2026 Aston Martin DBX S Review: Excellence in (DB)X S
Key Points in This Review:
- The most powerful, capable and expensive Aston Martin DBX, the S is the best of the breed.
- The new DBX S is lighter than the DBX707 if equipped correctly
- Short of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, it feels more capable than any SUV available today.
In the market for an SUV? Lucky you: So long as you’ve got the cash, you can find just about every type of lifted four-door imaginable. We’ve got it stupid good these days; just 15 years ago, sourcing an SUV that handled curves with any composure restricted you to a BMW, Porsche or Mercedes-Benz. If you wanted to haul the fam in a four-door Aston Martin, your only option was the lovely but cramped Rapide sedan. Now, the everything-to-everyone Aston Martin DBX is the British brand’s top (bull)dog in sales — and performance-oriented SUVs are everywhere.
Related: 2026 Aston Martin DBX S Adds Power, Carbon Fiber
Even so, SUVs are almost universally consumer-grade stuff. Most automakers aren’t investing in low-production, experimental few-offs here — just give the people what they want. But what the people want in the upper-luxury performance SUV segment, according to Aston, is more of everything; more options, more personalization and more performance. Enter the Aston Martin DBX S. A new variant based on — and positioned above — the DBX707, it’s the sharpest and most powerful version of the brand’s SUV.
What’s the Difference Between an Aston Martin DBX707 and DBX S?
- Takeaway: The S gets a bit more power, retuned steering, revised transmission tuning and a comprehensive options list with lightweight components.
The formula here is the same as in Aston’s past S variants: less weight, more power. Compared with the 707, some 104 pounds are cut by selecting certain options — 42 pounds from the magnesium wheels, 40 pounds from the carbon-fiber roof, 15 from carbon-fiber exterior trim and 7 from the front grille. The lightest DBX S commands the heaviest sticker; the magnesium wheels alone add $22,300 to the final tally.
Aston’s online configurator is coy on pricing — if you have to ask, etc. — but based on the decadent build sheet for my $397,900 test car, these lightweight components will cost you roughly $500 per pound saved. More into creature comforts and style? Aston will gladly bring your books into the red with an options list that includes a $12,000 Bowers & Wilkins sound system and a $14,900 unique S pinstripe livery.
If you wish, you can configure your new S to look a lot like an upfitted 707, but there’s a raft of under-the-skin stuff that ensures the changes go well beyond a simple badge job. New turbos sourced from the Valhalla hypercar push the boosted 4.0-liter V-8 to 717 horsepower and an unchanged 664 pounds-feet of torque, keeping the 707’s claimed 3.3-second 0-62 mph run. Its 0-124 mph run, however, is shaved down by 0.3 second, and the S takes a full second off the 707’s 62-155 mph gauntlet.
It’s nothing mind-blowing in the (extra) power department, but this, in concert with everything else, is what earns that crimson “S” badge. Its steering is retuned and quicker; engineers say the new ratio is 5% faster than before and negates the need for rear-wheel steering, a function found in other performance SUVs. The 707’s shocks are tweaked to balance the new steering setup, as are Sport and Sport+ drive modes that are now more aggressive and holistically sharper than before.
How Is the 2026 Aston Martin DBX S to Live With?
- Takeaway: An indulgent interior and well-composed air suspension cut a perfect balance between Bentley luxe and Ferrari sharpness.
That’s the new-new, but the DBX’s prior dynamic genes carry over. The SUV’s proprietary platform still incorporates a double-wishbone front and multilink rear air suspension, backed by standard carbon-ceramic brake discs measuring a whopping 16.5 inches in front and 15.4 inches in back. The 285-wide front and 325-wide rear summer performance tires are equally at home summiting the driveway at your Malibu (maybe Miami, maybe Monaco) manse as they are tackling a track day.
Our first crack at the DBX S saw us far from a pit lane. We pointed this uber-SUV toward a web of squiggled country roads rushing northwest of Santa Barbara into the Santa Ynez area of California, crisscrossing a network of meandering two-lanes that cut equally between open crop fields in the foothills to tight, technical passes hung cliffside. Tacked onto both ends was a good half-hour on the highway, where the DBX’s mundane side shined.
S or not, the heart of the DBX remains in step with Aston’s indelible grand-touring ethos: Aside from some faint tire noise, a firm suspension, slightly grabby brakes and the unmistakable background roil of the V-8, this nuclear-grade SUV is about as comfortable in traffic as a Porsche Cayenne Turbo or BMW X5 M Competition. The interior, though, is a cut far, far above those mass-market sleds, with acres of primo cowhide, matte carbon fiber and metal trim that matches the automaker’s $400,000-plus Vanquish for fit, finish and presentation.
How Does the 2026 Aston Martin DBX S Drive?
- Takeaway: The new DBX S is one of the sharpest, most capable and most thrilling SUVs at any price.
It’s comfortable even when you hit the jet-boil. That 3.3-second 0-62 mph scoot is as physical as it is theatrical, with a full-throttle launch lifting the nose slightly and drenching a good square mile with its ferocious thunder. The heart of the 4.0-liter V-8 is still sourced from Aston’s technical partner Mercedes-AMG, but the Brits have done a commendable and effective job differentiating it from both a sound and character perspective. I’ve always liked AMG’s potent V-8, but it’s often been more brutally effective than characterful, spouting a metallic, antiseptic soundtrack that’s more mechanical than sonorous.
The DBX S has no such problem. It’s pure Euro-muscle, a raucous clash sharing the same tonality and raw edge as Aston’s Vantage — an unsurprising similarity given the shared powertrain. Perhaps my favorite bit of the S is its removal of the secondary rev limiter that restricted revs to around 3,500 rpm or so while in park. DBX owners are (unsurprisingly) not shrinking violets, and more than a few specifically requested the ability to rev the (lug)nuts off their new toy. We’re happy to report the change works quite well (much to the chagrin of local golfers trying to enjoy Santa Barbara’s perfect summer weather).
It certainly sounds every bit of 717 hp, and it moves like it, too; forward pace matches the hotshot Lamborghini Urus and Cayenne Turbo both on paper and in feel, with enough grip and canyon confidence to equal any super-SUV this side of the shocking Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT. And when that straight turns into, well, a turn, it’s easily one of the sharpest-driving SUVs available at any price, though the same can be said of the DBX707.
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Should You Upgrade From a DBX707 to the New Aston Martin DBX S?
- Takeaway: Opting for the S likely won’t be worth it for many buyers, but those on the fence — or those who have the original 542-hp DBX — will find the DBX S lives up to its 717-hp rating.
Without back-to-back wheel time in a 707, it’s difficult to say just how much of a difference the optional lightweighting makes on the S, but its baseline capability is remarkable for something with four doors, a usable cargo area and a (token) terrain mode. Turn-in and subsequent steering feel is as sharp as any modern hot hatch; there’s truth in Aston’s claim of full rear-wheel-drive power transfer revealed during moments of moderate rear-end squirm under power.
The S’ air suspension tuning is excellent from both a composure and comfort perspective, demonstrating compliance over fractured pavement without a hint of wallow when hurled across tighter roads. Brakes are arguably the most important component for a fast SUV, and the S’ standard carbon-ceramic discs drop speed like you’re smashing into a bollard. Entirely fade-free and mostly progressive in application, they’re stout enough to haul you down from triple highway speeds with the full family and dog in tow — not that you should do that.
For a core set of buyers, we expect this to be their first dalliance into Aston Martin ownership, and the marque seems perfectly content with that, provided they can shape them into repeat customers. It’s the most approachable and usable Aston, without losing its exotic appeal, and it’s on the top, top rung of performance SUVs.
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