Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2012 Aston Martin DBX

It will pick up where the DBS leaves off to set a new high for power and performance at 007's favored car company. James Bond won't need a rocket belt. Just lots of money.

What We Know About the 2012 Aston Martin DBX

It's hardly more than a rumor now, though two reliable sources say it will happen and Aston Martin doesn't categorically deny it. "It" is a new ultimate version of Aston's well-liked DB9 grand touring coupe. Tentatively labeled DBX and whispered as a 2012 model, it should build on the recently introduced DBS to be the fastest, most powerful car yet seen from James Bond's preferred motorcar purveyor. Would you believe a 700-horsepower twin-turbocharged V12? That's the buzz.

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Before delving into the 2010 Aston Martin DBX, we need to explain the DBS, which is basically a lighter, more potent DB9 with no back seat and some engineering inspiration from Aston's DBR9 racer. It uses the company's 6.0-liter V12, but claims 70 more horsepower than the DB9--520 in all. (Torque is unchanged at 420 pound-feet.) Numerous tweaks liberate the extra ponies, but the main one is a freer-breathing intake system with computer-controlled air-box valves, plus a larger under-bumper front air intake. Curb weight drops about 140 pounds by replacing metal with carbon fiber for the hood, fenders, and door-mirror housings. C-F is also fashioned into a new front air splitter and a rear air diffuser that promote high-speed stability. How fast will it go? Aston quotes 191 mph, about five mph up on the DB9. As Rolls-Royce would say, that's "adequate" for a 3737-pound sports-luxury coupe with all the comforts and a cabin trimmed in leather, suede-like alcantara, and carbon fiber accents. Off the line, the DBS hits 60 mph in a claimed 4.3 seconds, a half-second faster than Aston's big, burly V12 Vanquish coupe. Other changes include a wider track, 20-inch wheels (replacing 19s) within subtly bulged fenders, hefty carbon-ceramic disc brakes cooled by dedicated body ductwork, and a grille with five horizontal bars instead of seven. The DBS also gets a redesigned dashboard center stack with more ergonomic controls, a likely update for other Aston models in due course.

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