The long slog of teasers and previews has finally come to a head with Aston Martin’s full reveal of their first-ever SUV, the DBX. Some might lament the British sports carmaker’s foray into a more mainstream vehicle category, seemingly at the expense of their bread and butter V8 and V12 grand tourers, but it more than likely is a move driven by necessity.
Apart from the Boxster, the original Cayenne was primarily responsible for the success Porsche is seeing today, and the formula has repeated itself across numerous other brands as well, with those having invested in the SUV trend early enjoying roaring sales.
With the field somewhat crowded now that Bentley and Lamborghini have entered the fray with the Bentayga and Urus respectively, Aston Martin’s absence would only cost it valuable customers and revenue. And so here we are in late 2019 with the finished DBX, revealed alongside the ongoing Los Angeles Motor Show.
The British performance SUV, despite the relative independence of the Aston Martin corporate structure, does harbour some very German innards. Like the Vantage, it benefits from Aston’s technical partnership with the Daimler Group, and consequently features a 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 similar to those found in various Mercedes-AMG cars.
In the DBX, the M177 unit produces 404kW and 700Nm that’s funnelled through a 9-speed automatic transmission (again, sourced via the Daimler connection) before being spread between all four of its 22-inch wheels shod in Pirelli P-Zero tyres. There’s even an active central differential for quicker adaptive power distribution.
Being tuned for sharp handling, the system favours a 100 percent rear-drive bias in most situations and Aston Martin has wisely refrained from any outright claims that the DBX has any proclivity for off-roading. At most, just 50 percent of drive can be channelled to the front wheels. Though the ground clearance and all-wheel traction would allow for some non-road explorations, they are foremost at the driver’s own risk.
Great pains have been endured to have the mostly-aluminium DBX weigh as little as it needs to as well as to keep its centre of gravity as low as possible. It tips the scales at a hardly insubstantial 2.2 tonnes but still manages to hit 100km/h from rest in 4.5 seconds thanks to the AMG powerplant and all-wheel drive. Top speed, meanwhile, is claimed to be 290km/h.
Aston Martin hopes the North American market will warm to the DBX the most, becoming a source of steady volume sales for the Gaydon-based company. After all, their badge arguably carries a certain kind of prestige not found with Porsches or Lamborghinis, especially among the wealthy (females) that the car is clearly targeting.
Matt Becker, formerly the suspension and handling guru for Lotus, was tasked with the tall order of giving the DBX as authentic a sports car feel as the physical limitations could tolerate while serving its purpose as a luxury SUV with aplomb.
Consequently, it uses triple-chamber air springs, adaptive dampers co-developed with Bilstein, and a pair of dynamic anti-roll bars powered by its 48-volt mild hybrid electrical architecture.
The cabin is arguably the most important aspect of the DBX as this is where many buyers will judge it most harshly against other luxury SUVs. Aston Martin has made virtually every surface and piece of trim configurable by the buyer to match their leanings toward luxury or sportiness with bespoke switchgear and interior elements not found in any other Aston.
From the early pictures seen here and those previously teased, the tan leather seats and dash are matched to a similarly coloured plush suede headliner. There’s plenty of finely machined metal and solid wood inserts that might even give the ultra-exclusive Lagonda Taraf some grief. Overall, it looks more than capable of competing against the Bentley Bentayga for outright opulence.
There’s the adequately large SUV standards of space with room for five to sit in extreme comfort and airiness given an artificial boost thanks to the panoramic glass roof. A commodious boot is also on hand that’s fit for a couple of (lucky) dogs, specifiable with unique DBX-specific luggage and child seat.
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