Aston pumps DBX to 717bhp to outpunch Purosanque

Aston Martin has launched a faster and lighter flagship S variant of the DBX SUV, cranking the power to 717bhp to make it the most powerful non-electrified SUV on the market.

- JAMES ATTWOOD

Although the British company has used the S badge for a range of high-performance specials, starting with the Vanquish S in 2004, this is the first time it has been applied to its best-selling SUV.

Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark claimed the new model serves as “a powerful statement of intent”, signalling that lighter, more powerful variants will remain a key part of the firm’s future model plan.

The new DBX S will sit above the current 697bhp DBX 707 — since April last year, the only variant offered in the UK. It retains the same 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 but it has been reworked, with larger compressor wheel diameters taken from the Valhalla. Aston Martin has also tuned it to offer more “urgency” at the top end of the rev counter.