Does it really matter how much stuff can fit in the cargo area of an Aston Martin? Yes! The brand has forever been known as the purveyor of GT cars, those intended specifically for grand touring over some significant distance where bringing along some stuff is likely. Two suitcases at the minimum, I’d say, with a decent amount of space inside for odds, ends, purses and/or little dogs. Good luck doing that in an Audi R8.
The Aston Martin DBX is an extension of that concept, admittedly to an extreme degree. Your tour is going to be so grand that you’ll need even more stuff or have a bigger dog or need to bring the kids along or need to travel some distance over a rugged road. I like to think of it as a family GT car.
So, how family friendly is it? Well, the vast wheelbase provides a stunning amount of back seat space. I could easily fit my son’s enormous Britax Boulevard rear-facing car seat and still have more than enough room for all 6-foot-3 of me to sit comfortably in the front passenger seat. I didn’t even need to put it that far forward. That’s rare. I’ve had to move up minivan front seats.
Does the Aston Martin DBX have space for a rear-facing car seat? pic.twitter.com/RRYNN4O0li
— Autoblog (@therealautoblog) February 13, 2022
But I’m here to talk cargo capacity, which is officially listed at 22.3 cubic-feet behind the back seat. I can tell you right now that’s deceptive — there’s far more than that would imply. Aston Martin, much like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and perhaps Land Rover, must be using a different measurement than most in the industry. A capacity of 22.3 cubic-feet would be in the midcompact SUV range, in between a Mazda CX-30 and Kia Seltos. I can definitively say it has more space than those. In fact, it has more space than compact luxury SUVs like the Genesis GV70, which is listed at 28.9. I would not be surprised if it would be in the low 30s if Aston Martin used a different measurement.
You’re not going to find may cargo areas with nicer carpet than this thing. Having a rubberized floor covering to keep in the garage would be a good idea.
Now, like most SUVs, the DBX includes a cargo cover. It certainly isn’t normal, though. It’s a rigid piece, which is common among hatchbacks and crossover-coupes that have low rooflines that don’t really afford much usable space between the cargo cover line and roof. That’s not quite the case here. Instead, I’m pretty sure this robust piece is used for the purposes of sound reduction and fanciness. It’s lined in lovely leather.
As I always do with SUVs that come with cargo covers that can’t be stored inside the vehicle, I will conduct tests with and without this leather-lined plank.
As with every luggage test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife’s fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D).
The DBX clearly skews in the direction of crossover “coupes,” but unlike the Porsche Cayenne Coupe and Infiniti QX55, the aft-most portion of the cargo area is taller and less chopped off by the liftgate. Besides providing more usable space as a result, there is also less Tetrising and swearing on my part. Turns out the pretty Vantage-like ducktail ends up serving a practical purpose, too.
The cargo cover is also quite high, specifically compared to the rather low Cayenne’s. As such, more could fit inside. Pictured above would be all but the fancy bag, but clearly there is a decent amount of space left over for something other than that specific bag. Note that the bag closest to the camera could not be placed further to the left as it would prevent the liftgate from closing.
OK, let’s remove the leather plank.
Above left would be all the bags, stacked to a level just above the seat back. There’s also, obviously, quite a bit of space left over. I popped in a duffle bag, above right, to fill the space, but you could definitely fill it further with odds and ends.
So, this is more than could fit in the Porsche Cayenne Coupe, which I view as the DBX’s closest competitor in terms of overall concept and execution. It was also much easier to fit inside. On paper, the Cayenne has a similarly deceptive 17.6 cubic-feet. Maybe that’s the same measurement method that Aston Martin and Mercedes use? Who knows, this confusion and lack of consistency is literally the main reason I do these tests.
The DBX also performed better than the Mercedes GLC, Genesis GV70 and Audi Q5, so it’s clearly in the midsize range of cargo capacities. I’d say it’s most comparable to the Lexus RX.
Now, some other cargo-related items …
As with other SUVs with height-adjustable air suspensions, the DBX has buttons in the cargo area that let you raise and lower the back end for the purposes of loading or sitting. You can see the lowest and highest heights available.
You can also remotely fold the rear seatbacks from the cargo area, but no simple plastic pulls here. This isn’t a Subaru Forester. There’s an electronic button for each side.
Speaking of buttons, those that control the liftgate should be familiar to anyone who owns a Mercedes. The DBX utilizes many other pieces of switchgear from the Mercedes parts bin, which sure as hell beats past Aston Martins with door handles from Miatas, steering wheels from Crown Victorias and radio controls from Volvo S40s.
Also, note that even the bottom of the liftgate is carpeted.
Finally, fitting a full-size 22-inch wheel and tire in the back sure seems like it would’ve been a stretch, so the inflatable space saver back here sure as hell beats a can of goo, AAA membership and rosary beads that so many luxury SUVs require.
So there you go. Aston Martin’s SUV is actually far more utilitarian than I was expecting. It’s legitimately useful, and when you consider how beautiful it is, how wonderful it is to drive and how well made the cabin is, you’re looking at one of the most complete vehicles on the road. More on that in a road test coming soon.
Keyword: Aston Martin DBX Luggage Test | Is there actually U in Aston's SUV?