Coming off the back of a successful Dakar and Silk Way Rally campaign with the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR this year, Team Peugeot Total and Red Bull have revealed the new PEUGEOT 3008 DKR. This is the all-new successor to the famous machine with which Stéphane Peterhansel claimed his resounding 12th victory on the Dakar back in January, and Cyril Despres clinched his first win on four wheels on the Silk Way Rally in July.
A technical challenge & designer dream
The all-new Dakar challenger is based on an entirely new model of Peugeot SUV, to be revealed at the Paris Motor Show next month, following eight months of intensive work in Velizy, France, since the Dakar finish ramp in Rosario. The new PEUGEOT 3008 SUV forms the inspiration for the latest evolution, following the company’s return to Dakar after 25 years in 2015.
The new PEUGEOT 3008 DKR also remains loyal to Peugeot’s two-wheel drive philosophy, with the first Dakar win for a two-wheel drive car in 15 years nine months ago proving that you don’t necessarily need four-wheel drive to conquer the toughest landscapes in the world.
The new PEUGEOT 3008 DKR improves on its illustrious predecessor in a few main areas:
Peugeot Sport has now ensured that the car’s 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbodiesel engine is even more driveable for next year’s Dakar, delivering greater torque at lower revs. Adding to the challenge for the engineers is the fact that the latest Dakar regulations have imposed a smaller restrictor on the engine (38mm as opposed to 39mm last year) with a net loss of around 20 horsepower.
Suspension one of the key elements to success on the Dakar, as it governs just how quickly the car can cover the ever-changing untrammelled terrain that is the hallmark of the Dakar, ranging from salt flats, to WRC-style gravel roads, to sand dunes. Now for the new 3008 DKR further work has been done on the geometry and dampers. The test programme up to now, which has included the 15-day long Silk Way Rally – featuring quite similar terrain to the Dakar – was instrumental in furthering these important improvements.
Air conditioning is something we all take for granted on our road cars, but the air conditioning that was introduced on the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR in Asia this summer has been made even more effective for Peugeot Sport’s latest creation. With crews spending up to 12 hours a day inside the cars, subject to cockpit temperatures in excess of 60 degrees centigrade, the effect of air conditioning on human performance cannot be underestimated.
Peugeot Sport will be aiming now for the sixth Dakar win in its illustrious history, with last year’s triumph – in which a Peugeot led every proper stage – coming on top of four wins on the Dakar in Africa between 1987 and 1990.
Before the Dakar itself, Carlos Sainz will test the new PEUGEOT 3008 DKR in race mode against other Dakar competitors and Cyril Despres in the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR, during Morocco’s Rally in October (from October 3rd to 7th).
Simply awesome looking SUV!