Super SUVs have it hard. They have to fulfill both poles of an opposite: Be super and be an SUV. Super meaning high performance, great handling, and exotic prestige. SUV meaning practicality, ground clearance, and room for (at least) five passengers and their luggage. These are almost entirely opposed ideas. The 2026 Aston Martin DBX S tries to reconcile these ideas into one oddly spectacular object.
Though the DBX has been in production for five years, it has only just reached its stride. In 2025, Aston fitted it with the colossally improved infotainment system and electronics package from the DB12, replacing the old and frustrating Mercedes gear. Now, it gets another round of upgrades, this time focused on performance rather than luxury.
Normally, throwing hardcore performance at an SUV is an easy way to make it irritating (looking at you, Urus Performante). But in Aston’s parlance, "S" doesn’t necessarily mean more hardcore; it just means more performance. More power, less weight, but the same grand touring recipe. The DBX S does just that, but also something even more. Somehow, it’s a super SUV made emotional.
| Quick Specs | 2026 Aston Martin DBX S |
| Engine | Turbocharged 4.0-Liter V-8 |
| Output | 717 Horsepower / 663 Pound-Feet |
| 0-60 MPH | 3.0 Seconds (est.) |
| Weight | 4,845 Pounds |
| Price / As Tested | $270,500/$362,100 |
Quite a few luxury automakers have attempted to crack the super SUV conundrum; Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin represent the pinnacle of the market. But each company takes a different approach.
The Lamborghini Urus prioritizes maximum visual impact and performance, complemented by ample practicality, thanks to its shared Volkswagen Group platform. The Bentley Bentayga utilizes the same MLB platform, but it prioritizes luxury. The Ferrari Purosangue is the most extreme, shoehorning a thirsty and powerful V-12 into a tightly fitted package that leaves little room for practicality.
Then, there’s the DBX. It shares the most in common with the Purosangue in terms of construction—its bonded aluminum chassis is fully engineered in-house and resembles a sports car more than an SUV. However, the DBX doesn’t reach the same level of extreme as the Purosangue.
Pros: Excellent Sound, Supple Ride Quality, Quiet Interior
Unlike the Purosangue, Aston makes real concessions in the practicality department. For example, the DBX doesn’t use a rear-mounted transaxle like other Aston sports cars, instead placing it right behind its AMG-built twin-turbo 4.0-liter twin-V-8 engine.
Much of the good of the DBX707 is still there—an incredibly well-appointed interior, excellent powertrain, and tactile physical controls. The DBX S simply adds power and lightness. The V-8 now has the turbochargers from the upcoming Valhalla, increasing power to 717 horsepower.
The 663 pounds-feet of torque remains unchanged from the DBX707, and Aston says this is because it pursued peakier power delivery. Oddly, zero to 60 miles per hour is unchanged, but zero to 124 is 0.3 seconds faster.
In its lightest spec, the S weighs up to 103 pounds less than the 707. Forty pounds of savings comes from the carbon fiber roof, and a further 42 pounds from magnesium wheels. Although those wheels aren't meant for towing. An optional carbon diffuser saves another 15 pounds, while the rest of the weight savings are from the Alcantara upholstery, a lighter front grille, and a new exhaust system with stacked tips like a Lexus IS-F.
Cons: No Towing On Magnesium Wheels, Extra Power Isn't Noticeable
Aston also quickened the steering ratio by four percent, but not by installing a new steering rack. The front uprights are reengineered to have a slightly different geometry, which quickens the effective steering ratio but also decreases the turning circle—a double benefit. It’s also an engineer’s way around the problem and arguably the hard way, but cool nonetheless. Mix in some updated gearbox tuning, overall suspension recalibration for the lighter wheels, and the DBX S is a modest upgrade over the 707.
Yet modesty doesn’t paint the full picture. Around some of California Wine Country's finest backroads—roads arguably too small for the DBX—the S felt significantly different. Horsepower was similar to the 707, which was already ample, but suspension and handling were a few shades nicer. The lightweight magnesium wheels are critical to this, being unsprung and rotational weight, and overall, the DBX S rode impeccably while having easy handling.
The full suite of active sway bars, air suspension, adaptive dampers, and the Bosch electronic handling overseer kept the 4,845-pound SUV rigidly in step, but with an incredible suppleness over bumps.
The most significant experiential change, strangely, was the exhaust and transmission tuning. It was slightly louder, but the V-8 tones were much more pronounced than before. It delivers a delightful thundering growl, complete with whip-cracks on upshifts that make the V-8 engaging where it was relatively quiet before. It’s a full-on case of what I call PDK-itis, where you shift for fun because it’s so satisfying and good.
The DBX S is more than the sum of its parts. It delivers an easy, flowing driving experience through a back road, while still being tremendously comfortable and quiet on a long highway stint. And it has much more character than the 707. In short, you don’t lose anything by going S. Except for an extra $20,000 in base MSRP.
But at $270,500, who’s counting?
Competitors
Aston Martin DBX
