Aston's DBX Hits the Road

As good as it was at the test track, the DBX proved revelatory on real-world tarmac, and not only for its peerless athleticism. Traversing faster, sweeping roads, the DBX is best left in its less aggressive GT or Sport driving modes, retaining some comfort and communicative body movement. (The DBX also offers a harder-core Sport Plus setting, as well as Terrain and Terrain Plus for whatever off-road excursions it might see.) The trick combo of an active center differential and an electronically controlled rear differential lets the all-wheel-drive system route between 53 and 100 percent of power to the back axle, so be careful when squeezing power mid-apex. Or don't—the stability control system softly catches you like a well-oiled catcher's mitt and makes you feel like you did most of the work. A proper chap, that.

The DBX's silky, feelsome steering is not only among the best in any SUV, it also outshines the setups of a large population of performance-minded machinery. Turn-in is quick but not obnoxiously so, and its accuracy and lack of nervousness allows for precise midcorner corrections even when traveling at high speeds. This sweet steering is best enjoyed on tighter corners, where the DBX transforms in feel from a gangly Vantage into something like a V-8 Volkswagen Golf R.

In Sport Plus mode, with the suspension in its lowest setting and at its max stiffness, the DBX is a total ripper, carving through hairpins and decreasing-radius corners with the fancy-footed balance of something significantly smaller. As is the case with nearly all large and heavy vehicles, the front end will push, but just back off a bit, and the shapely DBX and its electronic rear differential slide everything back into line.

Comfort: The DBX Has It

All the while, the landscape rings with thebraaaaatof the V-8. The Aston-AMG engine snarls, snorts, and screams as you rush down every bit of straight pavement you come across. Yet when it's time to calm down and rejoin traffic, the DBX becomes totally docile. And aside from some slight drivetrain lurch when leaving a dead stop, the DBX is utterly, impossibly normal in day-to-day use. And we don't mean normal for an Aston—we mean normal for any luxury SUV. With the powertrain relaxed and the suspension in its pillowiest mode, it's remarkable howunremarkable the Aston DBX can be.

This is a very good sign for the DBX's prospects moving forward, as it's hard to imagine anyone shopping in the ultra-luxe SUV segment is looking for an occasional-use vehicle. In fact, when you consider the 2021 Aston Martin DBX's near-perfect execution of an "all days, all situations" mission, it just might be the very best Aston ever produced.

When a vehicle is done this well, it's hard to not be a bit breathless. Although Aston has always produced involving and characterful sports cars, for various reasons those have long played second—or even third or fourth—fiddle to cars from companies like Porsche and Ferrari. We're not sure anyone could have predicted it would take an SUV of all things to put Aston on a level with the world's best.

SPECIFICATIONS	2021 Aston Martin DBX
BASE PRICE	$179,986
PRICE AS TESTED	$195,586
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE	4.0L/542-hp/516-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8
TRANSMISSION	9-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	5,086 lb (53/47%)
WHEELBASE	120.5 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	198.4 x 78.7 x 64.2-68.0 in
0-60 MPH	4.0 sec
QUARTER MILE	12.5 sec @ 111.8 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	106 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.95 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	24.4 sec @ 0.79 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	14/18/15 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	241/187 kWh/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	1.25 lb/mile