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2022 Aston Martin DBX Road Test


PORTLAND, ORE. – It’s easy to say hello Aston Martin DBX with a great big eye. Again, another supplier of beautiful sports machines is selling to produce a bulky SUV that is completely out of place with all the cars that came before it. Yet another skeptical branding exercise in which some classic styling cues and a desirable badge are applied to someone else’s SUV platform. And another SUV hopelessly influenced by the influences of the same brand. Worse yet, this is Aston Martin. If you remove the DB5-derived body style and GT driving experience, what exactly are you left with? Those are not the best reasons to buy one instead of one Porsche?

In other words, the arrival of a $222,000 Aston Martin is not necessarily greeted with raucous applause and scores of “Golden Fingers“up to 11. Skepticism would be the word. Immediately, however, it begins to erode. It can be an SUV and certainly bulky compared to one. Vantage, but it sure is beautiful. And not just for that Brand grille and ducktail style like Vantage. It’s all about the ratio. The pronounced shoulder-length line and the interior rear conservatory may be reminiscent of Aston cars, but it also avoids the tall, slab-like silhouette of a car. Porsche Cayenne and most other SUVs. The wheels are pushed to the corners, elongating the body and creating the long hood, short floor proportions one would expect in a two-door GT, not an SUV. Even without the styling cues, it still looks like an Aston Martin.

The DBX nor on “someone else’s SUV platform”, it was created by Aston Martin for Aston Martin. So unlike Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Cayennes before it, Aston Martin doesn’t need to deal with the kinds of existing, unchangeable hardpoints that lead to awkward proportions. This can also have practical benefits. Take, for example, the stretched wheelbase, which is 2.6 inches longer than Bentayga’s though the entire DBX is 3.4 inches shorter. Like the same from the beginning Jaguar F-Pace, I suspect Aston Martin made the DBX wheelbase too long for the aforementioned aesthetic reasons and because, not constrained by an existing platform, it can. Like the F-Pace, however, a side effect of the long wheelbase is more interior space.

In DBX the amount of extra space is really surprising. We fit a large rear-facing Britax child seat in the back and have the front passenger seat pushed far enough back for a 6-foot-3 person to comfortably stretch out. That’s a rarity for any SUV. There is also plenty of legroom and space for rear passengers. Meanwhile, that graceful tailgate conceals cargo space much larger than Aston’s official figure. In short, DBX offers real utility and is not influenced by brand or luxury styling. If anything, it benefits them.

So it has room for a big travel and doesn’t look like a DB11, you can bring the kid and the poodle in this family-friendly GT. Good, maybe bring. For this drive, they will stay behind. Google Maps is set up for Astoria, Oregon, with a spectacularly beautiful road/route/route through the winding roads of the Clatsop State Forest. I even drove past a town called Vesper, which seemed to fit the official car brand of the company. James Bond.

Underneath that beautifully balanced skin are some serious techniques. Air suspension with adjustable spring-speed and five-speed height adjustment is standard and is just the first gear that delivers outstanding ride quality despite riding on 22-inch wheels. The second is a 48-volt electronic anti-roll control system, which replaces traditional anti-roll bars and allows the individual wheels to take advantage of maximum suspension travel without causing discomfort to the riders. other wheel. Among other benefits, this ensures superior ride quality while also providing the same body control in Sports modes as DB11. Add in a standard all-wheel drive system, torque vectoring and you have the right elements for a sensational performance-oriented car, SUV or other vehicle.

Unfortunately, this particular performance-oriented car wore the Pirelli Scorpion winter tires. This is not a complaint; we’ve got some show car summer tire wear in February that ended up having to park for a week. With unusually high temperatures in the Portland area, winter tires are a sad problem on this day.

Braking on the first rev with enthusiasm, all four tires began to slip and swerved forward with momentum. Stability control with save. Just the lightest layer of moisture is enough to make a harsh winter like this. Drier pavement results in less grinding, but there’s never a chance to really push hard enough for the anti-roll, adaptive suspension, and torque to really work their magic.

What’s even more remarkable is that the DBX is fun to drive. Regardless of speed, the steering is the best I’ve experienced in recent years apart from some Porsches. You can feel the nuances of the pavement; Fine dents, ripples, and bumps are detected by subtle traction forces. Despite the slightly increased effort in Sport modes, the quick steering always feels like you’re moving the wheel precisely and consistently through warm butter.

In the end, the DBX drives like a mounted sports car, not just some fast-moving components, stiff steering and suspension, and a silly, noisy engine that applies to a number of SUVs or SUVs. -hum other.

Indeed, the engine is neither noisy nor silly. Derived from Mercedes-AMG, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 produces 542 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. This number is significantly increased compared to DB11 and Vantage thanks to upgraded turbos, different compression ratios and an updated charge cooler. Aston Martin also changed the firing order of the engine to give it a different tonal character than using it in AMGs. Perhaps this is why there is a weird, slightly rocky tone sometimes at the top of the throttle. As the revs go up, it’s not terribly characteristic, but that’s to be expected from a turbocharged V8. It delivers smooth, effortless power throughout its range and has a 4.3-second 0-60.

It’s paired with an optional sports exhaust that barks enthusiastically at start-up (or not at all if you opt for “quiet” mode to appease the neighbors – or easily steal Dad’s DBX). It emits a pleasant whine when it’s parked, but fortunately keeps squeaks and squeaks at respectable volumes in Sport and Sport+ modes. This is an Aston Martin and therefore has a show license, but it is still mature and classy about it.

A traditional nine-speed automatic transmission is standard, and its torque converter ensures smooth, refined shifts during frequent driving. Degradation directions are always ready to go when needed with a throttle, but it would be nice if they were summoned with the same haste when brake into a corner. They only do it in Sport+, calling a lower gear like you would if using a gorgeous, real metal paddle shifter, but that powertrain also turns off traction control. Recall a little earlier about slippery winter tires. Thankfully, there’s a Personal mode that lets you just set the transmission and throttle to Sport+. The steering and suspension only offer GT/normal and Sport modes, plus two Topographic/ off-road installation.

Engines aren’t the only thing Mercedes-Benz has. The bodywork, headlight controls, power door opener and optional infotainment touchpad are among the German-sourced interior details. However, there are enough Aston-specific controls to avoid looking like a GLE and really, if you’re going to sample someone else’s spare parts bin, the Mercedes is a good choice. Definitely beat the Crown Vic steering wheel in the 90s Virage or the Miata doorknob in DB7. The infotainment interface itself is also derived from the last generation Mercedes COMAND system, which means you don’t get touchscreen functionality. That makes using Apple CarPlay annoying, but for everything else, the Aston version is simpler and a bit more streamlined.

Ultimately, it’s important that the atmosphere created by the buttery smooth leather and rich vented veneers isn’t obsessed with luxurious plastic pieces like in previous Aston Martin generations. It may not be a Bentley, but this is a sumptuous and cohesive high-end luxury interior. It has the look, feel, and smell of a fragrance stronger than a Porsche… or even most Mercedes. It also sounds sensational because the DBX has one of the best sound systems we’ve ever sampled despite being unbranded.

Its exterior build quality is also outstanding, with tight panel gaps, examples of sophisticated stamping throughout, and a spectacular metallic Xenon Gray paint job. Now, is it all a car worthy of a base price of $185,900 for 2022 with a tested bill of over $222,000? Oh, maybe not, because it begin $50,000 north of Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe. It’s sensational in its own right, but when we’re talking about prices like these, the Aston’s beauty, its blend of comfort and driver interaction, its luxurious interior, more customizability and most surprising of all, the out-of-the-box add-on won’t make more than 50 more an absurd proposition. It definitely makes more sense than paying more for vulgarity Lamborghini Urus or horrible Bentley Bentayga.

If the price has no audience, this is one of the best new car. Stage = Stage. It’s just amazingly comprehensive. It can be your sensible family leader; it can be your beautiful travel weekend. DBX is basically like getting two car with price of two particularly expensive cars. Maybe that doesn’t equate to good value, but there’s no reason to greet it with anything other than a round of applause.

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