Speed? Luxury? Why not both?
This is a rarefied breed of car – a genre of SUVs for those who have tired of a Range Rover and want a little more luxury, a degree more rarity and a sackload of extra performance to boot. You may decry the values these cars espouse (between them, they weigh nearly seven tonnes and cost over half a million quid), but to drive them is to be sucked down a rabbit hole and transported into a new world of lofty driving positions, extravagant luxury and the kind of light-speed acceleration that would make mincemeat of a Porsche 718.
Picking a winner is all about defining your intent. If you want the ultimate in performance, look no further than the Lamborghini, one of the world’s fastest and most extreme SUVs. It’s become the bestselling bull of all, and if you can live with its image it’ll do a very fine job indeed of playing family chariot by day and devilish cruise missile by night. It’s a surprisingly visceral experience once you’ve mastered the driving modes, yet you always feel it’s trying a little too hard to transpose some Aventador spirit into a huge hulking family 4x4. It’s an acquired taste.
The Bentley is the pick for those who want a safer option – an SUV that can do it all, but with a more restrained polish than the outré Lamborghini. This is a huge car, the most practical, and the quality of build and craftsmanship is staggering – with a proven reliability record and a decent turn of speed when required. It couldn’t be more different from the Urus, despite the fact the two cars share much DNA.
Which leaves the Aston Martin, the company’s first SUV in its 108-year history. It has a huge weight on its shoulders, and if successful might just be the car to rescue the company’s fortunes. This clean-sheet focus explains why the DBX aces it – they’ve gone and made an SUV that can do it all, from everyday family duties to thrilling on the long way home, and all wrapped up in a stylish, glamorous package. It delivers 90 per cent of the Lamborghini’s punch and 90 per cent of the Bentley’s comfort, striking a rare balance that lets it climb to the top of the pile. We’ll overlook the electrical gremlins on our test cars and declare it our favourite super-SUV of 2020. When you want this style, this versatility and this performance, and you have £150k to spend, DBX does indeed mark the sweet spot.
The Aston delivers 90 per cent of the Lambo’s punch and 90 per cent of the Bentley’s comfort