The Aston Martin DBX has been revealed after years of teasing, and it’s coming to Australia.
First shown in concept form back in 2015, before the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Bentley Bentayga, and Lamborghini Urus were in existence, Aston Martin didn’t race to ensure their product was ready for the road before it was fully cooked.
Unlike the other brands, Aston Martin didn’t have other vehicle platforms to lean on to aid or quicken the speed of a road-going vehicle either. However, not everything stuck around from the concept vehicle – the electric powertrain was replaced with a Mercedes-AMG twin-turbo 4.0 litre V8 engine.
Producing 405kW of power, and 700Nm of torque it propels the SUV from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds through a nine-speed automatic transmission. Getting the power to the ground is an all-wheel-drive system featuring an active centre differential and electronic limited-slip differential allowing torque to be dynamically adjusted from a balanced front/rear mix to almost fully the rear.
With performance taken care of, the practicality which allows it to earn its SUV badge is adaptive air suspension providing a 50mm drop to make loading and unloading easier, or a 45mm raise to climb over terrain.
Aston Martin touts its ability to “tackle a wide range of terrain”, but with a maximum approach angle of 25.7 degrees, departure angle of 27.1 and break over of 18.8 expect it to perform better than any other Aston, but don’t expect to be heading to Landcruiser Park anytime soon for some hardcore off-road action.
Storage sits at a reasonably practical level with 632 litres of luggage space, and with 40:20:40 split-folding seats. If you’re a frequent traveller or avid golfer the loading should make packing and unpacking easy work.
On the inside, design elements are exactly as what you would expect from Aston Martin with a beautifully appointed cabin, panoramic glass roof and large displays.
The Aston Martin DBX is a significant model for the brand and will be crucial for its ongoing success and of course allowing for models to be produced, like the DB11. Porsche was the first to prove that pure sports car brand can build a capable SUV, and have it allow the business to continue what it does so well.
Production will be limited to 5000 models per year – the limit of the new manufacturing facility. The new Aston Martin DBX is expected to arrive in Australia in the second quarter of 2020.
