Yahoo Autos 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar First Look: Wildly different 911 might be the coolest one yet
LOS ANGELES — If you follow enough automotive-themed Instagram feeds, there’s a very good chance you’ve come across a 911 Safari. They are delightfully incongruous verging on the oxymoronic: one of the world’s most capable and famous sports cars jacked up, fitted with off-road tires, extra driving lights and a large roof rack probably holding a tire. Possibly a roof tent. Believe us, it’s a whole thing and it goes back decades with a rich rally history.
And now it’s an official factory thing thanks the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar. Yes, this is a real car that Porsche will produce 2,500 units globally of starting next spring, joining the ever-expanding pantheon of 911 models. As much as a 911 GT3 painted eye-searing blue sticks out in a crowd, we’re guessing the new 911 Dakar might trump them all when it comes to attracting eyeballs.
It all starts with that height. It rides 50 mm taller than a 911 Carrera or nearly 2 inches thanks to stretched springs, dampers and suspension links (the track is wider, too). The standard hydraulic, height-adjustable suspension basically takes the front-axle lift system available on other 911s and doubles up with a second pump at the rear. It can raise the Dakar another 30 mm for a grand-total lift of 3.15 inches to 7.5 inches (the car is set to this "High Level" in the above photos). Both that figure and the ramp-over angle are comparable to a typical crossover SUV, and actually quite a bit higher than off-roadish wagons like the Audi A6 Allroad and Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain. And unlike that pair, plus most other vehicles with high-mode off-road suspension settings that automatically lower around 20 mph, the Dakar’s High Level can be used up to 105 mph “for spirited off-road driving.” Or just looking bomb in Santa Monica.
Stuffed in those flared fender arches are specially designed Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus Tires measuring 245/45 ZR 19 at the front and 295/40 ZR 20 at the rear. They have 9 mm of tread depth plus reinforced sidewall with two carcass layers for damage resilience. Summer and snow Pirelli P Zero tires are optional and also feature the reinforced layers.
All-wheel drive is not surprisingly standard and is enhanced with modified diffs and a pair of Dakar-specific driving modes intended for the off-road arenas in which this 911 is intended to excel: sand and loose gravel. Rallye Mode biases power to the rear axle for loose and uneven surfaces and sure sounds like the makings of one helluva good time. Off-Road Mode maximizes traction in sand and rougher terrain, and automatically engages suspension’s High Level. There’s also a Rallye Launch Control that can be used with either off-road mode specifically engineered to operate on loose surfaces. I think that calls for a “yee-haw!”
