It’s official – the Aston Martin DBX SUV gets a 542bhp V8

The Aston Martin DBX SUV, which will shortly go in to production, will be powered by a Mercedes 4.0 litre V8 with 542bhp.

We’ve been getting drips of information on the Aston Martin DBX – Aston’s first SUV – over the course of this year as its debut in production guise draws closer, including the news that pre-production versions of the DBX are already being built in Wales.

Now, with the debut of the DBX just a few months away, Aston has revealed that the DBX will come with a 4.0 litre V8. Which is no surprise.

It’s the same Mercedes-AMG 4.0 litre V8 as found in the DB11 and Vantage, but here, in the DBX, it gets more power, delivering 542bhp and 516lb/ft of torque.

Clearly the extra power is designed to mitigate, to some extent, the extra weight of the DBX, and it should be enough for a 0-62mph in not too much over 4.0 seconds. But it will need it.

Aston are already claiming the DBX will have the performance of a Porsche Cayenne Turbo and the refinement of a Range Rover, as well as braking abilities comparable to the DBS and cornering abilities on a par with the Vantage. Which is setting the bar quite high.

Matt Becker, Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer, said:

We have concentrated our work to ensure that the calibration and tune of this 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 delivers both the everyday usability and refinement expected by SUV owners. 

The next few months will be extremely important to us, as we continue to hone the powertrain credentials and a dynamic setup that will help make this the most exciting SUV on the market.

The Aston Martin DBX will be officially revealed in December.