Aston Martin DBX
On paper the DBX is not our kind of car, so how did it win us round?
THERE’S A PART OF ME THAT FEELS GUILTY about the appreciation I had for evo’s Aston Martin DBX. The DBX is, after all, pretty much everything we don’t like in a driver’s car: it’s heavy (2245kg), it’s an SUV and it has been designed to perform multiple different tasks, something that, If experience tells us anything, usually leads to a car that’s competent at many things but excels at very few.
However, that guilt is eased considerably because the DBX is a very good car. Actually, it’s an exceptionally good car, primarily because it’s more than fit for purpose at the roles it’s been designed specifically to carry out. In fact, there are supersaloons and sports cars that don’t nail their briefs as well as the DBX does.
In the six months and 12,000 miles that KY21 JYD was with us, it felt more than any other of its type to be a performance and luxury SUV that was capable of delivering on both these remits. Yes, others are more powerful and quicker against the clock, especially so those from Sant’agata and Weissach, and those built in Crewe deliver above and beyond on the luxury front, yet none of them combines these criteria as well as the DBX. Every second the Aston gives away to a Cayenne GT Turbo or Urus, and all the knurled aluminum, soft-pile carpet and opulent leather a Bentayga pampers you with, I’d happily sacrifice for the body control, ride quality and GT capability of the DBX.
A considerable factor in JYD’S appeal was how it tackled every drive with such ease and felt so within itself regardless of what you asked of it. As restrictions lifted, so the 160-mile round-trip commutes to evo’s Bedfordshire HQ resumed, alongside long days up, down and around the country as the automotive world sprang back to life with launches, events and meetings in person rather than on a screen. The muted tone of the DBX’S 4-litre V8 was the perfect companion on long days munching miles, its artificial pops and bangs a bit of fun when you wanted them. Indeed, the calibration of the powertrain was hard to fault. Not once did you wish the gearing was shorter/longer, or that the torque would arrive lower or the power hang around for longer. Thoughts that AM had simply plugged AMG’S V8 into its chassis are way off the mark – this is a powertrain that has been sweated over to get right. Although without the same cylinder-deactivation software the engine is available with when installed in an AMG product (it only operates on the DBX at very low, barely noticeable rpm) 90 litres of superunleaded would only get you around 300 miles. Ouch.
It goes without saying that any car costing the thick end of £180,000 and sold as a premium luxury machine should be a calming influence on any journey, but few of the DBX’S rivals manage to be just that. Primarily this is down to the high-end derivative being built upon a lesser model in the range and the
unavoidable compromises this brings. But Aston Martin didn’t have that issue when creating its first SUV: from the outset it could design a car to meet its bespoke desires rather than chase volume targets. Although more than a year on from its launch there are many within Gaydon who wish DBX sales volumes were much higher than they currently are, the recently announced six-cylinder mild-hybrid version for the Chinese market and the forthcoming high-performance plug-in hybrid model should, AM hopes, address this.
Being an Aston Martin there’s more than an expectation that the DBX will deliver on the interesting pieces of road between the straights, and it does. For a car so big it proved to be deceptively agile, reacting to inputs with clarity to provide consistent reassurance that all was well at the road surface. The ride improved when we changed our car’s original 22-inch Ribbon wheels for the simpler, lighter but same diameter Sport design, saving around 3kg of unsprung weight per corner. So where others adopt a rock-solid approach to body control, the DBX takes a deep breath and flows with the chosen course rather than just holding its breath and expecting to make it out the other side.
Surely there must have been some downsides other than the frequent fuel stops? Yes, the ancient, Mercedes-sourced infotainment system for one, although it’s surplus to requirements thanks to the fitment of Apple Carplay. The rear parcel shelf having to be removed rather than being able to retract meant it spent six months in the office and the internal boot release was so well hidden I only found it after 12 weeks. Oh yes, and the passenger door trim worked loose after one too many heavy hands had slammed it closed, but was easily reattached with some gentle persuasion.
I shouldn’t have enjoyed the DBX as much as I did, nor fallen for its charms or admired its ability to carry out every task asked of it. But I did, and I don’t feel bad about it one bit.
Date acquired April 2021 Duration of test 6 months Total test mileage 12,000 Overall mpg 19.2 Costs £0 Purchase price £182,205 Value today £160,625
’Other SUVS are more powerful or more opulent, yet none combines performance and luxury as well as the DBX’