This is no ordinary Peugeot 3008. Though the bodyshell shares styling cues with the new SUV-styled 3008 model Peugeot is showing at the Paris Motor Show, underneath it uses a purpose-built chassis designed for maximum speed in the challenging Dakar desert rally.
The standard 3008 would probably struggle on one of the world's most demanding motorsport events rally, so the DKR benefits from wholesale changes including a mid-mounted engine driving the rear wheels. Peugeot’s previous Dakar winner, the 2008 DKR, was also rear-wheel drive, and Peugeot says this proves you don’t necessarily need four-wheel drive to conquer the toughest landscapes in the world. The 2008’s win represented the first time a two-wheel drive car had taken the title in 15 years.
The engine in the 3008 DKR is a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel, producing 340bhp and a mammoth 800Nm of torque. That’s plenty of power to propel the lightweight, carbon-fibre body around.
• New Peugeot 3008 prices and specs
The 3008 DKR has a six-speed sequential gearbox, and though it’s not geared for maximum speed it can still hit 124mph. Its real strength comes when you ask it to attack sand dunes, and Peugeot hopes it will replicate the success of this year's Dakar-winning 2008 DKR over difficult desert terrain.
Peugeot says it will do this with improvements in four key areas – reliability, driveability, suspension and air-conditioning. The reliability aspect is especially key in the 10,000km Dakar rally – often described as ‘the toughest race in the world.’
The 3008 DKR may not share much with the standard 3008 SUV, but Peugeot was keen to display that car in the design of the bodywork. “Our new Dakar car is the most extreme expression of Peugeot’s latest SUV,” said Sebastien Criquet, senior exterior designer at Peugeot. “It keeps the distinctive design language of the road car, but tranports it into a rally context. And that’s the dream job for any designer: when you create a car, you always have a competition version at the back of your mind.”
The Peugeot 3008 DKR will go on display at the Paris Motor Show later this week ahead of its debut in the Dakar rally in January 2017.
What do you think of Peugeot's new Dakar entrant? Let us know in the comments below...