Future Cars: 2023 Aston Martin DBX AMR (and Friends) Make Aston's Sensational SUV Even Better
Whether Aston DBX customers prefer more power or more efficiency, the company will have them covered.
WHAT IT IS:A high-performance version of Aston Martin's stylish SUV. The DBX AMR is aimed squarely at Lamborghini's Urus.
WHY IT MATTERS:Aston Martin's first SUV is already a hit, quickly accounting for close to half the marque's total sales despite being launched in the middle of the pandemic. New Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers believes DBX sales could reach 5,000 vehicles per year, so he has made expanding the DBX family a priority. As such, the DBX AMR won't be the only addition to the DBX lineup: Two hybrid models are also coming within two years.
PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN:Whereas the AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 in the regular DBX makes 542 hp, the DBX AMR is expected to get a Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S engine with at least 603 hp—and perhaps up to 650 hp, Aston insiders say—and 627 lb-ft or more of torque. To match the 641-hp Urus, the quickest SUV we've ever tested, the DBX AMR will need to scoot from 0 to 60 mph in about 3.0 seconds, almost a second quicker than the standard DBX.
The mild-hybrid version of the DBX will have a turbocharged and electrically supercharged 429-hp 3.0-liter straight-six under the hood, plus a 21-hp motor mounted between the engine and the nine-speed automatic transmission. It's basically the AMG 53 powertrain, and in the Mercedes-AMG GLE53 Coupe, it delivers a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds and city/highway fuel economy of 18/23 mpg. The plug-in hybrid DBX will likely be powered by the potent AMG E-Performance powertrain scheduled to make its debut in the forthcoming Mercedes-AMG GT73e four-door coupe. Combining the 603-hp version of the AMG twin-turbo V-8 with a 201-hp motor mounted at the rear axle, that means this PHEV Aston SUV should pack more than 800 horses.
ESTIMATED PRICE:$180,000
EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE:The Aston Martin DBX AMR is expected to go on sale in 2022. The MHEV DBX goes on sale later this year, and the PHEV DBX is scheduled to arrive in 2023.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More
