WHEELS & WATER
SLEEK & SPORTY The Aston Martin DBX ticks all the boxes for a sportier SUV.
WORDS CHRIS NIXON ONE LOOK INSIDE the cabin of the Aston Martin DBX confirms it’s a true handcrafted example of Britain’s most illustrious sports car make … it’s sumptuous. But the DBX isn’t a traditional sports car. Instead, it’s the company’s first SUV and only the second four-door Aston Martin in its 108-year history. It might be arguable whether the DBX, in the company of the sleek coupes that comprise the rest of the Aston range, is actually a sports car as the manufacturer prefers us to think. But as a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), it offers more sport than almost every other model in the automotive world. We have here a 2.45 tonne SUV that will reach 100 kmh in just 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 291 kmh. Aston Martin had little choice but to join the rapid (and profitable) paradigm shift to SUVs
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as the world’s most popular vehicle type for everyday driving. Makers have to have one or more offerings to stay in the game. However, while most mass-market SUVs are merely jacked-up and tricked-up variants of a sedan or hatchback made more for profit than practicality, the Aston Martin DBX presents a particular opportunity: that is, to own an Aston Martin with all its performance, luxury and prestige, and one that will carry all the family without having to climb down into a low-slung coupe that feels like a tiger on a leash when you head down to the shops for a litre of milk. By the age some people acquire the wealth to buy an Aston Martin, they may be past living with a supercar. The DBX is the model for people who’ve wanted an Aston Martin but previously not found one to their liking.
