Aston Martin Brings Forth The DB11 And DBX.
Aston Martin is making a few modest changes to its lineup for 2022, which includes the arrival of a brand new online configurator where you can see those updates in action. Revisions to the range include more power for the DB11 V8, new wheel options for the DBS and DBX, and in an effort to streamline its range, Aston Martin is dropping the ‘Superleggera’ and ‘AMR’ nameplates. The DB11 coupe and convertible models equipped with the base V8 welcome the biggest changes. The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter engine now produces 528 horsepower (394 kilowatts), which yields a new-and-improved top speed of 192 miles per hour (308 kilometers per hour). That’s an increase of 25 ponies over last year’s model. And now buyers can option the DB11 V8 with Sports Plus Seats to help cope with all that extra speed.
The DB11 V12 Coupe sticks around with the same 630 hp (470 kW), but it loses its AMR nameplate. The DBS suffers the same fate, dropping the Superleggera badge from its hood but maintaining its twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12, still good for 715 hp (533 kW) and a top speed of 211 mph (340 kmh). Ditching the AMR and Superleggera badges, Aston Martin says, helps simplify the lineup. Visual updates include new 21-inch wheel designs for the DBS, and a fresh set of 23-inch wheel options for the DBX SUV. With the new configurator, buyers can also select from three preset interior “environments,” each one with colors, materials, and patterns carefully curated by the Aston Martin Design team.
The undeniably exotic 2022 Aston Martin DB11 toes the line between sports car and grand tourer. Its long, low, and wide body turns heads whether configured with the fixed roof or the retractable soft top. Aston offers this rear-drive-only looker with a mighty 630-hp twin-turbo V-12, but it comes only in the coupe variant, adds a significant surcharge, and can overwhelm the rear tires. The standard 528-hp twin-turbo V-8 isn’t as special, but it’s still supremely satisfying. Paired with an eight-speed automatic, both engines provide stirring soundtracks and rousing acceleration that can take this car from relaxed to rowdy in a thrice. And despite some interior miscues and miniscule rear seats, the DB11 has a comfortable and highly customizable cabin.
The world was ready for an Aston Martin SUV. Yes, by the time the Aston Martin DBX debuted Bentley had given birth to the Bentayga, Lamborghini had sired the Urus and even Rolls Royce had realised its Cullinan. Still, the arrival of another ‘super SUV’ is always a bit exciting. Would it be a true Aston Martin, how would it compare to its rivals and is it even a good SUV? Well, that’s what I wanted to know about Aston Martin’s DBX anyway, and I found out, along with everything else you should know: from its performance to practicality in this review.
I’m not one to name drop but I was having a chin wag with Marek, that’s Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, the fellow who has designed every Aston from the past 15 years, that Marek. Anyway, before the DBX came out he told me any SUV he designed would be unmistakably an Aston Martin. We think he nailed it. The gaping Aston Martin grille is unmistakably the same as the DB11’s and the tailgate, which although is the back hatch to a large SUV, is absolutely the same as the rear end of the Vantage. Everything in between has all the family hallmarks. There are those oval headlights and the huge beak of a bonnet, the chiselled side panels with wheel arches that push up towards the sky and those rear haunches.
The DBX is a circa 550 horsepower giant that can reach out and almost touch 300km/h. But testing it on Sydney’s roads is like having a champion racehorse in your backyard and your neighbour asking you what it’s like to ride. A racetrack wasn’t handy at the time and I’d signed a form saying I’d not put any more than 400km on the clock during its stay with me, which meant having to choose my test loop carefully. Fortunately, this was before Sydney was plunged into the current COVID lockdown, which makes that 400km now seem vast.
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