Aston Martin’s first SUV will be a sports car first, SUV second says design chief



No one can resist the temptation of an SUV, not Bentley, not Rolls-Royce and certainly not Lamborghini. Aston Martin too is ready for their first ever SUV codenamed the Aston Martin DBX and we’ve learnt a thing or two about their upcoming SUV from Aston Martin Creative Director of Exterior, Miles Nurnberger.

Speaking at a roundtable media session, Nurnberger has disclosed that the production version of the DBX is almost complete and the SUV is currently undergoing final stages of engineering and prototype session. The DBX will ride on a bespoke platform that was designed from the ground up for SUVs. This allows the engineers to create a car with go-anywhere capability while retaining much of its sporty characteristics known to Aston Martin sports cars.

In terms of design, Nurnberger has assured that the DBX will not be mistaken for anything else other than an Aston Martin. We will very much see the brand’s familiar design cues such as the gaping front grille, lean silhouette and slim taillamps. However, Nurnberger has stressed that the DBX will give off the appeal of a sports car first and SUV second.

As for powertrain option, we believe that the DBX will feature a turbocharged powerplant as the characteristics of high low-end torque would be beneficial for trekking off-road terrains. This would mean Aston Martin might employ the AMG sourced M177 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 that produces 503 hp and 675 Nm on the DB11 V8 while a higher variant to use the 5.3-litre bi-turbo V12 that is good for 599 hp and 700 Nm of twist, the latter kicking in at a lowly 1,500 rpm.

SUVs have been all the craze now with more people buying them than ever. It makes a strong business case for ultra-luxe brands like Aston Martin to take a piece of the pie because an Aston that fits four comfortably with a sizeable boot and go-anywhere everyday attitude sounds like a pretty sweet proposition to me.


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Aston Martin DBX Concept