Ultra-high-performance SUVs are a little absurd, but hard not to love.
An SUV, after all, is designed to maximize space and ground clearance. Designers generally don’t care much if an SUV is heavy, as long as it can carry lots of people and stuff over slippery ground.
High-performance cars are designed to maximize speed and grip, functions that favor small and low-to-the-ground vehicles. Weight is speed’s enemy.
Yet, one unique class of cars combines the two, as if the ideas don’t contradict one another.
Aston Martin’s low-calorie dessert, the DBX, is one of the best. Beautiful and ultra-luxe, it lets you tow a boat from a Bridge of Weir leather seat, or take a spirited drive down a winding road like you’re in a roadster… albeit in a car that weighs as much as two of them.
Hard to improve on that. But Aston Martin is trying.
For 2026, Aston will introduce an even higher-performance model of its flagship SUV, the DBX S.
The company hasn’t discussed pricing. But that’s standard practice for Aston Martin. To learn the price of any of its cars, you must contact a dealership. Our records show the base 2025 DBX starting at $252,086 after delivery.
717 HP, Lighter Weight
“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 company explains.
We’ll call it DBExcess. Power is cranked up to 717 horsepower from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. A 9-speed wet-clutch transmission eliminates the need for a torque converter. It remaps shift points for each drive mode. The quickest will leap from zero to 62 mph in 3.3 seconds, Aston says.
The all-wheel-drive (AWD) system can send 100% of the power to the front or rear wheels, but keeps a 50/50 split under ideal conditions.
Engineers removed weight everywhere they could, including with a carbon fiber roof and an optional polycarbonate grille. Lightweight magnesium wheels will be optional. But the weight-savers could only get so far.
With every weight-reducing option, the company says, the DBX S can weigh about 103 pounds less than a base DBX. Let a middle schooler in the passenger’s seat, and you undo all their hard work.
Aston Martin says the car rolls just 1.5 degrees “even right at the limit” thanks to recalibrated air springs and electronic dampers. Engineers also tightened the steering ratio by 4%.
The DBX S will look slightly different than a standard DBX thanks to a unique grille, a reshaped rear bumper and diffuser, and stacked exhausts. Inside, “The interior of DBX S displays a bespoke ‘S’ theme; the most notable feature being the distinctive herringbone design which comes as standard on the seats, but which is also extended to the headlining if the optional Carbon roof is chosen.”
A blend of semi-aniline leather and grippy Alcantara lines the seats, headliner, and center console. But you can opt for 100% leather if you prefer the look (and easier cleaning).