Aston Martin DBX
The British car marque Aston Martin seen in so many James Bond films has always reflected the secret agent’s cool image. But the brand’s first SUV, the DBX, leaves room for both the inner 007 and a Walter Mitty reality.
It’s for the Bond wannabe who also goes on camping trips and needs to haul a month’s worth of supplies from Costco. But as you would expect, this is no run-of-the-mill SUV. Despite its brawny scale and heft, the five-enger DBX has a few tricks of the eye that say stealthy sportscar instead of truck. Aston’s signature codes are retained—assertive sculpted profile, iconic wide grill, a muscular bulge to the hood, aerodynamic scoops and cutaways, and the tailgate with a flip taking cues from Vantage. Active
all-wheel drive with variable torque distribution as well as height-adjustable air suspension are primed and ready for you to choose your own adventure on road or off.
Inside, you are immersed in Aston’s particular five-star luxury with sumptuous, hand-tooled leather evoking a pair of bespoke brogues. A full-length panoramic roof floods the interior with light, and cutting-edge tech from TFT (thin-film transistor) screens to a 360-degree camera system empowers the driver. DBX’s interior touches—from the sportscar front seats to the ergonomic positioning of the car’s key control system—were guided by Aston’s Female Advisory Board, ensuring that it provides a high comfort level for drivers of all sizes and persuasions.
The turbocharged V8 with an active exhaust system can go from a refined purr to throaty roar in an instant, with 542 horsepower propelling you from 0 to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds and to a top speed of 181 mph, though that’s unlikely on the way to the dry cleaner.
Still, it’s hard to resist punching it on the highway when you feel the urge for that exhilarating Aston Martin rush, your adrenaline only further amped by the threat of a sneaky state trooper lying in wait.
And while Q by Aston Martin, the brand’s customization service (above and beyond the $180,500 base price), lets you personalize your DBX to your whims, the hub-mounted lasers that Timothy Dalton used to disable a pursuing Soviet police car in The Living Daylights, are, unfortunately, not on the menu.
