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2017 Peugeot 3008 DKR:: twin-turbo, rear-drive SUV revealed for 2017 Dakar Rally


Think Peugeot SUVs aren't hardcore enough for you? Then check out the new 2017 Peugeot 3008 DKR.

Due to be officially unveiled at next month’s 2016 Paris motor show, the new Peugeot 3008 DKR is the successor to the 2016 Dakar Rally-winning Peugeot 2008 DKR, and is set to take on the iconic off-road endurance rally raid come January 2017.

A brand-new car based on the all-new road-going second-generation Peugeot 3008, the menacing looking Peugeot 3008 DKR will follow in the footsteps of the 2008 DKR by again challenging off-road convention in being rear-wheel drive.

Power will again come from a 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo-diesel engine, though, Peugeot claims improvements in reliability, suspension (namely geometry and dampers), and air conditioning will all aid the car maker reach its goal of a follow up victory in 2017.

Despite new Dakar regulations mandating smaller air restrictors must be used next year – 38mm down from 39mm – the French car maker says a net loss of around 15kW may not mean cars are slower, but rather, along with more torque at lower revs, “this power is now accessible from further down the rev range, meaning that the car is easier to drive and potentially even faster”.

Touting its new rally weapon as “the most extreme expression of Peugeot’s latest SUV”, Peugeot senior exterior designer Sebastien Criquet said, “It keeps the distinctive design language of the road car, but transports 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.”

Team Peugeot Total director Bruno Famin adding, “Our goal with this car was to take the weaker points of the existing car and make them stronger, while capitalising on all the existing strengths to improve them still further.”

Dubbed the toughest race in the world, ‘The Dakar’ covers 10,000 kilometres of high-speed, high-altitude dirt, dust, and gravel, putting not only competitors but their machinery to what many believe is the ultimate test.

Making his Dakar Rally debut back in 1988, Stephane Peterhansel’s 2016 Dakar win in the 2008 DKR was the 12th of his career, with the Frenchman to return with Peugeot in 2017 to make this year’s win – the first for a two-wheel-drive SUV in 15 years – no fluke.

The 2017 Dakar Rally kicks off on January 2, 2017, taking a field of cars and trucks, plus motorbikes and quadbikes, across Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay.

Meanwhile, the all-new 2017 Peugeot 3008 SUV is confirmed to reach Australian showrooms from early next year.

Click on the Photos tab for more 2017 Peugeot 3008 DKR images.

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