The most irrational SUV ever, and Aston Martin knows it
Some SUVs whisper refinement. The Aston Martin DBX S screams. With 717 horsepower, a weight-loss regime worthy of a Bond film, and a soundtrack that could wake the Riviera, this is Aston’s most outrageous SUV yet. It borrows tricks from supercars but still claims SUV practicality, or at least enough for a Costco run with six dogs in Alcantara seats.
It’s not the rational choice. But rationality is rarely the point of an Aston Martin. The DBX S is about drama, presence, and creating the kind of noise that makes Lamborghini drivers nervous.
Why does this matter right now?
Electrification is marching on, and we may be looking at one of the last V8-powered Aston SUVs. With 0–62 mph in 3.3 seconds and 0–124 mph in just 11.4 seconds, the DBX S proves there’s still appetite for thunderous combustion engines. It’s a final encore before whisper-quiet electric futures take over.
In an SUV landscape increasingly focused on hybrid efficiency, Aston is unapologetically leaning into performance theatre. That makes it a halo car not just for Aston, but for a shrinking niche of ultra-luxury performance SUVs that roar rather than hum.
How does it compare to rivals?
Lamborghini Urus Performance? Quicker to 190 mph, but heavier and arguably less elegant. Ferrari Purosangue? Exotic, naturally aspirated, but lower torque numbers. Bentley Bentayga Speed? Plush and palatial, but not as sharp. The DBX S is the hooligan in a tuxedo: refined enough for Monte Carlo, unrefined enough to enjoy it loudly.
The Aston’s diet, shedding up to 103 lbs with its carbon roof and magnesium wheels, gives it agility no other ultra-luxury SUV can claim. Its 193 mph top speed isn’t the class-best, but in the real world, the sharper steering, flatter suspension roll, and monumental carbon-ceramic brakes make it the SUV to actually drive, not just park outside Nobu Malibu.
Who is this for, and who should skip it?
The DBX S isn’t built for people who count cubic feet or miles per gallon. It’s for those who measure cars by the noise they make leaving the valet. Buyers are likely to be in Monaco, Beverly Hills, or Dubai, places where subtlety is seen as a design flaw.
If you want quiet luxury, Bentley has you covered. If you want efficiency, Porsche or Tesla is your answer. If you want theatre, noise, and collectability in one SUV-shaped package, this is it. And if you think £200,000-plus is “a bit much” for a car, then this isn’t your showroom.
What is the long-term significance?
The DBX S is not just faster and louder than the DBX707; it’s a statement piece. In ten years, these will be seen as the last of the great V8 Astons before electrification silences them. Expect strong resale values and even stronger collectability, especially with Aston’s bespoke interiors, from red enamel badging to 1.5-tonne embossed wing logos.
As Aston continues its march toward hybrids and EVs, the DBX S becomes a bookmark in automotive history. It’s irrational, impractical, and unnecessary, but gloriously so.
Final Verdict
The Aston Martin DBX S is an SUV greatest-hits album: faster, lighter, louder, and brasher. It’s the irrational purchase you’ll rationalize every time you hear those quad vertical exhausts crackle through a tunnel. It’s an SUV built not for Ikea runs but for making memories, and noise.
