Aston Martin DBX S review

Cut to the chase here. Never mind the history, the marketing or even the oily bits of this monster Aston Martin Sports Utility Vehicle; we’ll come back to all that. Right now, it’s left foot on the big brake pedal, nicely settled there. Then the right on the throttle, planted hard. Instantly the Mercedes-AMG hot-turbo, hand-built V8 fires up to its redline, popping and boiling in anger.

Then side step the brake and…

Take a beat here as you ask me what the difference is between this monster SUV capable of 0-60mph in just 3.1sec and an electric car capable of similar acceleration?

Not much is the answer. Perhaps the maximum-torque-at-zero-revs character of the electric motor means more stomach-churning jolt as you initially pull away, but once you are moving, be assured that anything less than 3.5sec will make your head spin. And with enough tyre stickiness and four-wheel drive, there’s no wheelspin or smoke spiralling off the vast 23in Pirellis, the Sturm und Drang is in rotational energy converted into straight line acceleration.