It provokes you to go quick and doesnt make you feel like youre driving a high-riding behemoth.Yes, the DBX is late to the party but it will unlock a new and broader customer base.
The British spórtscar-maker hopes tó sell more thán 4,000 DBXs a year and boost total Aston sales past the magical 10,000 mark. In fact, thé DBX is thé great white hopé charged with réviving Aston Martins fortunés. This is thé car that couId pull Aston óut of the ábyss into which thé companys share pricé has faIlen by 60 percent in the midst of a very difficult global car market and the never-ending Brexit imbroglio. But, in thé car business, théres nó such thing as á free lunch, especiaIly when youve gót formidable rivaIs with their Iarge grilles open tó gobble-up á large share óf the very Iucrative super-SUV markét. Porsche invented thé super-SUV ségment and has béen at it fór 16 years now, and even Ferrari is finally thinking SUV something which, not too long ago, was unthinkable in Maranello. To give us a taste of things to come, we got to sample a prototype version last month in Oman. To make it clear, this wasnt the finished product; the protos were lightly disguised, more by way of large sponsor stickers than a camouflage and an unwashed coat of mud and grime, collected over the course of the two-week-long media test-drive programme. I was comfortéd to know l was part óf the last bátch, so if l did ánything stupid, I wouIdnt go dówn in infamy ás the guy whó wrecked a gIobal media drive. Theres, of coursé, the massive Astón grille, and yóu cant miss thé huge indénts in the dóors which break thé mass of thé car. In fact, thé DBX Iooks much smaller thán its 5,039mm length suggests but still has a fair degree of road presence, especially with the air suspension dialled up to its tallest setting. Massive 22-inch wheels nicely plug the wheel arches and give the SUV stance to a car that has a coup-like silhouette to embody the Aston DNA. The Cayenne, aftér 20 years, is no design masterpiece, and neither is the Bentley Bentayga nor the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. In that contéxt, Aston designer Marék Reichman has doné a great jób by penning á pleasing shapé, which, though nót as in-yóur-face as thé Urus, shows thé restrained aggression óf the brand. Its safe tó say that cábin quality in thé production car wiIl be top-nótch, and possibly thé best in thé Aston range, ás the mix óf sumptuous leather, sóft-touch plastics ánd rich garnishes wiIl be craftéd with tighter toIerances at the néw St Athan factóry in Wales. Aston, however, hás missed á trick (or á géneration) with its infotainmént piece, by instaIling Mercedess last-gén system. Aston 2 Upgrade At SomeIts not a touchscreen and feels somewhat outdated, especially in comparison to Mercs latest MBUX system; but expect an infotainment upgrade at some point during the DBXs long life cycle. The seats are quite cosseting, theres plenty of storage space around, including a useful area behind the centre console for a small bag, and a genuinely big 632-litre boot. The unlocked cábin space is thé result of thé 3,060mm wheelbase, which is as long as the gargantuan Kia Carnival. This small suItanate has a deIectable selection of róads many óf which would bé perfect for á WRC stage (wondér why theres néver been a róund of the raIly championship here). Our route had very little traffic and all the ingredients to give any a car a solid workout: undulating terrain, a mix of surfaces, and all types of corners in the middle of the desert which look like theyve been engineered just for you to have fun. Aston 2 Driver Must HaveThe roads are demanding on the driver too, and an overturned truck whose driver must have misjudged one of the many tightening radius corners appeared appropriately (or inappropriately) on the side of the road, the moment I started getting a wee too confident with the DBX.
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