Jalopnik
When the terrain became more challenging, it was time to toggle over to Off Road Mode. In this, at maximum height, the 911 Dakar scampered up and over steep dunes and through soft, deep sand that I’d later struggle to even walk across.
The Porsche felt at home. Meanwhile, I felt utterly thrilled, in complete disbelief that I was doing this in a 911, one that I’d previously thought could not possibly be up to the task. Whether sliding across gravel or climbing up enormous dunes, the Dakar was more than capable.
Just as impressive, the Dakar remained just as good on those transit stages between the dunes. It still felt more or less like a standard GTS as we cruised down Morocco’s broken stretches of asphalt, between little towns full of excited kids who jumped and waved and smiled (and, occasionally, flipped us the bird) as our convoy of Porsches went peacocking by.
Car and Driver
Based on the Carrera 4 GTS, this outrageous 911 is a quarter-million-dollar dune buggy that stands tall on the street.
www.caranddriver.com
If you hadn't already guessed, the Carrera 4 GTS also donates its all-wheel-drive system with Porsche Traction Management and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus. To these, the Dakar adds GTS options such as rear-wheel steering and the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control system of active anti-roll bars, and the combination of all of that, plus a caravan load of software optimization, gives the added Rallye and Offroad driving modes some real teeth.
As the name implies, Rallye shifts the torque bias rearward and sets up the active anti-roll bars and rear-steer systems to promote controllable rally-style oversteer on loose, gravelly surfaces. But these are adaptive systems, so they can reel things in if the pendulum swings too far. Offroad mode delivers a more even front/rear torque split, and it can relax the anti-roll bars and lock the rear differential to maintain forward progress on uneven terrain. Both modes' baseline torque splits are more like guidelines than actual rules, as the system has the bandwidth to shunt torque anywhere from 88 percent front to 100 percent rear, depending on where the traction is.
To this, the Dakar has one final ace up its sleeve: increased static ride height, plus a farther 1.2-inch suspension lift. Automatically deployed in Offroad mode and manually selectable in other modes, the system raises the Dakar's belly from a healthy 6.3 inches of standard clearance (1.8 inches more than in the GTS) to 7.5 inches of maximum clearance. The 911's short 96.5-inch wheelbase translates that into a respectable 19.0-degree breakover angle, which is firmly in crossover SUV territory. This proved handy in the dunes, where high-centering was never a concern.
Autocar
Safari 911s have long been cult favourites. Now at last Porsche has made one you can buy. With 473bhp and 4WD, is it the ultimate desert racer?
www.autocar.co.uk
Porsche has also plundered the parts bin to see which bits can be seconded to the Dakar’s new role. The answer is the carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bonnet from the 911 GT3, as well as its engine mounts, rear-seat removal, lightweight battery and thinner glass. The active anti-roll bars have been moved from the options to the standard equipment list, as has, crucially, rear-wheel steering.
Things you won’t find on any other 911 at any price include full underbody protection, a bespoke CFRP rear wing and a centre radiator deleted to improve approach angles. Porsche at least appears to be taking this car very seriously indeed, even if some customers may not.
So what’s it actually like? Despite the fact that Porsche claims to have halved the Dakar’s spring rate to take into account its off-roading role and, I’m sure, offset some of the stiffness in the sidewalls of those Scorpions, it certainly didn’t feel that way as we bumped our way south through Morocco to close to the Algerian border, where vast ranges of dunes rose up to meet us. It’s firm, not uncomfortable, but definitely firm, although no noisier than a winter tyre. What it may be like on the bespoke summer and winter tyres that Pirelli has also developed, I couldn’t say.
Otherwise, it’s what you may expect from a Carrera 4 GTS with sports seats but otherwise all the usual refinements.
Mac drives his 911, which happens to be a cab if I remember, in -40C! He did send his Dakar build to his dealership (1400Km away) but was told his configuration was 50K short and that they would not consider anything less than Can$300,000 🥵
