Blazing A Trail

In the desert of Oman, we drive a prototype of Aston Martin’s first SUV to see if the crossover can cut it.

- Basem Wasef

As the new Aston Martin DBX rolls into shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & spa in Oman, its auspicious entrance causes a stir for a couple of reasons. sure, this is Aston’s first sUV and, as such, certainly stands out against the Arab nation’s predominance of taxis and workaday utility vehicles. But the sticker-clad example I’m in is tattooed with Jackson Pollock-like splats of mud, defying the Omani law that cars must be clean. the opportunity to be among the first to get the DBX dirty, however, is worth the risk.