2021 Aston Martin DBX: Bespoke British automaker takes the wraps off its first SUV

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — With the SUV segment growing by leaps and bounds, automakers who traditionally haven’t had a utility vehicle have started entering the fray. Cue the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Bentley Bentayga and even the Lamborghini Urus.

Now, Aston Martin reveals the 2021 DBX, the automaker’s first SUV in its 106-year history.

As we’ve previously reported, the starting price for DBX will be $189,900, which slots it between the Vantage ($152,995) and the DB11 ($204,320) on the price list.

The big news revealed today, however, is that the DBX will have a new and dedicated SUV platform and will be built in St. Athan, Wales.

Though it is newly tuned for the DBX, the new SUV will share the same 4.0-liter V-8 engine we see in the DB11 and Vantage. It will deliver 542 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The 0-to-60-mph time can be achieved in 4.3 seconds and top speed will be 181 mph.

The exterior design has the distinct Aston Martin profile with plenty of swoopy lines, and the interior, as you would expect, is completely hand-crafted and hand-stitched.

The seats of the model we sat in are supple, soft and comfortable. We also noticed – and appreciated – the two USB ports in the rear seat for charging capabilities.

Aston Martin will still share infotainment technology with Mercedes-Benz, and the DBX will debut one of the newer iterations with a 10.25-inch screen on the center stack and Apple CarPlay.

As a more family-oriented vehicle, the DBX will also debut with an array of safety technology including blind spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane keep assist.

The bottom line:

The design – inside and out – is a testament to Aston Martin craftsmanship, and the performance specs are a nod to its sports-car history.

The 2020 Aston Martin DBX is late to the SUV game, but we say: Better late than never.