Aston Martin has a new DBX flagship, DBX S, assembled in St Athan.
With the dynamic appeal of DBX707 and an engine enhanced by technology transferred directly from the forthcoming Valhalla supercar, DBX S offers one of the most engaging and responsive driving experiences delivering even more power, reduced weight and more assertive design. With a suite of exterior and interior enhancements to match, the DBX S certainly has its own undeniable identity.
DBX S continues a long tradition of Aston Martin’s utilising the ‘S’ suffix to denote a special, high-performance version of an existing model; the first being Vanquish S which made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2004. DBX S proves that lighter variants with more power and performance are still very much part of Aston Martin’s core production offering and looks to continue a lineage of notable high performing models.
Aston Martin CEO, Adrian Hallmark, said, ‘Over the last two years, Aston Martin have introduced an entire core collection of next generation sports cars as well as a new DBX; all with a new, entirely bespoke infotainment system designed in-house.
“The marque continues its focus on class leading performance, ultra-luxury design and innovation, broadening the range of products under each core model. The introduction of DBX S not only reaffirms our commitment to producing the most exciting, rewarding and beautiful cars, it also sends a powerful statement of intent about our ambitions not just for DBX, but for the Aston Martin brand.”
At the heart of the new DBX S lies an upgraded version of the acclaimed Aston Martin 4.0-Litre Twin-Turbo V8 powerhouse. By using turbo technology transferred directly from the upcoming Valhalla supercar including its larger compressor wheel diameters and other internal improvements, power is raised by a further 20PS to 727PS and provides even greater urgency at the very top of the rev range, making DBX S’s performance even more memorable. The result is a 0-62mph time of just 3.3 seconds and reduction in acceleration time from 0-124mph (200km/h) of 0.3 seconds. Top speed remains unchanged at an impressive 193mph.
Further enhancing both performance and its perception is a modified exhaust system amplifying even more character to the natural voice of the thunderous V8 engine and exploiting the full the opportunity presented by the engine’s turbo enhancements.
As with its DBX707 stablemate, DBX S distributes its power between the front and rear wheels in variable proportion – including an ability to send 50 per cent of its torque to the front and up to 100 per cent of its torque to the rear wheels alone – through an innovative 9-speed ‘wet clutch’ transmission, which removes the need for a conventional torque converter, delivering extreme performance on launch from standstill.
However, the DBX S gearbox has been further modified to provide an even more memorable driving experience. Change up points are adjusted to reflect the car’s extended rev range, while downshifts in Sport and Sport + modes when the car is in automatic are even more aggressive.
