It may even be Aston Martin's first SUV, but the DBX quickly became the mainstay of the British brand, asserting itself peremptorily as the best seller in the “house” of Gaydon, already accounting for more than half of sales.
So it's not surprising that Aston Martin has plans to expand the range of this SUV, starting with this DBX Straight Six, very recently unveiled, but for now having only China as a destination.
Later, during 2022, a more powerful and faster version will arrive, dubbed DBX S:
As the name suggests (Straight Six is the name for in-line six), this DBX features an in-line six-cylinder engine, a type of powertrain that returns to Aston Martin after more than two decades — the DB7 was the brand's last model to feature an inline six.
In addition, this in-line six-cylinder block with 3.0 l capacity and turbocharged also has light electrification, as it has a mild-hybrid 48 V system. This becomes, therefore, the first electrified version of the DBX.
The use of this lesser capacity engine was necessary to respond to the demands of the Chinese market and its automobile taxation. As in Portugal, China also taxes the engine capacity and the difference in taxation between each level is substantial.
As we've seen in other examples — from a Mercedes-Benz CLS with a small 1.5 l or, more recently, the Audi A8 L Horch, the new top-end version of the German flagship that comes equipped with a 3.0 V6 instead of the 4.0 V8 or 6.0 W12 — this new, lower-displacement version should boost Aston Martin DBX sales in that market.
British with German “DNA”
The 3.0 l turbo six-cylinder block that animates this DBX is, like the 4.0 twin-turbo V8, supplied by Mercedes-AMG and is precisely the same unit that we find in the 53 versions of the AMG.
In addition to this, the Germans also lend this DBX the adaptive air suspension, the self-locking rear differential and the electronic stabilizer bars, the result of the technological partnership that exists between the two companies and which was even reinforced about a year ago.
What has changed?
From an aesthetic point of view, there is absolutely nothing new to register. The only thing that stands out is the fact that this DBX Straight Six “wears” as a series 21” wheels, which can optionally grow up to 23”.
The only difference lies in the engine, which produces exactly the same power and torque values that we find, for example, in the new Mercedes-AMG GLE 53: 435 hp and 520 Nm.
Even the nine-speed automatic transmission is shared between the two models, distributing torque across all four wheels and allowing the DBX Straight Six to accelerate up to 100 km/h in a fast 5.4s and reach a top speed of 259 km/h. .
And Europe?
As we mentioned at the beginning, this Aston Martin DBX Straight Six was presented exclusively for the Chinese market, but it would not be surprising that in the future it could be sold in Europe — the announced consumption figures of 10.5 l/100 km are, strangely , according to the WLTP cycle, used in Europe but not in China.
So, for now, the DBX offer in the “old continent”, continues to be based only on the V8 engine, which we have already tested in video: