After 107 years, this British exotic carmaker has decided to take risks and try something different with the Aston Martin DBX – their luxury sports SUV. The DBX SUV Production officially started on 9 July 2020, and it's all-new - it got built from the ground up. Some early Aston Martin DBX SUV prototypes were being driven around for almost two years for the company to get public opinion and the confidence to dip both feet in a luxury SUV market dominated by Mercedes SUVs, Porsche Cayennes and Macans, and new entrants like the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentaygas, and Rolls-Royce Cullinans.
The result of all this was a five-seater, five-door 4x4 SUV that comes at a premium price but might turn out to be the most important car in the automaker’s history. Aston Martin has been hard-pressed financially over the years, it aims to sell 4,000+ DBX models per year which would boost their total sales to 10,000 units — their best number ever. But why an SUV for a brand known for sleek offerings like the Aston Martin Vantage and DB 11? Well, SUVs have a broad appeal and continue rising in popularity, they need to sell them to be able to survive making and selling their much-loved sports cars.
Read on to learn more of what we’ve uncovered about the British sports-car maker all-important SUV — the 2021 Aston Martin DBX.
10 It’s The First Aston Martin SUV
SUVs sell, they are a commanding force across the automotive landscape. Aston Martin is the latest member to join the luxury sports SUV market with the DBX SUV — its first high-riding utility vehicle. It was a no-brainer for Aston Martin to make an SUV, as the brand has been seeing a falling demand for its more traditional models over the years. Porsche was among the first exotic carmakers to join the super-luxury SUV segment in the early 2000s — a period when the company was cash-strapped.
The Cayenne and Macan SUVs bets paid off and others took notice. For Aston Martin, the DBX is a vehicle that's expected to boost its sales and return it to profitability. They surely must be reading the financials of competitors like Bentley who, in 2020, had over half of their sold cars being Bentayga SUVs. Ferrari is the latest to join the SUV bandwagon with a high-performance Purosangue SUV which has been in the pipeline for a while.
9 Exceptional Interior Build Quality
Inside, the Aston Martin DBX are upper-crust interior materials that cosset the owners in a way that makes them forget how much they paid for this luxury SUV. The interior build quality is a cut above the rest of Aston Martin’s current crop of sports cars, and even better than the Lamborghini Urus and the Bently Bentyaga.
Seats and lots of areas are covered with high-quality leather and microfiber, while the “bridged’ center console — which has an option of wood trim — makes the interior even more spacious. The Mercedes-like infotainment system comprises two large displays, with one being in front of the driver and the other at the center. Switches and controls were developed specifically for the DBX and add to the elegance.
8 A Luxury SUV Pricetag
Aston Martin cars are known to be very expensive for the average buyer, their most affordable vehicle is the Vantage that starts at a whopping $149,000. The brand doesn’t seem to be ready to get off the top of the premium-priced cars tree, the Aston Martin DBX SUV price will start at $179,986 before options.
It is meant to go for the high-end Luxury SUV market consisting of fast sports SUVs like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan (from $330,000), Lamborghini Urus (from $218,009), Bentley Bentayga (from $156,900.), and the Mercedes-Maybach GLS which starts at $160,500.
7 First Car Made At Aston Martin's New Facility
New car facilities often breathe a new lease of life for most automobile makers. A good example is how the Rolls-Royce state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Goodwood, England, turned fortunes for the luxury carmaker. Now, Aston Martin has a new 90-acre facility in St Athan, Wales that has been in development since 2015.
The first car that rolled off the Welsh production line was the Aston Martin DBX SUV, the plant will be the sole production facility for the DBX SUV model. Also, it’s where the automaker has been gathering experience of electric vehicles with a limited edition RapidE sedan. Other cars in the pipeline in that facility include an electric sedan and SUV versions of the revived Aston Martin Lagonda model.
6 Borrows Lots Tech & Features From Mercedes-Benz
In 2020, it was announced that Mercedes would be getting a 20 percent share of Aston Martin, up from 5 percent. In return, Aston Martin would be getting access to Mercedes's full-electric vehicle technology and other features.
The DBX is the first car that shows how much Aston Martin borrows from the German carmaker. The Aston Martin DBX whole powertrain is from Mercedes. Specifically, it has an AMG-sourced M177 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, its 9-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox, and its infotainment technology are also from Mercedes. In the future, the Aston Martin DBX SUV will get hybrid technology from Mercedes.
5 Official 2021 Formula 1 Medical Car
The 2021 Formula 1 season marked the return of Aston Martin to the sport after the executive chairman bought and rebranded the 2020 BWT Racing Point team. And good things followed for the British automaker, the Aston Martin DBX SUV become the official Formula 1 Medical Car, that’s alongside the Mercedes C63S AMG Estate Medical Car.
The Aston Martin DBX medical car is painted green with neon yellow accents and has a predominant FIA medical car livery. In addition, it's fitted with roof rail-mounted roof-mounted LED light-bars, as well as an LED rear number plate. Inside Formula Medical cars, they have big medical bags, a burn kit, two fire extinguishers, and a defibrillator for responding to emergencies. Another big boost for the Aston Martin brand is that its Vantage sports also joined the Formula 1 safety car fleet.
4 Built On Its Own New Dedicated Platform
For the DBX, Aston Martin decided to start with a clean-sheet-design, it’s the first since the Aston Martin Vanquish. With the new DBX SUV not sharing a platform with any other cars, everything was tailored for it hence everything is a whole staircase higher in build quality versus the Vantage. Besides, it got significant weight advantages versus SUVs it will be pitted against like the Urus, Cullinham, and Cayenne.
The DBX uses an all-new bonded aluminum platform which gives it a 4949 pounds curb weight. Compared to some rivals, it's 880 pounds lighter. Another advantage is that its wheelbase was made to be long which makes it very spacious inside. For luggage, its 632-liter boot space makes it more practical than SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga.
3 Performance
The Aston Martin DBX is a genuine performance SUV. It’s powered by a 4.0-liter Twin Turbo V8 mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox. This engine is the only one offered with the DBX so far and it is capable of churning out 542 horsepower at 6500rpm. There’s almost no lag with the hot-V turbochargers, the SUV is responsive anywhere in the rev range but 3000rpm is the sweet spot.
It runs on to a respectable 181 mph which is only 10mph slower than the fastest SUVs in the world, 0 to 60 arrives in 4.3 seconds. The DBX also has the brand's most powerful motor capable of 516 pound-feet of torque @ 2,200-5,000 rpm. Fuel economy isn’t its strong point, it has a combined fuel economy figure of 19.7 mpg, which can rise to 24 mpg on a long trip.
2 Body & Exterior
Ultra-luxury SUV buyers who don’t want burly-sized SUVs like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan or Lamborghini Urus will be glad the Aston Martin DBX SUV exists. Despite being made to fit the traditional Aston Martin shape, it doesn’t compromise on performance, practicality, or beauty even with its low roofline.
1 Shortest Vehicle In Its Segment With Serious SUV Performance
While most rival SUVs the Aston Martin DBX is pitted up against shake, wobble, and keep shifting their air springs, this Aston Martin just cruises gracefully with precise and linear steering on the road. Even if it looks small, best believe it’s been equipped with serious hardware and technology for an awesome driving experience.
These include a 48V active anti-roll system (for less roll than the Vantage), Bilstein adaptive damping, triple-chamber air suspension, and a centrally mounted active e-differential for its four-wheel-drive system. The 4x4 system can send up to 47 percent of the drive to the front wheels and 100 percent to the rear. To add on, the Aston Martin DBX has undergone extreme weather testing at Pirelli's Flurheden proving ground in Sweden, at the Nürburgring, and in the Middle East deserts.