Aston Martin to Unveil "World's Most Powerful Luxury SUV"

Two years ago, Aston Martin was in a precarious spot and needed to be bailed out. Today, it’s on the rebound, along with a number of luxury automakers, thanks in large part to the successful launch of its lauded DBX SUV. Now it’s doubling down on that success.

This week, the British marque announced a high-performance version of the DBX, which will be unveiled on February 1. But this isn’t just any beefed-up grocery getter; Aston Martin is billing it as the “world’s most powerful luxury SUV.” While that sounds like your run-of-the-mill automaker bluster, we actually believe them.

When our automotive editor Benjamin Hunting reviewed the DBX, he noted that “Aston Martin doesn’t need the DBX to dance on the edge of the knife when it comes to performance” as it offers a supremely comfortable ride along with specs that “[keep] it in the mix when discussing other competitive, sub-$200K SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga V8 and the Maserati Levante GTS without overpowering the ride (while also leaving room for a hotter tune for the AMG-sourced engine for future trims levels).” Now, it appears that hotter tune could be coming to fruition.

The DBX currently packs a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8, and according to Carscoops, which recently reported on new spy shots of the high-performance model, that same engine is likely to be tuned, but there’s also the possibility that Aston Martin could replace it with their 5.2-liter, twin-turbo V12 from the DBS.

In its current form, the DBX puts out 542 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. That puts it far down the list in terms of the most powerful posh SUVs, with the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid at the top of the heap with 670 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque. Although, as Carscoops writes, if Aston Martin isn’t including hybrids in the competition, it may be focused on toppling the Lamborghini Urus with its 641 horsepower and 626 lb-ft of torque.

Whatever the automaker presents in February, we’re confident they’ll live up to the “world’s most powerful luxury SUV” tease. After all, while other companies are focusing much of their resources on electrified vehicles, Aston Martin is delaying that change and going all-in on the gas-powered hauler they’re hoping will keep them afloat.