Aston Martin DBX: James Bond’s SUV Tested

Daniel Craig is confirmed not to be taking command of an Aston Martin DBX on the big screen in the next instalment-the 25th-of the James Bond saga (No Time to Die).

Fans of the exclusive British marque can still celebrate, however, as 007 will drive no fewer than four Aston models while escaping the villains: the classic DB5, the V8 Vantage, the new DBS Superleggera and the Valhalla.

Yet, when it comes to tackling snow, mud and mountain terrain during epic chases involving the world’s best-known secret agent, the new Defender-which is also guaranteed an appearance-may be a more appropriate vehicle than a less extreme SUV.

That is despite the DBX being fitted with a formidable 550 hp V8 engine, four-wheel drive, torque vectoring, electronic anti-roll bars and a three-chamber air suspension system able to raise ground clearance by 4.5 cm.

The Aston Martin DBX in context

The DBX has strong credentials to become the best-selling and most profitable model in Aston Martin’s 107-year history.

It arrives at a decisive point for Aston Martin, after two years of negative results since the company was listed on the stock exchange in 2018. A picture that was already far from favourable, with almost negligible profits through the previous decades, deteriorated substantially, with losses reaching €200 million in the first half of this year.

The company therefore had to seek new investors. Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll injected capital into the British brand and brought about the departure of the previous CEO, Andy Palmer, who was replaced by Tobias Moers on 1 August.

The German executive had led AMG, where he achieved exponential growth in sales and financial results for Mercedes-Benz’s performance division. He had also already worked directly with Aston Martin, to which AMG supplies the 4.0 V8 engine-used in this DBX, the Vantage and the DB11-as well as other electronic components and some vehicle assembly know-how.

Aston Martin’s first SUV in 107 years

The transformation was already under way, and Aston Martin’s first SUV in 107 years was regarded as the key to funding the British marque. Its global sales potential was far greater than that of any Aston Martin previously built-it is the first with five seats and a globally appealing format-and SUVs also deliver sizeable profit margins.

For that reason, a factory was built from scratch in Wales and a dedicated platform was developed for the Aston Martin DBX. Further derivatives are planned for the coming years, including a three-row version-aimed even more directly at American and Chinese customers-and another with a more steeply cut rear end, following the route taken by Porsche with the Cayenne Coupé, BMW with the X6 and Mercedes with the GLE Coupé.

However, the pandemic crisis further worsened the accounts, and the change in leadership duly followed.

Creating an SUV of this calibre involves much more than merely increasing ground clearance-although that was done too, starting at 19 cm and adjustable across five levels by up to 9.5 cm. It required an entirely new underlying platform, dominated by several types of aluminium.

Between Lamborghini and Bentley

This is therefore neither a Lamborghini Urus nor a Bentley Bentayga, but something positioned between them: somewhere between their boundaries of outright aggression and an ocean of comfort.

It combines the Gran Turismo driving experience of the DB11 with touches of the Vantage’s stronger sporting character, unprecedented room and practicality, and the ability to venture away from tarmac.

That DB11/Vantage blend is immediately evident in the exterior design of this enormous SUV. Its proportions-a very long bonnet set far back and an upright rear-help disguise its scale: at 5.04 m long, it is 4 cm longer than the Range Rover, while its wheelbase, exceeding three metres, is the longest in this class.

Naturally, the Aston Martin DBX is also 19 cm lower than the Range Rover and 5 cm lower than the Bentayga, because it has to deliver handling compatible with racing circuits.

In reality, though, very few owners are likely to take it either off road-despite its genuine credentials, including four-wheel drive, height-adjustable air suspension and generous ground clearance-or onto a circuit. Its electronic anti-roll bars are designed to control the body roll of a 2.5-tonne vehicle standing almost 1.70 m tall, while the suspension can lower by 15 mm.

Other exterior details stand out. There are no ostentatious aerodynamic appendages; the most obvious are the small spoiler and the deflector on the tailgate, which work with the lower diffuser to extract air from beneath the car and improve high-speed stability. The side doors are frameless-relatively compact, but with a wide opening angle.

Everything had to start from a blank sheet, with the project beginning in 2015, because Aston Martin had never built an SUV. It is therefore understandable when Becker admits that “this was the most difficult car I have made in my life”.

Fewer uncertainties inside

There were fewer unknowns in the cabin, because an Aston Martin remains an Aston Martin, even one “on stilts”.

Chrome surfaces, wood-blended with synthetic fibres to create a fabric-like appearance-Alcantara, and the solidity and quality of the materials are not exactly unexpected. This is the first car in the world to use that trim on its panoramic roof lining.

But the Aston Martin DBX does not follow every new trend. On the one hand, it makes extensive use of genuine leather-there are hides everywhere, even on the speaker grilles. On the other, there are numerous buttons between the centre console and the middle section of the dashboard, with the transmission controls located at the top for the nine-speed automatic gearbox, also sourced from Mercedes.

Compared with the British brand’s coupés, there is a noticeable improvement in the overall quality of the cabin finishes, while the software is quicker and has a more contemporary appearance.

Large boot, narrow cabin

Shorter drivers would be better off sitting closer to the steering wheel, and the Drive button positioned further to the right suits right-hand-drive cars-almost as if the British engineers had not spent six months perfecting the driving position.

The 10.25-inch infotainment display, which is not touch-sensitive to avoid unattractive fingerprint marks, is neatly integrated into the dashboard. The 12-inch digital instrument cluster can show almost anything and, as it is digital, can also be configured. Between the seats is a bridge, beneath which there is space to store objects, as well as a joystick long familiar from Mercedes-Benz: the hardware is the same, while the software has been Anglicised.

The boot offers 632 litres, meaning that only the Porsche Cayenne has a larger load compartment in this segment. It surpasses larger rivals such as the Bentley Bentayga, with 484 litres, and the Range Rover Sport, with 489 litres.

Rear legroom is very generous, although the DBX appears to have been designed more for two occupants, as the width is insufficient for three passengers to travel comfortably in the second row.

For every imaginable reason-including its class-leading wheelbase-rigidity has been reinforced as much as possible, with double-wishbone front suspension and cast-aluminium multi-link rear suspension also playing their part.

Even with the use of lightweight metal, the Aston Martin DBX weighs 2245 kg. The distribution is well balanced, with 53% at the front and 47% at the rear, also made possible by placing the engine as far back as possible, almost above the front axle.

This SUV operates in rear-wheel drive for much of the time, switching to 4×4 when surface conditions offer less grip. It can send up to 47% of torque to the front wheels, with everything managed through three differentials and the German-accented automatic gearbox. It does the job, but is less smooth and less rapid than the eight-speed unit used by Aston Martin’s other models.

Natural handling, with stability

Within the first few hundred metres, it becomes obvious that the driving position is lower than usual for an SUV in this segment. Together with the relatively high beltline, it makes the experience feel more like a crossover or raised GT than an SUV.

This impression works well with its other dynamic attributes, including steering that is quick, precise and communicative, plus the excellent control of body roll. It almost makes you forget that, compared with a DB11, for example, you are sitting some 20 to 30 cm higher.

The market’s most powerful electronic anti-roll bars-capable of sending 1400 Nm to the front or rear in 0.2 seconds-help explain this result, which could not be achieved, at least with the same comfort, by a mechanical system.

There is still a degree of body roll, but that is intentional, as Becker confirms: “an excessive stabilising effect would create an artificial driving sensation that we wanted to avoid”.

Closer to, or further from, the ground?

Its ability to absorb imperfections in the road surface is another strength, although at low speeds the combination of aluminium suspension components and air springs produces more noise than expected.

The various driving modes then allow the DBX to be configured for the terrain ahead. GT is the standard setting and, as seen, is very well balanced. Then come Sport, where the suspension drops by 15 mm; Sport Plus (-30 mm); Terrain (+15 mm); Terrain Plus (+45 mm); and Individual.

To load heavier items-the boot floor is 80 cm above the ground-or to help people with reduced mobility get in and out, the suspension can lower the vehicle by 5 cm while stationary, despite the door sills being kept to a minimum.

The 4×4 part of this dynamic assessment of the Aston Martin DBX confirmed what was expected. Its electronic aids, including steep-descent control and torque vectoring, four-wheel drive, multiple differentials, substantial torque of 700 Nm, increased ground clearance and the option to remove the 48 V anti-roll bars from the equation to enable greater axle articulation all help the DBX overcome obstacles that anyone paying more than €200,000 for a car will have little desire to subject it to.

Water is among them. Wading depth is 50 cm, aided by a breather pipe fitted to the rear electronic differential. This can matter, for example, when the SUV has to enter shallow water to launch or recover a boat, using its towing capacity of up to 2.7 tonnes.

Heavily revised AMG V8 engine

For now, the DBX is offered with only one engine: the 4.0-litre V8 sourced from AMG. It has no form of hybridisation, which it cannot offset by deactivating half its cylinders under low or zero throttle loads. It gains a particulate filter and has been acoustically tuned to sound less menacing than in other applications, although it remains powerful and expressive.

The turbochargers, electronic management, compression ratio and even the firing order of each cylinder have been revised, understandably creating a distinct character in both response and sound. The driver can also choose more or less noise: GT is the quieter option, with the exhaust valves closed, while Sport Plus opens them and raises idle speed from 650 rpm to 800 rpm.

The Aston Martin name immediately brings to mind a world of intoxicating sensations delivered through exceptional performance. Despite weighing almost 2.3 tonnes, the DBX can still reach 100 km/h in only 4.5s and continue to 290 km/h. For all the hysteria suggested by those figures, it does everything in the gentlemanly manner expected of James Bond’s car.

On fast roads-very fast roads-it feels less tense than the Porsche Cayenne and less breathless than the Lamborghini Urus, yet offers a more involving drive than a Bentley Bentayga or Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

Through bends, its rear-wheel-drive-biased set-up allows some entertaining movements for those who want them, albeit with less tail-wagging than Aston’s coupés. It is neither as agile as the sportiest rivals-there is no rear-wheel steering here-nor as firm, even in the Sport modes, which sharpen its demeanour without making it “hostile”.

The Mercedes gearbox performs adequately rather than excitingly, with the occasional hesitation on downshifts or when holding a gear. This can be addressed by using the manual shift paddles behind the steering wheel.

Technical specifications

Aston Martin DBX
ENGINE
Architecture
Capacity
Valve gear
Fuel system
Power
Torque
TRANSMISSION
Drive
Gearbox
CHASSIS
Suspension
Brakes
Steering / No. of turns
Turning circle
DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Length x Width x Height
Wheelbase
Boot
Fuel tank
Weight
Tyres
Off-road angles
Wading depth
Ground clearance
PERFORMANCE, FUEL CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS
Top speed
0-100 km/h
Combined consumption
CO₂ emissions

Authors: Joaquim Oliveira/Press-Inform