The upcoming Aston Martin DBX, the company's first ever SUV, could be the world's first hauler with drifting capability. That's the word from the company's senior manager of vehicle dynamics, Ian Hartley, who said that a drift mode for the DBX is totally doable.
The Aston Martin DBX could be the first SUV with a Drift mode
Questioned by CarAdvice on whether the SUV could feature a drift mode, Hartley said that he's a big fan of the idea. However, he didn't confirm that Aston Martin actually developed such a feature for the DBX. Needless to say, given that it would be a premiere for the SUV market, Hartley wouldn't reveal such an important piece of information anyway.
"It's not a difficult question really," he commented. "It's a never-say-never thing... Who wouldn't want to see a drift more? I am all for drift mode."
If it happens, the DBX will become the world's first SUV to feature a drift mode. Although the market is already packed with high-performance SUVs, no other hauler has such a mode. So the DBX will be one step ahead of the competition, which includes spectacular SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Lamborghini Urus, or the BMW X5 M.
Although this feature has yet to be implemented on SUVs, it's already available on a number of cars. Mercedes-Benz, for instance, is already offering it on some of its AMG models, while the outgoing Ford Focus RS had a drift mode as well. Surprisingly enough, Aston Martin has yet to add a drift mode to its cars, so the DBX could also be the British company's first vehicle with such a feature.
How does it work?
The drift mode is self-explanatory: it's there to help you drift in your car. Granted, most cars will drift without a special mode as long as you have the skills, but a drift mode will help you slide easier if you don't have the proper training. But how does it work?
Well, in the Ford Focus RS this mode sends up to 70 percent of the torque to the rear wheels and especially to the outside rear, which helps push the car into a drift.
The DBX will surely have an all-wheel-drive system, so Aston Martin could use a similar features. Actually, since the DBX will borrow its engine from AMG, Aston Martin could also get the drift system in the same deal.
What do we know about the Aston Martin DBX?
The company's first-ever SUV is still a mystery, but we have a clear idea as to how it will look like. The camouflaged prototypes are pretty close to the final design and all the hints point toward a sporty hauler with a massive front grille and a coupe-style roof.
Under the hood, the DBX will debut with the twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V-8 engine that Aston Martin borrowed from Mercedes-AMG. Already available in the DB11 and the Vantage, Aston Martin's version of the mill cranks out 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of twist. The engine will likely have the same power figures, but a V-12 model could be launched later. The twin-turbo, 5.2-liter V-12 that Aston Martin uses in the DB11 and DBS Superleggera cranks out 600 horses in the former and a whopping 715 horsepower in the latter.
Further Reading
Read our full review on the 2020 Aston Martin DBX
Read our full review on the 2015 Aston Martin DBX Concept.
Read our full review on the 2020 Aston Martin Lagonda SUV.