Things to know about the stunning 2020 Aston Martin DBX
The car in our photo is the Aston Martin DBX and it seemed to take an eternity for it to arrive. It’s a car that’s crucial to Aston’s expansion plans over the next decade and will be built in the firm’s brand new factory in Wales.
The DBX has been in development since 2015 and rivals the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover Sport SVR. Aston hopes that this will be the car that attracts female buyers to the brand too. Like all modern Aston Martins it’s based on an aluminium construction and has composite panels to help keep the weight down to just over 2.2 tonnes. There are short overhangs, a set-back cabin, a long bonnet and a cleverly designed roofline that makes it look more sharply raked than it actually is. At the front you’re greeted by what can only be described as the largest grille ever fitted to an Aston Martin model.
Step inside and you’ll find that there are some Mercedes sourced technology including a 12.3 inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25 central infotainment display which is all neatly integrated into the facia. Apple Car Play is standard along with an 800 watt sound system as well as ambient lighting with 64 different colours. There are IsoFix points in the rear seating while the boot capacity is a healthy 632 litres. There are also a number of accessory packs including the “Pet pack” which brings a portable washer to help clean your muddy dog after a walk.
Powering the DBX is a re-tuned version of the Mercedes AMG sourced 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8. This unit is used in both the Aston Martin Vantage and the Aston Martin DB11. It produces 542 brake horse power (bhp) and 700 newton metres of torque. All this is enough to get the DBX from 0 to 62 miles per hour (mph) in just 4.5 seconds. It will also get you to a top speed of 181 mph. There’s a 9-speed torque converter automatic gearbox and four-wheel-drive which incorporates an active centre differential and an e-diff at the rear. This allows torque to be neatly split 50/50 or 100% to the rear wheels. Stingy on fuel is an understatement as you can only expect to achieve around 20 miles to the gallon (mpg) while Co2 emissions are 269 grams per kilometre. A plug-in hybrid is likely but, as of typing, yet to be confirmed.
If you really want to go off road then there’s a 500 millimetre wading depth with the air suspension in standard mode. The departure angles are 22.2 degrees and 24.3 degrees. On the road the air suspension, which has four settings, is paired with a 48 colt anti-roll system. In the sportiest setting the DBX has similar body-roll to the DB11.
Prices start from £158k which is around £28k more than the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus. What do you think to it and would you pay this much for one?