I'll make one thing clear out of the gate, I'm not a big fan of SUVs. You'll hardly find me mentioning them at all, let alone taking the time to write an entire article about one. Sure, there's been some exciting ones recently, like the refresh of Bentley's Bentayga, which I think is somehow a bit uglier than the old one. Then, there's the new Ineos Grenadier, which aims to be the Defender that Land Rover couldn't build. Most of all, Ford's new Bronco is such a runaway hit, that their website crashed every time I tried to get a peek.
I don't feel like my life necessitates an SUV, nor do I feel like they're aspirational enough. You might think that having a Sports Utility Vehicle sounds like a perfect all-rounder, but it's not always so easy. Often times, they're not at all sporty, as the inherent nature of their proportions mean that handling and performance aren't up to par with say, a station wagon. Then, they're not always so utilitarian either, with less room and it'll likely get stuck in the first mud pit, unlike a proper off-roader.
So, you're actually making a lot of compromises by getting an SUV, with few noteworthy advantages, at least that's based on my needs. Clearly, I'm in the minority, because absolutely everyone on Earth is scrambling to the nearest dealership for one. I'd likely never get in line, but there's one particular SUV that could convince me otherwise. It struck my soul when I first saw it a while ago, and for a company that's never built or even experimented with an SUV before, I think they have themselves a homerun.
A Bold New Frontier.
Credits to: Aston Martin - DBX (2021) | A beaut, isn't she?
This is the Aston Martin DBX, and I leapt out of bed as soon my phone buzzed endlessly with notifications. Finally, the embargoes have been lifted, and reviews of this all-new SUV came flocking in by droves. I wouldn't ever be allowed a test-drive in something as expensive, but I do at least follow loads of journalists and publications that I trust with my life. So far, there's a unanimous agreement that Aston Martin have indeed, hit the nail on the head with the super-SUV formula.
Then again, they need to, because this might very well be one of the most important car in Aston's history. It's been a long time coming as well, since they first unveiled the concept in 2015, and have been working on it ever since. Those subtle refinements have paid off, as the DBX presents itself with a two-faced character. On one hand, it's an SUV that's capable of doing the sporty bits that only performance cars are allowed to, while tackling off-road-y stuff that'll easily coat the DBX under a layer or two of mud.
All that, and somehow in harmony with one another, with what's under the skin having a lot to do with this immense contrast in character. The DBX has adaptive dampers, and advanced triple-volume air-suspension, which allows both a comfy ride, and for you to adjust the ride-height at will. You could either raise it by 45mm, or lower it by 50mm; which in the car world is quite a lot. Then, there's a clever 48-volt anti-roll system fitted to the front- and rear-axles, which helps to alleviate the pitch and roll you'd get with a car this tall, and heavy.
Credits to: Aston Martin - Extreme Weather Testing, Sweden | It handles well in snow...
When combined altogether, this means that with a press of a button, you can adapt the DBX for any condition possible. With older SUVs, its soft off-road biased suspension would let the body wobble around, and potentially tip over while cornering. Here, you can squat it down and stiffen the dampers for high-speed runs, and hooning around twisty country roads. Or, it can ride on stilts as you plough through the woodlands for an adventure, far away and off the beaten track.
So much so, that when Aston Martin first teased the DBX last year, they showed it off being tested at speed around a rally stage in Wales. As far as challenging surfaces and driving conditions go, that was it. The even took into consideration of approach and departure angles for off-roading, including wade-in depth if you need to ford through a river. Sure, it's not as fast around a track as say, the Lamborghini Urus, nor could it tackle the harshest terrains on Earth like a Land Rover.
Credits to: Aston Martin - Prototype Testing, Wales | ... Or mud.
But as a jack of all trades, and a master of most, few can ever get close to the DBX. Aston Martin left no room to spare when they developed it, quite literally, as using a bespoke, all-new bonded aluminium chassis meant that there's ample amounts of interior space. The advantages of having made performance cars also helps with packaging as much as possible into a tiny frame. The snug, almost bucket-like seats from their sports-cars require a small footprint, which entails huge gains in leg- and head-room.
The boot is fairly large too, ang good for carrying a dog or two along for the ride. Adding to the lushness and airy cabin, a panoramic glass-roof is fitted to let as much light in as possible. It does give a nice atmosphere to show off the new interior layout, which I think is better than current Astons. For those parents needing to store stuff, there's no shortage of cubby holes and compartments to keep things. It's that attention to minute details that make the DBX such a wholesome experience to drive, and be a passenger in.
Keeping History Alive.
Credits to: Aston Martin - DBX Unveiling | You, and puppy can travel in style.
But worry not, as they haven't dialled-down the performance, as there's plenty of poke under the bonnet, as every Aston Martin deserves to be. It has that familiar 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 sourced from Mercedes-AMG, which Aston also uses in their other cars. But as always, it's been tuned specifically to iron out all that Germanic brutishness, and imbue some British elegance and pomp. There's 542hp, and 516lb-ft of torque, which is more than adequate to shove your family, dogs, and a full Ikea furniture set into the horizon.
Best of all, that power doesn't just feel good, it sounds glorious, with a retuned exhaust system that'll bellow through half the neighbourhood. It's 9-speed gearbox might have one gear too many, but is nevertheless sufficient, and mated to an all-wheel drive setup, another first for Aston Martin. Despite its porky 2.2-tonne kerb-weight, a 0-60mph acceleration takes just 4.5 seconds, and with a top-speed of 181mph.
Credits to: Aston Martin - Q Bespoke Personalisation | As dark as my soul.
Even more positives, the DBX clothes all that immense capability under a gorgeous bodywork. It has distinctive Aston Martin design cues, like its signature front-grille. The designers took great notice of its increased sized compared to regular Astons, and they've scaled everything to fit with the proportions, including the slightly larger winged badge. They had also integrated some clever design tricks to mask its size, which is actually larger than a Range Rover, through creases and curvature along the side, along with a sloping roof.
The design overall looks stunning to my eyes, especially from the front. However, I'm still not so sure about the rear-end, as the DBX uses a Vantage-styled lightbar and ducktail spoiler. I don't think it suits the silhouette, or its general design. I'll let you decide on the looks, but overall, I'd say this is the best-looking SUV by far, sitting alongside the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. That's quite high praise in my book, and the DBX is at least more practical than the Stelvio, with a roof-rack and a tow-bar.
Hope, And Prayers.
Credits to: Aston Martin - DBX Production at St. Athan, Wales | The first of (hopefully) many.
Suffice to say, if you told me that the DBX is the only car I could ever have in my life, I would be supremely happy to accept that. It has the sportiness of a sports-car, as I remember from countless hours of video games. Yet, it has all the practicality one would ever need in their lives, while being able to get down and dirty like a full-on off-roader. Plus, the DBX wears that iconic Aston Martin badge, as it carries with it the same elegance and charm as James Bond winking at you from across the bar, while sipping on a glass of Martini; shaken, not stirred.
There's potentially even more to come out of this in the coming years, as Aston contemplates on expanding the DBX to encompass a sportier two-door variant, and a larger, more practical 7-seater. Before we can see all that however, we must ask ourselves the question; is Aston Martin too late? They've made a fantastic SUV, but will customers that are already accustomed to other $200,000-ish SUVs come flocking to a DBX anytime soon, when brands like Mercedes, Porsche, Bentley, and Lamborghini exist?
Aston Martin isn't in the best financial shape. We are after all talking about a company that's declared bankruptcy seven times in a century of doing business. SUVs sell, and they know that the DBX could very well be their only saving grace. Given how brilliantly it's proven itself so far in the crucible of journalistic criticism, I think they'll sell many of them. I hope so, at least. So, if you're reading this and thinking of getting yourself a new super-SUV, try and give the DBX a chance. Honestly, I'd be surprised if you didn't like it.
Credits to: CarPixel - Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and Audi RS Q8 | An Aston, or one of these?