2023 Porsche 911 Dakar Performance

Don't let the raised body and all-terrain tires fool you into thinking that this isn't still a brutally quick sports car. With 473 hp and 420 lb-ft from the Porsche 911 Dakar's turbocharged engine, the all-wheel-drive coupe will complete the 0-60 sprint in just 3.2 seconds. The quarter-mile is done and dusted in 11.6 seconds and it'll reach a top speed of 149 mph with summer tires. Yes, the cheaper 911 Turbo S is quicker to 60 mph by over half a second, but it can't do half of what the Dakar can in an off-road environment. There's no manual gearbox here, just a quick and smooth eight-speed dual-clutch automatic, but considering that you'll have your hands full with everything else the Dakar can accomplish off-road, this doesn't feel like a negative.

To optimize acceleration on loose surfaces, there is a Rallye Launch Control mode that will allow wheel slippage of around 20%. And, even when the suspension is in its highest setting, the Dakar can still reach a top speed of around 105 mph on the dirt.

We can only dream about what the AWD 911 Dakar might've been like with the GT3's 4.0-liter naturally aspirated boxer-six engine, because the Dakar only comes with the 3.0L twin-turbocharged six-cylinder mill that is found in several other 911s. Here, it develops 473 hp and 420 lb-ft, the latter on tap all the way between 2,300 and 5,000 rpm. The turbo engine may lack the responsiveness and unfiltered soundtrack of the GT3's mill, but it's hardly devoid of power and character, and in off-road conditions, it provides more than enough grunt to exploit the Dakar's otherworldly chassis capabilities.

Likewise, there is just one transmission option, that being Porsche's eight-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic that delivers typically quick shifts but settles into a smooth rhythm during less frenetic commutes.

No EPA estimates have been published for the Porsche 911 Dakar just yet, but we expect its gas mileage to be worse than the Carrera 4 GTS, which returns 17/23/19 mpg city/highway/combined. Assuming around 18 mpg combined for the Dakar, it should be able to cover a range of about 317 miles based on its fuel tank capacity of 17.6 gallons. Even if it ends up being heavier on gas than our estimate, the mpg rating of the 911 Dakar is unlikely to be an important factor in the purchasing decision.