Skip to main content

Aston Martin Tries Off-Roading with the First-Ever DBX SUV

Stop crying. Stop whining. It’s not bad. Aston Martin isn’t losing its heritage. It isn’t corrupting the brand’s legacy. The upcoming DBX 4×4 isn’t an abomination. In fact, it’s the very opposite of all those thoughts. The DBX represents the future of every batshit insane sports, super and hypercar Aston Martin is set to build. The DBX is what ensures Aston Martin’s continued love affair with turbos and aerodynamics. Now buck up, because the DBX looks quite hysterical.

2019 DBX - Aston Martin’s first SUV

Think of the DBX as Porsche’s first-generation Cayenne. At first, purists and naysayers believed it represented the death-knell of a brand devoted to the sports car. Fast forward nearly two decades later and, with hindsight, we can see that the Cayenne is what saved Porsche from failure and ensured we got the 911 GT3 and GT2, as well as the hyper-insane 918.

Little is known about Aston’s forthcoming SUV, other than what can be gleaned from the handful of impressive pictures of it running through one stage of the Welsh Rally circuit. We can see that it’s powered by some form of internal combustion engine given it has twin-exit tailpipes.

The long, sloping hood likely hides the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 sourced from Mercedes-AMG that also powers the Vantage and a version of the DB11. That said, Aston Martin is working with both Williams Technology and Rimac to provide hybrid and fully electric drivetrains for the upcoming Rapide and Valkyrie, so the DBX could use some combination. We wouldn’t be surprised if Aston Martin offered either a hybrid or a fully electric DBX in the vehicle’s future.

Where the DBX will set itself apart from other sporty SUVs will be in terms of handling and vehicle dynamics. Sure, Porsche’s Cayenne is brilliant, but you can still feel the Audi underpinnings, same with Bentley’s Bentayga, although the Bentley is miles ahead of the Porsche. How Aston Martin will achieve this is largely down to the man in charge of its handling setup, Matt Becker. Originally Lotus’ handling man, Becker jumped ship to Aston a few years ago, and since brought massive handling and dynamics gains to all of the brand’s offerings, including the all-new DBS Superleggera and the rebirthed Vantage.

In addition to the Welsh backroads, Aston Martin will be testing the DBX in the Arctic, on the Nurburgring, and through the scorching sands and heat of the Middle East. Furthermore, the brand’s head honchos are excited about the product — something Porsche wasn’t when the Cayenne first debut.

Aston’s CEO Dr. Andy Palmer said, “Seeing a DBX development prototype in action is a momentous chapter in the story of our first SUV, for it is the moment it really comes alive. DBX is so much more than ‘just’ an SUV; it will be the first model built at our brand-new facility in St Athan. As such, it is very much the start of a bold new era in the company’s long history.”

So, don’t get too flustered by Aston adding an SUV, it means the brand will survive and that cars like the DB11, Vantage, DBS, and Valkyrie will continue to exist. All hail the DBX!

Editors' Recommendations

Jonathon Klein
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jonathon is a former contributor to The Manual. Please reach out to The Manual editorial staff with any questions or comments…
Lost Ferrari collection rakes in over $16 million at auction (with one surprise standout)
Ferraris are in high demand
RM Sotheby's Lost & Found Ferrari collection

1995 Ferrari F50 Rear 3/4 View Joshua Sweeney/Broad Arrow Auction / Broad Arrow Auctions

Recently, we reported about a herd of Italian thoroughbreds that were lost in time, spending fourteen years from 1990 to 2004 in a Floridian barn. Then, after Hurricane Charley laid waste to the Ferraris' farmhouse, the Italian stallions were moved to a weatherproof warehouse across from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where they ironically laid motionless for nearly the next twenty years until the precious few who knew of this buried treasure decided to finally set these cars free in what RM Sotheby's deemed 'The Lost & Found Collection.'  With some incredibly captivating backstories, these 20 Ferraris were expected to bring in a king's ransom, and no one could have predicted that this collection would bring in enough to buy the whole kingdom.

Read more
UAW Strike cripples the Big Three – GM, Ford, and Stellantis productions grinds to halt
UAW members striking

Over 10,000 automotive workers have walked off the job as the United Auto Workers union begins strike action in Detroit. The UAW strike directly concern three of the world's biggest vehicle manufacturers, Ford, GM, and Stellantis - known as "the big three." Unions have christened the action "The Stand Up Strike," calling it "our generation’s answer to the movement that built our union, the Sit-Down Strikes of 1937."

So far, all three companies have offered a 20% pay rise to staff in an attempt to end the strike, but the UAW union has opted to decline that offer. The union organizing the strike has outlined a number of demands, with the main focus centering on a 40% pay increase stretched over four years for all of its 140,000 members. While that pay increase may seem drastic, union bosses claim it is comparable to raises executives have been awarded in recent years. Going forward, the union is demanding pay raises are also tied to inflation, which could see an equally significant increase in workers' pay rates going  forwards if recent inflation trends continue. Other demands include limits on how long staff can be categorized as temporary workers and denied union benefits, and the establishment of a four-day working week.

Read more
The Tesla Cybertruck is still a complete mess, not production-ready (and won’t be any time soon) says Musk
The long wait for the Tesla Cybertruck continues
Tesla Cybertruck parked indoors in front of a black wall with headlights and taillights on.

When it was announced back in 2019, the Tesla Cybertruck promised an awful lot. It was going to have more towing capacity than anything a 7-liter diesel engine could hope to produce. Its windows were bulletproof. Its 0-60 times would put most historic supercars to shame. And it would be all yours for less than $40,000.

Now, four years on and over two years past the original intended production date, many people are wondering what happened. One of those people seems to be Tesla CEO and self-professed Twit Elon Musk.

Read more