This is the SsangYong Rexton DKR "made in Spain" for the 2019 Dakar

SsangYong returns to the Dakar with a project developed entirely in Spain. We reveal all the secrets of the new SsangYong Rexton DKR.

SsangYong surprised everyone last year by announcing its participation in the Dakar with the Tívoli DKR just a few months before the start of the event. The car was developed in record time, and few would have bet that Óscar Fuertes and Diego Vallejo could achieve their goal of reaching the finish line.

Now, for the 2019 Dakar, SsangYong is back in action with the SsangYong Rexton DKR. And it does so with the same enthusiasm as last year, with the same driver and co-driver team, and with a completely new car, developed by SsangYong Motorsport in Spain. It promises greater reliability and better performance, so the goals for this year are even more ambitious.

So much so that this year the team has even entered a 6×6 truck which, in addition to competing in the race, will provide support for the Rexton DKR, alongside a standard SsangYong Rexton and a motorhome.

These are the most notable features of the new SsangYong DKR, which will face a 5,000 km race over ten stages starting on January 6, 70% of which will be run on sand. More than double the distance of the previous edition!

Buggy format with 4×2 drive

As the route of the world’s toughest raid has evolved, the best possible format is that of a buggy with rear-wheel drive. This is the SsangYong Rexton DKR, classified in the T1.3 category: two-wheel-drive vehicles with a petrol engine.

It therefore keeps the same configuration as last year’s Tívoli DKR, but with a very important new feature from the outset: at 1,837 kg, the weight has been reduced by 220 kg. To achieve this, the tubular chassis is made of chrome-molybdenum, and the bodywork is also lighter.

The “heart” of this dragon (in case you didn’t know, SsangYong means “double dragon”, and the logo represents the wings of this mythical animal) is once again a much-improved petrol V8. It is a engine with the classic configuration of American V8s “of old”, with direct injection, a central camshaft driven by pushrods and rocker arms, and only 2 valves per cylinder. Remember: in these races, robustness and reliability come first. With a new MoTec programmable ECU that allows map changes in real time, the power has increased from 405 CV to 450 CV, with a maximum torque of 500 Nm.

In addition to power, efficiency has been improved (the weight reduction plays a big part here). This also allows the capacity of the fuel tanks, made by Pyrotect, to be reduced, which total 300 litres of fuel. Some interesting figures: the SsangYong Rexton DKR has an average consumption in the race of approximately 55 litres per 100 km, its top speed is 195 km/h, and it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.

Ready for action

The power of the V8 is transmitted to the rear wheels through a Sadev manual-sequential gearbox with straight-cut gears and 6 speeds, connected to the engine by an AP Racing three-disc ceramic clutch, capable of withstanding up to 1,500 Nm of torque. The Torsen-type limited-slip differential offers more locking than on the Tívoli DKR, both under acceleration and on deceleration.

Tyres are key in a competition like the Dakar, and SsangYong has not wanted to experiment, opting for the Yokohama Geolandar M/T which delivered excellent results in the previous edition. As a new feature, they are fitted to new Raceline alloy wheels that allow lower pressures to be used to make it easier to cross the dunes. To this end, the Rexton DKR features a self-inflation system operated from the cockpit.

More improvements: suspension and brakes. The former remain the responsibility of KING specialists, with two telescopic dampers per wheel, adjustable in compression and rebound. Suspension travel is 400 mm at the front axle and 600 mm at the rear. As for the brakes, the new ventilated discs with a removable central hub, 310 mm in diameter, are gripped by 6-piston calipers with Pagid Racing pads, which not only improve the friction surface by 30 percent, but also heat dissipation.

Madrid driver Óscar Fuertes’s eyes light up with particular intensity when he comments: “In our second participation in the Dakar, we will once again set out with the main goal of reaching the finish, improving our general classification position if possible. We are convinced that the experience we have accumulated and the new Rexton DKR will allow us to perform at a high level”. He will once again be accompanied by Diego Vallejo, who can boast of having crossed the Dakar finish line in his three previous participations.

From top10motor, we wish you all the luck in the world on this new adventure!

SsangYong Rexton DKR image gallery