When someone takes delivery of the groundbreaking Porsche 911 Dakar and has the urge to use it for what it’s marketed for, you can’t help but be ecstatic, even more so when you’re asked to help. My first impression of the 911 Dakar when it debuted was filled with hesitation and judgment. I didn’t feel it was aggressive enough; it seemed too tame, and with a gravel-first ‘road warrior’ design I didn’t expect it to live up to the Dakar namesake.
Being based on the drivetrain of a 911 GTS Carrera 4, I knew the car would certainly be powerful enough to handle gravel and sand, but what if we want to climb up a mountain? Thanks to a new, wealthy friend with an excess of enthusiasm and little worry for damage, I was able to find out the true limits of Porsche’s most capable new release.
After being recommended by a well-known curmudgeonly friend, I received a text asking to help a wealthy new Dakar owner with a trip the following weekend. My task for the two-day trip was to find the perfect area with a variety of trails, near an airport that could accommodate a private jet, and most importantly, drive a support car in case (let’s be real, when) the limits of the Dakar were reached. I eagerly said yes, and immediately began recollecting everywhere even vaguely off-road I had driven in California. Based on my previous experiences using my lifted Porsche Cayenne and a Land Rover Defender, I decided on the perfect area.
Our two day trip would be based out of Pioneertown, in Yucca Valley, and we would venture between Big Bear, Soggy Lake, Joshua Tree, and Glamis, where you can go from forest fire roads to a dry lake bed to high desert mountain trails and lastly, sand dunes. The variety of terrain would allow for maximum fun while testing how much of an offroader the Dakar actually is. The day before the start of the trip a brand new 2024 Land Rover Defender 110 was dropped off at my house with proper all-terrain tires. I knew this would be the perfect support car based on my time with a previous Defender.
The first day started at 7 a.m. in Pioneertown among the wild west-themed buildings. The second I laid eyes on the 911 Dakar with fuel cans, a shovel, and recovery boards on its roof I knew I had to make use of these Porsche branded accessories. After eating my morning banana we were off to Joshua Tree National Park. A gorgeous road with sights and trails, it was the perfect welcome to the high desert and warm up before we hit dirt.
The first trail we took led us down an old railroad, passing by dramatic cliffs and a choice of various high speed trails. It was the perfect terrain to get a feeling for how the Dakar handled offroad, and allowed time to test out the various off-road modes. Based on how fast we were going, the car was handling the elements proficiently. Following a lunch stop at a dive bar in Bombay Beach, a town only comparable to Sandy Shores from the popular video game Grand Theft Auto V, we were off to Glamis for the Imperial Sand Dunes. Even then, the Dakar rarely touched pavement due to the owner’s choice to use the shoulder of the road every chance he got.
Upon arriving at the Glamis beach store we got our safety flags, attempted to have a productive conversation with a local about how the Porsche was in fact going to drive on the dunes, and then set off to surf some dunes. Just five minutes in, both vehicles were balls-deep in sand. Those Porsche-branded recovery boards didn’t help here, though. After 2.5 hours of us and some very helpful strangers digging and using the boards, a Ford F-250 tow truck arrived and both of the cars were freed. This didn’t put a damper on our sandy excursion though; we aimed in a different direction, put the pedals to the floor and continued surfing dunes, this time without getting immobilized.
On our way to dinner in Palm Springs, we made one final stop at Painted Canyon where we plowed through dry river beds, climbed a near-vertical mountain, and became enchanted by the colossal cliffs that towered over us. Upon arriving at dinner we reflected on the day and discussed the rights and wrongs. Overall we agreed that we were highly impressed by the 911 Dakar and its ability to power through tough terrain. We did agree that it could use a couple more inches of ground clearance based on the slightly-torn-off rear diffuser and crunched front splitter.
After a peaceful sleep in the desert it was time to continue our desert escapades. We set off from Pioneertown and headed to Soggy Lake, a dry lake bed with off road trails and minimal visitors. We quickly discovered where the Dakar shines; it happily glides along the lake bed sideways at triple-digit speeds. Many gallons of gas later, we headed off to tackle rock climbing and the sandy rock filled trails. Our mood drastically changed when halfway through the trail, at approximately 40 miles per hour, a very large rock made contact with the passenger side front wheel and abruptly ended our drive. Both tires on the right side were deflated, the front right wheel was nestled into the fender liner and with the negative camber of a Formula Drift car we knew the 911 Dakar was not making it any further.
It was at this moment we had found the limits of the Porsche 911 Dakar. Thankfully we had our handy Defender support car so that we could temporarily abandon the Dakar to first grab brunch back in Yucca Valley and then sort out the recovery. Priorities, as only a billionaire could have. The original plan for the rest of the day was to have lunch in Big Bear and pretend we were Walter Röhrl rallying through the forest fire roads. Unfortunately we will have to revisit that idea on our next time out. The unconventional recovery method of removing the 911 Dakar from trail to road was sorted and we spent the rest of the day frolicking in Palm Springs until the 911 Dakar was on a trailer headed home.
Following the two day extravaganza, covering over 1000 miles, and sharing many new experiences, my new friend and I were left with a broken Porsche 911 Dakar, but more importantly, huge smiles across our faces. I know that not every 911 Dakar owner has the guts or finances to use their cars off-road as intensely as we did and experience what makes this car special along the way. Fortunately, I know of at least one daring owner and have been able to prove first hand that the Porsche 911 Dakar is capable of doing Dakar activities.
I can confidently say that the Porsche 911 Dakar can go almost anywhere you want it to as long as you have enough guts and a blank checkbook. It dominated the sandy and rocky trails of the California high desert and showed how fun the combination of speed and off-road can be. My original thoughts of the Dakar model being a marketing gimmick were unsubstantiated after this trip. However, it’s no F-150 Raptor, nor will it be anything close to one without some aftermarket enhancements and accessories, to include more suspension travel, skid plates, and heavy duty recovery boards.
After returning from this trip, I had the opportunity to experience the 911 Dakar on road and off-road with not just one, but two more examples. The feeling while driving on-road is that of a typical 911 – comfortable, capable, and controlled. From the canyon roads of Malibu to the trails in the high desert it isn’t until you see another Dakar next to you that you remember you’re driving an outrageously nonsensical Porsche 911, one that almost didn’t even exist at all.
