In 2013, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler AG agreed to supply Aston Martin Lagonda V8 engines. The partnership has also seen the introduction of a straight-six option for the DBX for the Chinese market.
The global variant, on the other hand, features the wet-sump M177 powerplant introduced by AMG in the W205 C 63 and W213 E 63. This engine is also shared with the DBX, but alas, it’s downtuned to 542 horsepower (550 PS) and 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) in the British model. Why is that? Well, the GLE 63 comes to mind. Rated at 563 horsepower (571 PS) as standard and 603 horsepower (612 PS) for the GLE 63 S, the mid-size utility vehicle also has the upper hand in terms of torque. More specifically, the hand-assembled V8 boasts up to 627 pound-feet (850 Nm) from 2,500 to 4,500 rotations per minute as per the specifications sheet. Although it’s a weighty machine at 2,445 kilograms (5,390 pounds) for the GLE 63 S Coupe in the featured video, the German utility vehicle is quicker to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour). Mercedes-AMG quotes 3.8 seconds compared to 4.5 seconds for the Aston Martin DBX, and by extension, the lower-priced SUV is quicker on the quarter mile as well. How much quicker? Car Magazine’s Ray Leathern and Sean Parker are much obliged to answer that question with a drag race that ends with a dominant victory for the GLE 63 S Coupe. Produced in Tuscaloosa, Alabama instead of somewhere in Germany, the Merc scoots off the line better and keeps the Aston Martin DBX firmly at bay without breaking a sweat. Be that as it may, the Brits may have the last laugh after they launch the DBX S next year with a pokier V8. Aston Martin has previously mentioned V12 power for the posh utility vehicle, and given that a V12 is coming to the Vantage next year, the DBX V12 should happen no later than 2023.
Keyword: Aston Martin DBX Gets Annihilated by the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S in a Drag Race