakar awaited extra pleasure within the type of a sunny morning’s rip again to civilization—its fortunate driver considering a number of rally roadbook changes to make the trail again to pavement simply that little bit longer.
Porsche 911 Dakar Specs
Engine: 3.0 L 6-cylinderHorsepower/Torque: 473 hp/420 lb-ft0-60: 3.2 secondsTop Pace: 149 mphTransmission: 8-speed automaticMPG: 16 metropolis / 24 highwayPrice: From $222,000
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