Mysterious Aston Martin DBX Spied, Is A Facelifted Variant Or A New Performance Model?

Aston Martin entered the booming crossover segment in 2020 and it appears the company has something new up their sleeve.

Snapped undergoing testing at the Nürburgring, this DBX prototype has a lightly revised front end with a larger air intake and new daytime running lights. The latter are largely obscured, but the lower section appears more prominent than the lights found on the current model.

There doesn’t appear to be any other changes, but the updates are interesting nonetheless. However, what they hint at is up for debate as one spy photographer believes the prototype is for a facelifted variant. However, there’s always the possibility this is a new high-performance model and that would make a lot of sense given the sportier styling.

Also Read: Aston Martin Is Testing Its DBX Hybrid At The ‘Ring

Regardless of what the prototype is, the current DBX has a Mercedes-sourced twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine that produces 542 hp (405 kW / 550 PS) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque. It’s connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission and a standard all-wheel drive system, which enables the crossover to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 181 mph (291 km/h).

While those numbers are nothing to sneeze at, the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S also has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 but it produces 603 hp (450 kW / 611 PS) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque. This lowers the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time to 3.7 seconds and it shows there’s plenty of performance available if Aston Martin wants to go that route.  There have also been rumors about a V12 variant, so it will be interesting to see what the company is planning.

Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien and CarPix for CarScoops