Aston Martin expands lineup with DBX

Aston Martin's DBX SUV will expand the British automaker's portfolio into a key new segment but doesn't stray from the brand's design language.

The 2021 DBX, debuting simultaneously at events in Beverly Hills, Calif., and Beijing, marks the latest entrant into a growing group of SUVs from some of the industry's most exclusive brands.

Bentley started the latest SUV stampede with the launch of the Bentayga in 2016 while the Lamborghini Urus and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan went on sale in 2018. A Ferrari SUV is expected in 2022.

For Aston Martin, the DBX has been a long time coming.

First teased as a concept at the 2015 Geneva show, the DBX has morphed from what at first looked like a high-riding sporty coupe into a more traditional SUV, complete with four doors, a large rear gate, room for five inside and 22-inch wheels. It's built on a new, dedicated platform.

But the design details tying the DBX to the rest of Aston Martin's lineup remain strong.  The headlights and grille are instantly recognizable as an Aston Martin, while the rear styling mirrors the Vantage coupe.

The DBX is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine making 542 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque. The engine is the same Mercedes AMG-supplied unit that Aston Martin drops in the Vantage and DB11 sports cars, but it is tuned to give more power in the SUV.

It comes with a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

"DBX ... will give many people their first experience of Aston Martin ownership," Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said in a statement. "As such it needed to be true to the core values established in our sports cars, while also providing the lifestyle versatility expected of a luxury SUV."

Aston Martin says the DBX checks in at 198.4 inches long, 78.7 inches wide and has a wheelbase of 120.5 inches, giving the model a wheelbase longer than the Bentayga, at 117.9 inches, and the Urus, at 118.2 inches. However, the Bentayga, at 202.4 inches, and the Urus, at 201.2 inches, are both a touch longer overall.

The DBX will start at $192,986, including shipping, in the United States, pricing it alongside most of its competitors. Prices for the Bentayga, with a V-8 engine, start at $167,725; the Lamborghini Urus starts at $211,321; and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan starts at $332,725. Prices include shipping.

In Aston Martin's lineup, the DBX is priced above the Vantage, which starts at $156,081, but below the DB11, which starts at $208,686 and the DBS Superleggera, which starts at $314,186. Prices include shipping.

Inside, Aston Martin packed the DBX with creature comforts such as a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay, heated seats and four USB ports.

The automaker also baked in a host of safety equipment into the DBX, including forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, blind-sport warning and, for the first time in an Aston Martin, adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.

The DBX will be built at Aston Martin's new factory in St Athan, south Wales. Aston Martin said U.S. deliveries will begin in the second half of 2020.

The automaker is aiming to lift annual global output to 14,000 vehicles by 2023 with the help of the DBX. The brand's 2018 global sales totaled 6,441 and the company is targeting 6,300 to 6,500 deliveries this year.