“Absolutely nothing about this car is subtle; it wears its dirt-flinging, dune-crushing intentions on its sleeve. The moment you hit the sand, the 911 Dakar comes alive. And holy moly, can this thing rip.
Despite the increased suspension travel and meaty tires, the 911 Dakar’s on-road ride quality is stiffer than you might imagine for something designed for the dirt. It’s more akin to a street-spec 911 Carrera, which means things like pitch and dive under acceleration and braking aren’t a problem – ditto body roll.
Stay in the throttle and the Dakar will claw up any slope, jump the crest and then kick up huge plumes of sand when you sling it sideways at the bottom of the hill. The whole time, the 3.0-liter engine roars behind you, the transmission holding second gear to keep the throttle response sharp.
It’s easy to control. It never feels like it’s going to get away from you. It works with you, egging you on to go faster and faster. As good as a Carrera 4 GTS is on-road, the Dakar is just as adept in the dirt.
Then again, that’s to be expected given the Dakar’s exorbitant price tag: $223,450 including $1,450 for destination, or, for comparison, slightly less than a new 911 GT3 RS. Not that this matters, of course. With only 2,500 destined for global consumption, Porsche will have no problem selling every Dakar it can make.
The Dakar is absurd and hilarious, and there’s nothing else like it on the road today. You’ll be doing this 911 a disservice if you don’t let it play in the sand.”
— Steven J. Ewing, Autoblog
