For a company that’s known for routinely using V-8 and V-12 engines in its models, Aston Martin is reportedly looking into using a six-cylinder engine on its upcoming DBX crossover. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but Aston’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, hinted on the possibility, saying that a six-cylinder unit could make for a potentially good engine in the automaker’s first-ever crossover.

Aston Martin DBX Engine Options

Aston Martin has high hopes for the DBX, so it’s only natural that Aston’s going to do everything it can to make sure the crossover lives up to the hype. A V-8 or a V-12 engine could do that, but using either of these two engines could also be construed as going a little bit overboard. A six-cylinder, on the other hand, makes sense because it’s versatile enough that Aston Martin could have plenty of room to play with as far as how it wants to configure the DBX.

It also helps that this potential six-cylinder engine will be sourced from Mercedes, a company that has no shortage of world-class sixers in its stable. There’s been no indication on what specific engine Aston Martin could source from Merc, but there are some interesting candidates, one of which is the new 3.0-liter, turbocharged, inline-six that’s paired to a 48-volt mild hybrid system. The unit produces 382 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, numbers that should suit Aston Martin’s plans for the DBX.

On that end, Marek Reichman admitted that the company’s goal for the crossover is to emphasize its sportiness, a quality it wants the DBX to be the best at in its segment. “The key descriptor in SUV is Sports, and since we’re pretty good at sports cars and lightweight structures and dynamic capability of cars, it is very much a Sports Utility Vehicle,” Reichman added.

If for some reason a six-cylinder DBX doesn’t cut the mustard, there are also reports that the British automaker is looking at giving the crossover a more potent hybrid unit that features an AMG-sourced, 4.0-liter, twin-turbo, V-8 and an electric motor that combine to produce as much as 700 horsepower, making it even more powerful than the Lamborghini Urus. A 700-horsepower DBX is tantamount to Aston calling its own shot, but it is part of the company’s plan to turn the crossover into a legitimate threat to the current kingpins of the super-luxury SUV segment. “It is and will be a true five-door car, as a competitor to Cayenne, Bentayga, Urus, and Cullinan effectively,” Reichman said.

It will be interesting to see how Aston Martin’s development of the DBX goes from here, but if a six-cylinder version is on the table, it would serve as a solid introductory version alongside the more powerful V-8 hybrid unit.

References

Aston Martin DBX Concept

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Read our full review on the Aston Martin DBX Concept.

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