A fire breathing V8 engine under the bonnet, combined with a sumptuous leather lined interior in a vehicle that can tackle off-road terrain, sounds a bit like an illusion of the mind and for some an unrealisable dream. But alas no, this not-so-imaginary monster made up of incongruous parts does exist and it’s called the Aston Martin DBX S!
I’ve spent some quality time with the two previous DBX iterations, the original offering from Aston Martin and the mighty DBX707, but this stunning Chimera Blue DBX S could well be my favourite so far. This SUV feels like a fusion a two entirely different species, a luxury Aston Martin sportscar crossed with capable 4×4 that even has multi-directional sun visors, one at the front and one that flips out to the side. The DBX S has the greatest power-to-weight ratio in its category, placing the DBX S at the apex of ultra-luxury SUV food chain crowned by sculpted badging of the Aston Martin wings on the bonnet.
Don’t believe me that the DBX can actually tackle some pretty sticky situations, well you should check out the time I drove one up some very muddy tracks a few years ago here. This time round though the closest I got to off-roading the DBX was a gravel road on my way out to the picturesque Thirlmere Lakes. In Terrain mode I think the DBX S looks like a cat standing tall ready to pounce on its adversary. It’s even equipped with downhill descent control and has a space saver spare tyre under the boot floor should you be unfortunate enough to get a puncture in one of those Pirelli P Zero tyres wrapped around the 23-Inch Magnesium wheels finished in Satin Black.
DBX S is the latest in a long line of ‘S’ high performance Aston Martins and stands at the absolute pinnacle of ultra-luxury SUV performance. Engineered by Aston Martin, the upgraded 4.0-Litre twin-turbo V8 now produces 535kW @ 6,250rpm and 900 Nm of torque between 3.000rpm – 5,250rpm making it the most powerful SUV in the world using only an internal combustion engine. Combined fuel consumption is 14.3L/100km and for my time with the DBX S I used a little less than this at 14.1L/100km.
Power delivered via new enhanced turbo technology is transferred directly from the Valhalla supercar. The exhaust has been specially tailored to the new turbochargers, reducing back pressure and giving even more voice to the thunderous V8. The extra urgency is delivered when revs reach in excess of 6,000rpm courtesy of turbos that now spin faster than on any other Aston Martin, hitting a massive 160,000rpm and delivering the surge of acceleration for longer. This family-friendly SUV will do 0-100 Km/h in 3.3 seconds, 80-120Km/h in 1.9 seconds for rapid overtaking and goes on to a top speed of 310 km/h.
The elegant rotary drive mode selector with crystal glass ‘Aston Martin’ wings incorporates the start stop button and selects your preferred mode, either GT, Sport, Sport +, Terrain, and Individual that allows you to adjust the drive, exhaust, steering, and suspension to your personal liking. With such a string sportscar pedigree, you could be mistaken that the ride is on the firm side, but the you’d be wrong as it is perfectly comfortable even on bumpy country roads like some of those in the Southern Highlands of NSW.
Lightweighting has been achieved with the removal of up to 47kg of mass, with the 3.8 square-metre carbon roof removing over 18kg of mass from the highest point of DBX meaning a lowered centre of gravity and enhanced dynamic reactions. The 23-inch magnesium wheels reduces up to 19kg of unsprung mass and the optional gloss black honeycomb polycarbonate grille fitted removes 3kg further mass. This DBX S is also fitted with the optional upper and lower carbon fibre exterior packs offering smatterings of the gloss black trimming across the entire body.
The interior of the DBX S is an ASMRists dream with goosebump triggering audio or visual stimuli aplenty. From the scent and caress from the optional duotone ‘S’ Semi Aniline leather finished in Aurora Blue and Phantom Grey, and which even covers the roof with the same stitch pattern used on the Sports Plus Seats, to the drink bottle cubbies in the doors that are lined with leather. The only unwanted noise I heard in the cabin was some wind noise that I noticed at highway speeds.
Both front seats have power adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height front and rear, four-way lumbar support and side bolster support for seat back and base with three memory positions. They are heated only and at this price point I would expect that at least the front seats should also be ventilated. The Sports steering wheel has powered adjustment, is also heated and has sultry metal paddle shifters to ‘manually’ change gears on the 9-speed automatic gearbox.
Aston Martin are conscious that their customers know what quality feels like, it’s why the knobs for the climate controls are still metal making them are cool to touch both from a temperature and physical perspective thanks to the knurling engraved into them and the same material is used for the slim-line gear selector. I also love the shape and feel of the metal door handles and that real metal has been used in trim elements on the doors, centre console and dash with more gloss 2×2 twill carbon fibre with this optional trim inlay here as well. The only part of the interior I was not keen on was the gloss black plastic used on the centre console and parts of the dash as it gathers dust and fingerprints faster than your clean kitchen cupboards when the kids get home from school.
Screens in the DBX S are thankfully still on the smaller size with a 10.25-inch touchscreen central display and a 12.3-inch driver information display that changes colour depending on your drive mode. The DBX S has wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto that is connected using a USB-C port located under the arm rest with an additional USB-C and a 12V charging socket there as well. You get wireless phone charging at the front of the centre console and in addition to the two cup holders, additional storage on the ledge under the floating centre console. The DBX S also has simple and elegant ambient lighting with many colours to choose from including hot pink to match my nails.
My DBX S came with the optional Bowers & Wilkins stereo that has been developed exclusively for Aston Martin and acoustically engineered to the interior volume, shape and space within the DBX S cabin and produces a worthy soundscape for the DBX S. Accurately positioned directional Aluminium Double Dome tweeters and Continuum midrange speakers give this 23-speaker, double amplified 1,600W surround sound system a balanced and accurate sound. Dedicated 3D headline speakers, bass speakers and a powerful subwoofer deliver a powerful and dynamic sound experience, reflecting the characteristics of DBX S itself. Even the speaker covers are metal, we call them cheese grater speaker covers because they feel quite sharp like you wouldn’t want to scrape your hands across them the wrong way.
Rear passengers receive the same Aston Martin experience with heated outer seats and ample head and leg room and good under thigh support. There are two ISOFix/three rear tether child seat restraint points and cup holders in the fold down centre arm rest. They get digital temperature and air speed controls but you can’t adjust the rear climate controls from the front of the cabin. Vents are located in the B pillars and centrally and all have individual direction and shut off controls with lovely knurled knobs and for charging devices there are two USB-C ports below the climate controls.
The boot is a good size and I love the rigid leather covered parcel shelf. The powered tailgate has an open/close button under the tailgate, on the key fob and in the cabin, but no hands-free operation. There are four substantial tie down points and a leather holder for your Aston Martin umbrella. If you need more space, you can release the 60:40 split fold rear seats using a button in the boot space or latch on the seat shoulder. The seats manually fold down/back up, but do not lie completely flat or you can open the centre seat separately to stow longer items. The rear of the SUV can be raised and lowered from the button located in the boot space.
The DBX S has airbags for driver, front passenger and knee and front thorax and side curtains. Active safety features include Auto Emergency Braking, Blind spot warning including Lane change warning, Forward collision warning, Rear cross traffic detection, Lane departure warning and Lane keep assist. This DBX bonged a bit too much for my liking particularly the over speed warning and driver distraction detection. However, you can select the option for full driver assistance, custom settings that allows you to turn some features off including the driver attention warning or have no assistance at all. The DBX S also has as auto lights, auto wipers, a 360-degre view reversing camera and 360-degree sensors.
All new Aston Martin vehicles come with a three-year unlimited kilometre with roadside assistance and an extended warranty can also be purchased. The service interval for Astons is every 12 months or 16,000km whichever occurs first and a major service is completed every four years.
DBX S customers can explore endless bespoke and customisation possibilities via the Q by Aston Martin personalisation service. Enlisting the skills of Q’s designers and crafts people, customers take an unforgettable personal commissioning journey that can encompass everything from a single small distinguishing detail to full-scale engineering and production of entirely bespoke components to create a true one-off vehicle that is simply lovely in every way.
Pricing for the Aston Martin DBX S 2026 start $475,000 excluding on road costs and as tested this mythological DBX S was $644,780 excluding on roads. You can configure your DBX S online or visit your nearest Aston Martin dealer for more information.
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| Pros | Cons |
| The magnificent V8 engine | There was some wind noise in the cabin |
| The sumptuous interior | The gloss black plastic trim |
| It has a space saver spare tyre | The safety systems bong too much |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.