Aston Martin DBX 2020 Review

The 2020 Aston Martin DBX took five years to transition from concept to production and, in the car-making world, half a decade can feel like a lifetime.

During that time, not only has Aston had to grapple with the engineering challenges of switching from low-slung GTs to a high-riding all-wheel drive SUV, it's had to build a new factory and watch sales of its existing core models dwindle.

If the luxury brand had a reset button, it would be reaching for it, and no doubt it would have switched to a re-clothed Mercedes-Benz GLE.

But back in 2015 a swift Benz rebadging exercise was explicitly ruled out by Aston's own design team. Architectures like the Mercedes GLE's MHA platform, they said, would be impossible to graft the proportions and forms needed for it to be a 'real' Aston.

Engineers were quick to add their voice. Starting from scratch using the car-maker's bonded aluminium structure-knowhow would make the DBX not only lighter, but stiffer and help offer class-leading cabin space.

Against all the odds, both designers and engineers got their wish and cannibalising an existing Benz was dropped.

We'll leave it to you to judge whether the styling is a success but we can tell you that in the metal the DBX is handsome and unmistakably an Aston Martin.

It's also far bigger than the pics suggest, measuring in at 5039mm long, 1998mm wide and standing 1680mm tall, it is longer than a Porsche Cayenne but shorter than a Bentley Bentayga.

Most impressive is the 3060mm wheelbase that provides what is claimed to be class-leading leg and head room in the rear – even with a standard full-length panoramic sunroof.

The boot, meanwhile, offers a generous 632 litres of luggage swallowing capacity that can be boosted by 40:20:40-split/folding rear seating, bringing a level of practicality completely unexpected from a small sportscar-maker.

Perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised considering the close proximity of Aston Martin HQ's to Jaguar Land Rover. Features like the door sill seals that keep your trouser leg clean after off-roading are clever Freelander or Discovery items.

With a fresh start engineers were also able to cherry-pick the best components for the job, including double wishbones up front and a multi-link rear-end suspension.

It also allowed for the Mercedes-AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 to be low and mid-mounted up front for optimal weight distribution.

Speaking of that powertrain, most of it is lifted from the AMG E 63 S.

The first time in its history, Aston Martin has equipped one of its cars with a tow bar, with the big SUV capable of hauling up to 2700kg. Helping it on and off the road, the Aston Martin DBX also gets handy triple chamber air springs than can raise the DBX 45mm high or lower it by 50mm – particularly handy when loading heavy bags up into the high boot lip.

In its highest position, the DBX is claimed to offer 190mm of ground clearance, allowing it to wade up to 500mm of water – a long way off the 850mm the Range Rover Sport SVR can motor through – but it will be enough for most.

It's on a purpose-built off-road track on the outskirts of Silverstone's F1 circuit we begin our first drive of the 2020 Aston Martin DBX and the experience is nothing short of surreal.

Behind the wheel you sit lower compared to most SUVs, in a cossetting cabin that gives the impression you're sitting in a DBS on stilts. At low speeds, the quick steering, agile responses and that lack of inertia all feel very unlike a big, heavy SUV.

In most conditions, the all-wheel drive system is happy to split torque 50/50 front/rear, but there's a centre diff that can channel 100 per cent to the rear. Over the rear axle a further e-diff ensures not a single Nm is wasted.

Crawling along in thick mud, the DBX was well up to the task of a simple bit of off-roading on this hardly challenging course, especially on all-terrain tyres.

Pirelli offers a snow tyre too, although almost all DBXs delivered in Australia will be on P Zero summer tyres. All are 22-inch and, even Aston admits, are susceptible to the dreaded pinch-cut failures on sharp gravel roads.

Aston might offer a toughre, smaller wheel and tyre in the future for markets like ours but has given no dates.

Another annoyance for those who will actually use their DBX on dirt is the glaring admission of a rear wiper. Aston says it's deliberate and all part of the DBX's advanced aerodynamics that include a completely flat floor and complex air intakes within the front DRLs, which vent the front wheel-arches to reduce lift over the front axle, while feeding cool air to the brakes.

The rear screen, meanwhile, is expected to be cleared by that large rear spoiler.

Back on the road, it's time to take the DBX on Silverstone's Stowe circuit, just one of several facilities where the new SUV was honed. It's also racked up around 8000km lapping on the fearsome Nurburgring.

At the beginning of its development, Aston purchased all of the DBXs main rivals, but only one really impressed – and that, unsurprisingly, was Porsche's Cayenne Turbo.

The Lamborghini Urus raised some eyebrows for its noise, pace and drama but, ultimately, it was ruled dynamically dreary, with a brittle ride.

Refreshingly, Aston engineers haven't chased any meaningless numbers with the DBX. It was never created to be the fastest or quickest in a straight line – not that a 4.5-second sprint to 100km/h and a 291km/h top speed is anything to be ashamed of.

Flattening the throttle, if anything, it feels quicker – but that could be something to do with our car's sports exhaust flattering the AMG V8's soundtrack, which builds gradually from a hollow bellow to its snarling crescendo, rather than barking into life like it does in the E 63.

Curbing body roll, Aston has employed 48-volt active anti-roll bars that are capable of up to 1400Nm of anti-roll force per axle – around double the force exerted by some of its rivals, making it quicker to react.

Rear-wheel steering was considered but ruled out as it makes steering angles inconsistent mid bends.

On track, there's still some initial body roll on turn-in, but it’s rapidly neutralised. Grip levels are high, but push too hard and understeer makes an appearance, although it’s easily cured with a lift.

Apparently, the suspension systems were all so good that it was difficult not to get carried away while developing the DBX and, at times, engineers would experiment with set-ups more suited to hard-core sports cars. That, alas, introduced unwanted snappiness to the handling, while the lack of body roll induced travel sickness in passengers.

Not that the DBX doesn't involve in some lurid oversteer, if you want it on circuit. Switch from standard GT mode to Sport + and that active diff allows a decent level of slip before the electronics reign in the fun.

In other words, if there's a more agile, entertaining big, heavy SUV you can enjoy on track we've not driven it, not that many DBX owners will spend their days hot-lapping together.

Back on some nearby British roads, the Aston is no less impressive. On some poorly surfaced country roads that could double for Australia's the ride is firm but comfortable, and capable of resisting even nasty mid-corner bumps.

Despite all that aluminium, the DBX still tips the scales at 2245kg – just 10kg heavier than the smaller Cayenne Turbo – but on these roads you'd swear it was lighter, with all the on-track confidence and agility transferring over.

It helps that the standard brakes are mighty. Aston claims that despite weighing around 550kg more than a DBS Superleggera, it can stop just as quick.

On the highway the 2020 Aston Martin DBX is quiet and relaxed, with that V8 barely turning over at highway speeds, but the AMG donk still seems to drink heavily. We didn't come close to the 14.3L/100km claimed average, even when driving sensibly.

On a reasonably warm British day (mind you, that's only 25C!) the DBX’s ventilation also struggled, suggesting it needs more vents in the dash.

Oh and rear visibility is lacking and the ultra-cool frameless double-glazed windows are slow to raise.

Perhaps the biggest gripe of them relates to the dash and infotainment. Behind the beautiful hand-stitched leather fascia lies electrical architecture from the Mercedes E-Class – which is reassuring – except it's from the last-gen sedan, not the current one.

That means the 10.25-inch infotainment screen has to be operated using a rotary controller – and there’s no touch-screen. At least the screen works with Apple CarPlay, but it is a major drawback for wealthy millennials and there's no wireless phone charging either.

Another criticism has also to be directed towards the 12.3-inch instrument panel, which has a fussy design that can make it difficult to read.

As standard, the Aston Martin DBX comes with adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic warning, blind spot warning and AEB.

We worry there are no plans to roll out more advanced Level 3 autonomous driving aids, but an engineer assured me Aston Martin wouldn't have gone to the trouble (and expense) of engineering its own platform without future-proofing it for autonomy and electrification.

When it arrives in Australia in the fourth quarter of this year, Aston Martin says the DBX will have a high level of standard kit and will not require, like some of its rivals, a further $80,000 spent on it in options.

That said, the glorious detailing of our test car, including an admittedly vulgar US-spec Hyper Red and caramel leather interior combo, would make it hard to avoid spending a fortune in tailoring your DBX to your very own individual tastes.

There are also 11 optional accessory packs specially developed for the Aston SUV, ranging from a pet pack, that offers owners an on-board doggy shower, to a Snow Pack that includes boot warmers.

If there's still nothing on the options list that takes your fancy, there's always Aston Martin's Q bespoke division and its team of designers and craftsman on hand to create whatever's your wildest dreams – so long as it's legal and doesn't involve an endangered species, that is.

And that's perhaps the biggest draw of the Aston Martin DBX. It manages to feel both exotic and special, even beside rivals like the Bentley Bentayga.

The fact that it out drives its rivals is just the icing on the cake for an SUV that will overnight account for half of Aston Martin's global sales.

From where we sit, the Aston Martin DBX fully justifies its saviour accolades because – whatever your view on SUVs – it looks primed to save the car-maker. The fact it drives like a real Aston is icing on the case.

How much does the 2020 Aston Martin DBX cost?
Price: $357,000 plus on-road costs
Available: Fourth quarter 2020
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 405kW/700Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 14.3L/100km (WLTP)
CO2 emissions: 323g/km (NEDC)
Safety rating: Not rated