In the world of toys for the one percent, some new vehicles are worth upgrading to and some don’t give many headline reasons to trade in. Care to guess what’s going on here? This is the Aston Martin DBX S, not to be confused with the outgoing DBS or the regular old DBX. As you probably guessed, it’s technically a sharper DBX, although on paper, it doesn’t seem like a night-and-day difference from the existing DBX 707.
While the DBX 707 pulls 697 horsepower out of a Mercedes-AMG sourced four-liter twin-turbocharged V8, the DBX S goes a little bit further, borrowing turbocharger tech from the Valhalla hypercar, boosting peak output to 717 horsepower, and extending the engine’s power band. While 20 horsepower doesn’t sound like a whole lot, Aston Martin claims it shaves three tenths of a second off the run to 124 mph compared to the DBX 707. A bragging figure, sure, but what are six-figure performance SUVs like this for except to brag?
Besides, Aston Martin claims this version of its SUV is all about weight savings. You can spec magnesium wheels that shave 41.8 pounds of unsprung mass, a carbon fiber roof that saves 39.7 pounds, a carbon fiber lower exterior package and wing that saves a modest 15.4 pounds and even a special DBS 770 Ultimate-inspired grille designed to take a tiny bit of weight off the nose of this 2.2-ton SUV. However, none of these tantalizing options are standard, which makes you wonder just what you’re getting for the money aside from 20 more horsepower.
Well, how about faster steering? A four percent-quicker steering system cleaves 1.6 feet out of the turning circle while promising more immediate response out on the road. At the same time, massive carbon ceramic brakes won’t be cheap to eventually replace but should be able to haul the mass of the DBX S down from Autobahn speeds without much fuss, and retuned upshift points complete a somewhat unremarkable list of upgrades over the DBX 707.
There lies the rub: The DBX S is technically slightly superior to the DBX 7o7, but it doesn’t improve on that model’s zero-to-60 mph time or top speed, doesn’t really add any extra luxury, and all the really interesting lightweight bits are optional, no doubt at a hefty sum. I’m sure the new DBX S badge is fancy and the new exhaust is shouty, but I suspect the vast majority of DBX 707 owners will be just fine with what they have.
On the plus side, there’s a decent chance the DBX S could be the next F1 medical car, and if spec’d with all the lightweight options, getting to the scene of an off quicker seems like a good thing.
Top graphic credit: Aston Martin
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If I had Aston Martin money and 2-row crossover hauling needs, I’d buy a vintage Aston and a CR-V hybrid as a daily.
I was thinking V12 Vantage and one of the plug in hybrid X3/X5s
I saw one of these in the wild the other day. KIA ugly from the rear for sure. Can’t say the front is doing it any favors either. Given Aston Martin’s usual value proposition (being pretty), I fully expect this to flop harder than something really really floppy.
As a person who doesn’t find Kias to be ugly, I always think these look like a tastelessly modified Kia EV6 from the back.
While they may be fun for you to get behind the wheel of, the toys of that one percent hold zero percent interest for me.
I am not blaming you, but this is an article I didn’t finish, and I would rather read about something in which I might/could find myself.
I don’t know how the Autopian’s site metrics work, but I am going to avoid posts like this in the future. I feel a little dirty for even clicking on it in the first place.
There are few cars that make me ask “Why?” with a more concerned tone than the DBX. I mean, outside of the badging would this qualify as a sleeper? Because it looks like a number of ugly run of the mill crossovers to me.
Seems a lot like Porsche 911 and Booster just a little bit different
How about an option to remove about 50 lbs of the front grill to make that smaller?
They already have. Can you not see the emptiness?
Yes.
It’s called the Ford Mustang Mach-E
Potential buyers: No matter what this thing costs, there is a better car (or combination of cars) that you should spend your money on.
Not gonna lie, scrolling the main feed I thought that was a Hyundai, with the “N” lipstick.
What does “getting to the scene of an off quicker” mean?
“An off” refers to someone going off track during a race. It’s basically saying they can get medics to the scene of an accident faster.
Ah, thank you!
I love the term “Whelming” Not over whelming or underwhelming, just “whelming”
Reminds me of this quote
“I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.”― P.G. Wodehouse
Now I want an Aston Martin ambulance.
“What is the point?” seems to be a good motto for Aston in general, to say nothing of this particular vehicle.
They lost me when they started using AMG powertrains. Not that that 4 liter V8 isn’t a great engine, it definitely is. But for me mentally Astons are incomplete without a massive, naturally aspirated, horribly unreliable, unmistakably British V12.
If I were to buy a BMW I’d insist on a straight 6. If I were to buy a Challenger I’d insist on a V8. Do those cars have other good engine options? Sure, but they’re not THE engine option.
All the best engines are straight 6s.
AMG partnership is when they lost the plot, which is a shame. I “get” the economies behind that decision but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept.
At least they developed a new twin turbo V12 for the Vanquish.. we’ll see how long that can survive with tougher emissions standards on the horizon.
No problem you didn’t hear? Trump put a tariff on emissions standards
They need to meet emission standards for the EU.
Basically anything German with a turbo is a non starter for me. though I would probably lump the old M156 as exceptionally bad as well.
Aston’s true legacy engines are either the W.O. Bentley-designed Lagonda straight-six (think Bond) or the Tadek Marek V8. The V12 is a Johnny-come-lately that has a whiff of Ford and/or Jag around it. Not shabby, of course, just “new traditional”.
The point is to extract money from the name for as long as they can, then kill it.
The red trim makes it look like a Hyundai N. It’s somewhat flattering towards my car, but it is certainly not flattering to the average Aston buyer.
Which itself was already a rip-off of the 2015 370Z Nismo (and later Juke Nismo). Aston is really scraping the barrel here for design ideas.
They’re all copies of the 2007 Saturn Sky Redline.
VW GTI checking in.
1975 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Lipstick Edition passing by.
You keep your lipstick on a pig car out of this!
Lipstick pig fashionably beat the GTI out the gate by a year on the red trim.
Not sure about fashionably, but you win the point anyway. Even if the GTI wore it better.
The 370Z doesn’t mean much to me…but a Nismo Juke? Perfection. A work of art.
It looks like an Aston and a Hyundai got funky one night and made a Jag.
How fast doesis the Jag off the line?
I watched a video on the different brakes available for the Cayenne, he also added the replacement costs (parts only) for the three systems.
Standard brakes were ~$3200, the next dustless weird coated rotors were about $10k and the carbon ceramic brakes were ~$30k.
I want to see more of these Astosns rolling around, because it makes me smile to think these jackholes are paying $40k for brake jobs.
Can’t wait to see more of these super SUVs in junkyards because they are mechanically totaled for “needs brakes”
Every now and then there’s a recent high mile luxury car on one of those ‘just rolled in’ videos. Probably on the fourth owner, and in need of EVERYTHING. Tires showing belts, brakes worn all the way down and possibly even missing some pads. Dash full of warning lights.
Driver declines all repairs every time.
I wouldn’t call an Altima a luxury car, but I take your point.
Sadly those Jackholes can pay $40k.
Yes, but now they have $40k less. They won’t miss it now, but they will as soon as someone’s done trashing the stock market.
I like to think they’ll be down at the buy here pay here lot negotiating a deal on a former rental Malibu when they think sadly of the time they paid $40k for brake service while they sign an 84 month loan agreement.
The original purchaser will not have it long enough pay for the 1st brake job, they’ll be onto whatever the new hotness is within a couple years… Hoovie will pick one up in 5 with 123k on the clock and the youtoob will exclaim something about how much the brake job cost him
“Hey look, a Fusion wagon! Didn’t they stop making the Fusion?”
“Don’t be an idiot, that’s the new Genesis crossover.”
“But it has the butt of a Kia Stinger…”
“Yeah, same company. Wait, see the red lines? I think that’s the new Forester!”
With some Mazda/honda/toyota c-d pillars for extra boring.
Nah red lines mean it’s a VW GTI!
outside of the winged badge, I don’t see the Genesis there anywhere.
From the side it’s giving Chevy Trax.