Aston Martin DBX won't be cheap

The car that could save Aston Martin will cost a minimum of $357,000 in Australia.

The Aston Martin DBX is the British sports car brand's first SUV and, just as the original Cayenne saved Porsche, the DBX is pivotal to its future.

The V8-powered DBX's significant price tag was announced today alongside first official pictures of the car’s equally extravagant cabin, a fortnight ahead of its public unveiling in Beijing on November 20.

Orders will open on the same day as the unveiling but the head of Aston Martin in Australia and New Zealand, Kevin Wall, says there is already huge interest ahead of first local deliveries later next year.

“We estimate that we will have our full 2020 allocation sold by January,” Wall tells carsales.

“There is extremely strong interest from existing and new owners. It’s very exciting for Aston Martin.”

The strong demand comes despite the $350K-plus Australian starting price -- $US189,900 ($A275,000) in North America and £158,000 ($295,000) in the UK -- which is well above the Porsche Cayenne's current price range of $116,600-$292,700.

But the Aston Martin DBX won't be Australia's most expensive SUV.

The Lamborghini Urus is pegged at $390,000, the Range Rover SV Autobiography priced at $403,670, the Bentley Bentayga W12 upping the ante at $427,300 and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan opening the bidding at a heady $685,000.

However, Wall confirmed the three-year service plan mentioned in the global DBX press release today won't be available in Australia or New Zealand.

Despite its blistering performance, the Mercedes-built 4.0-litre twin-turbo belting out a handy 405kW and 700Nm of torque – enough to propel the DBX to 100km/h in under five seconds – this Aston Martin has a strong focus on cabin comfort.

Upholstered with tan leather and sporting a massive panoramic glass roof, the exotic SUV appears to feature three-zone climate control, with heated seats and four vents for rear seat passengers, not to mention reading lights.

There are no fold-out trays for rear-seat passengers like some Bentley models, but Aston Martin says a lot of work has gone into the interior design.

For example Aston Martin let a group of kids run riot in the back seats (invited to share their experience, in Aston parlance) at the brand's design studio, to ensure ergonomics worked for little people too.

Apart from a bit of the digital instrument panel and the stylised infotainment screen nestled within acres of tan plastic and leather it's hard to see the front of the cabin from the single photo, but Aston Martin says it spent half a year working on the driver's seat position.

The goal? Achieving excellent visibility for the driver.

The controls were also the subject of much deliberation, involving Aston Martin's Female Advisory Board and other focus groups involving HNWIs, or high-net-worth individuals from various demographics.

The design, says Aston, ensures "a feeling of instant familiarity" and one of the standout features is what the company calls a bridged centre console.

This creates "an elegant, floating aesthetic that offers storage space below for larger items such as a handbag or large 1.5-litre water bottles," says Aston, which "keeps valuables close to hand" while avoiding the grubbiness of the car's floor mats.

A range of DBX accessory packs are also being developed, including a special dog pack with portable dog washer.

The Aston Martin DBX is a crucial new model for the brand which will almost double its sales overnight, despite being capped at 5000 vehicles per annum.

The trend towards SUVs – even from sports car companies – is well and truly in full swing. Even Ferrari is jumping on the band wagon, with the Ferrari Purosangue vehicle coming in 2022.

Only McLaren appears to be holding fast, one of the last exotic sports car brands refusing to build an SUV.