Engler Desat review: V10-engined quad bike driven... or should that be ridden?

Sorry, what on earth is that?

Why, it’s the Engler Desat of course. Wait, what do you mean you’ve never heard of the Engler Desat? First unveiled in 2020 and built in Slovakia, it’s described by its creator Viktor Engler as “the world’s first superquad”.

Viktor bestows it with that title because this is a quad bike like no other. Not only is it the size of a car with a full carbon fibre body, but it’s also powered by a 5.2-litre V10 engine that should theoretically produce 1,085bhp.

Wait, what?

Yeah, this is a V10-engined quad bike. This particular example is a naturally aspirated prototype with ‘only’ 612bhp being sent to the rear wheels, but in full-fat, twin-turbo spec with that headline power figure, Viktor reckons on 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds and a faintly ridiculous top speed of 217mph. Hope that V10 is loud enough to drown out some serious screaming.

How do you even go about creating something like that?

Well, the headlights are very obviously from an Audi R8, so you can probably guess where the 5.2-litre V10 started its life. It’s mid-mounted and stays connected to Audi’s seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox too for ease of use, but the tubular chassis is obviously custom made. The production Desat should weigh 1,100kg thanks to extensive use of carbon in the chassis, but again this is a prototype, so its steel frame means it weighs slightly more.

The Desat is almost 4.7m long but less than a metre tall. There’s space for two on the central seat and the handlebars come from BMW Motorrad. The gearbox stays in auto mode, the throttle is a twist grip, and the brakes are controlled by a single lever behind the right-hand grip. Viktor also notes that with full hand controls, the Desat is accessible for wheelchair users straight out of the factory. 

Steering is obviously controlled by the handlebars as on a standard quad bike, and there’s air suspension to keep things flat and level. You even get an infotainment screen up ahead of the handlebars that displays a rev counter and can switch to display your multimedia. It’s controlled using a little clickwheel and a few buttons. Probably best to keep your eyes on the road at all times though, we reckon.     

Is it as terrifying to ride as it sounds?

Well, Viktor says the top speed will eventually be 217mph when the twin-turbo kit is fitted and there’s over 1,000bhp on tap, but the fastest anyone has been on this particular prototype is 120mph. Still, that was Engler’s test rider who also happens to moonlight as a stunt double in action films. Safe to say I won’t be getting anywhere near that v-max.

The prototype Desat still uses Audi’s gear selector hidden under the cowl by the handlebars. It’s a little flimsy and tricky to access, but production cars will have a selector up by the touchscreen. Once I’ve managed to get it into Drive, on the move the Desat is surprisingly smooth, and the controls are fairly intuitive.

The naturally aspirated engine delivers its power with plenty of predictability so you can ease the speed up gradually as your confidence grows. Gearchanges are made without fuss, although the carbon ceramic brakes are a little snatchy and you’re always aware that there’s no ABS and no traction control. Yeah, seriously.

How did it fare in town?

Well, we drove the Desat the day before it was due to be shown at the Top Marques car show in Monaco. That meant navigating the labyrinth that is Monte Carlo in order to reach the hills up above. First thing to note is that – obviously – the Desat does attract quite a bit of attention. This is Monaco remember – it’s home to billions of pounds worth of the rarest supercars, and yet riding by on the Desat still sent the locals scrambling for their camera phones.

They needn’t have rushed, though, because the turning circle is absolutely appalling. That meant plenty of three-point turns, and awkward apologies for holding up traffic. Not ideal that one of the mirrors had been damaged in transit, either.

Still, the air suspension setup makes it surprisingly compliant over potholes and the engine heats the seat up nicely. Sounds good in a tunnel, too.

What about on twisty roads, then?

Having broken out of the city I pull over before starting an ascent up into the hills. I’m already shaking with adrenaline and covered in ex-bugs. 

Surprisingly, the Desat does actually corner quite well. Hairpins need a wide angle of attack to combat the poor turning circle, but it stays flat and allows you to lean into a bend without too much fear that you won’t make it out the other side. There’s huge grip, too. 

I squeeze the throttle with a little more gusto a few times and hang on for dear life. I can confidently say you do not need the twin-turbo version. Over 600bhp is plenty for a quad bike. Who’d have guessed? 

With the wind battering against you the sound of the engine is almost lost and I’ve no desire to go flat out. Still, it’s not as awkward to pilot as you might expect and once the road starts to flow it’s quite good fun in a very unique way. Although if you’re used to superbikes, the Desat is probably going to feel rather large and unwieldy.

Plus, after half an hour I realise that I probably wasn’t as at ease with the Desat as I first thought. I’ve got pins and needles in my feet and my hands are stuck in a permanent grip.

Who is it aimed at?

The Desat is for those who want to stand out from the crowd, and there’s plenty of those people on this planet so we’re pretty sure there’s a market for it. There’s no word on price, but it’s probably not going to offer bikers the same thrill that they’d get from their Ducati Panigales, Kawasaki Ninjas or Honda Fireblades. 

Audi V10s aren’t cheap to come by, either, so reckon on somewhere towards the €1m mark. Engler recently announced the €1.2m V12. So yeah, the Desat won’t actually be the most ludicrous quad bike in the world for much longer.

Will we all be replacing our cars with quads soon enough?

Unlikely. The Desat does have a tiny bit of storage space but it’s hardly the most practical mode of transport. Perhaps not the most beautiful thing on four wheels, either. It is slightly easier to operate than you might expect, but then you probably expected a V10-engined quad bike to be a complete and utter nightmare.

It certainly isn’t that bad, but as long as you don’t mind holding up traffic on mini roundabouts, it’s probably best suited to the streets of Monaco.