Rutland - October (219).qxp 07/09/2020 09:47 Page 124
MOTORS
DBX-Factor The handling and performance of a sports car, but designed to function well on the area’s broken road surfaces. Aston Martin thinks it has created the perfect compromise for those torn between performance and practicality... Words: Rob Davis.
SPORTS CARS are all well and good on the track, when the surface is smooth and even, but our roads are in a poor state to say the least, making a 4x4 de rigueur in our part of the world. Given the state of our roads it’s little surprise that SUVs with their heightened ride and larger wheels are storming ahead in the sales charts compared to saloon and estate cars. When Porsche release its Cayenne 4x4 the motoring world was surprised, but the car has proven a sales success over the past 18 years, leading equally unlikely manufacturers to announce their own SUVs; Bentley’s Bentayga, Rolls Royce’s Cullinan, the Lamborghini Urus etc etc...
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Aston announced its DBX off-roader some time ago but hasn’t exactly rushed to get it to market. Recently, Aston’s boss Andy Palmer was replaced by former Mercedes AMG lead Tobias Moers... a shame really, as Andy returned the company to profit and has been a steady hand for the Aston. The DBX is Andy’s last motor, his swan song, as it were. In short; it’s brilliant. DBX offers the practicality of a four seater, four wheel drive SUV and is able to stomp over potholes and pitted roads, dodgy verges and gravelled areas, or squaddy fields. Ironically, given that an AMG man has ousted Palmer, it’s Mercedes AMG which supplied the DBX’s engine. >>
