CarBrandLogos archive · Aston Martin · 2020

Aston MartinDBX

The SUV meant to pay for everything else, built in a new factory in Wales.

Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Aston Martin history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Aston Martin DBX, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Aston Martin DBX Retro Classics 2020 IMG 0218

Origins

Aston Martin had talked about a high-riding car since the Lagonda-badged concept of 2009, and by the late 2010s the argument had been settled by the market: Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce were all selling SUVs, and the profit on them funded the sports cars. The DBX went into production in July 2020 at St Athan in South Wales, a plant the company built specifically for it, giving Aston Martin two factories for the first time in its history.

Aston Martin DBX Retro Classics 2020 IMG 0218 · Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0

2021 Aston Martin DBX in Midnight Blue, rear left

Design and engineering

Marek Reichman's body kept the grille and the tail lamps recognisable while doing what an SUV has to do about height and glass area. Mechanically it leans on Mercedes-AMG, whose 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 drives all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic; a 3.0-litre straight-six version was built for the Chinese market. Air suspension and a 48-volt active anti-roll system were fitted to keep a two-tonne car composed.

2021 Aston Martin DBX in Midnight Blue, rear left · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

The DBX707 followed in 2022 with substantially more power and a wet-clutch gearbox, and became the version that defined the model. Commercially the car did what only it could do, becoming the company's best-seller and broadening the customer base beyond two-door buyers, though it never quite reached the volumes the business plan had been written around.

Aston Martin DBX F1 Medical Car · Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2020–present

Designer

Marek Reichman

Body

5-door SUV

Technical specification

The DBX, in detail.

Production: July 2020–present
Class: Luxury crossover SUV
Body style: 5-door SUV
Layout: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
Engine: 3.0 L Mercedes-AMG M256 turbocharged I6 (China); 4.0 L Mercedes-AMG M177 twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: 9-speed 9G-Tronic automatic
Designer: Marek Reichman
Assembly: United Kingdom: St Athan, South Wales (Aston Martin Lagonda Saint Athan)
Manufacturer: Aston Martin