The standard Aston Martin DBX isn’t an SUV with wings on its nose, but an Aston Martin that happens to be an SUV. The DBX707 is an Aston Martin that happens to be really, really angry. And it wants to take you on a wild ride.
The headline figure is its 707 PS (that equals 697 hp, which isn't as fun for a name) power output. As well as a healthy 155bhp bump over standard, it’s got 148lb ft more, too, for a total of 664lb ft. That’s all thanks to a fresh induction system, new turbos, and a new engine calibration. The power means it’ll crack 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds, 0-100mph in 7.4 seconds, and a top speed of 193mph. That makes it the fastest SUV in the world. Until Bentley/Lamborghini/Ferrari/someone else with a big SUV aimed firmly at the ultra-wealthy decides to steal the crown. For now Gaydon’s machine claims the sparkly hat.
On top of the engine mods, Aston’s given it a mean look with a mouth that not only makes it look like it’s going to eat small children at a moment’s notice, but also feeds vast quantities of air to its 4.0-liter turbocharged V8. There are some aggressive skirts, reworked aero all over, and one of the largest rear diffusers on a ‘family’ car you’ll likely ever see.
But Aston’s engineers haven’t simply made it angrier to look at and squeezed out more power. There’s a new nine-speed automatic gearbox, new dampers, a strengthened rear differential, recalibrated central differential, a shorter and thicker single piece carbon propshaft, wider track, retuned steering, and revised spring rates (stiffer up front, softer at the rear). It’s been designed not only to cope with all that power, but to handle as well. This is no surprise as the man at the top, Tobias Moers (of AMG fame), wants Aston to become a more sporting proposition. This thing will be hitting the ‘Ring, aiming to give Porsche a fright on home turf.
The 707 gets a gently refreshed interior with new sports seats, and fewer buttons on the center console. The highlight is a new mode select wheel to switch drive settings more easily, as well as a simple way to jump the gearbox to Manual Mode. There’s an active exhaust button, because being antisocial is fun some of, but not all of the time.
When the DBX707 wants to, it can be aggressively antisocial. On start up its pipes bark and burble, alerting everyone to your presence long before they see you angrily rolling along. GT mode, its version of ‘normal,’ keeps things as placid as 697 hp can be. The steering is light, the gearbox imperceptibly slips from ratio to ratio, and its pipes (unless pressed) shouldn’t piss off the neighbors. Visibility is… ok. It’s a tall car, with tall sides. The rear window is basically there to let light in, and thick a-pillars can obscure things at tight junctions. Go with caution and you’re all good. For parking duties, there are more cameras on the DBX707 than an excitable influencer, so you’ll have to work hard to damage an immaculate wheel (the people of London, I’ll wager, will find a way).
Flicking it effortlessly into sport mode changes things. Steering, gas, gears, springs, and pipes all wake up. The DBX707 shows its true colors to all within ear shot. The noise is tremendous aural heroin, ravaging its way through the cabin, addictively wrapping itself into your brain wrinkles. The first hit is good, the second, third, and all the rest come at a cost: you have to nail this thing. Lean on the gas, wait for the snails to spool up (it takes a beat at first) and watch numbers multiply on the speedo, gears are greeted and waved goodbye to before you can register them. The result is a glorious Shepherd Tone of explosions and legit supercar speed. In an SUV.
Sooner rather than later you’ll come to a corner, which is where the massive carbon ceramic brakes behind the (optional) 23-inch alloys come into play. Stamp on them and you feel the car gently dip its nose as kinetic energy becomes heat. As soon as you’re comfortable, you can turn in, and off you fly again, chasing the noise.
As you work the ‘wheel, you may expect a high sided meganutter to lean and wallow. It doesn’t anywhere near as much as you think. Of course, physics has its place, but Aston’s engineers have negated a fair amount. This is a car built to handle (and take records), so why would it be allowed out with soggy springs.
That said, it’s never uncomfortable. In Sport Plus the 707 is at its most aggressive, and the air suspension at its stiffest, but it’s not jarring, so you could be that guy and have it set to angriest all the time, but the kid seats in the back won’t be shaken from their mounts on the way home from swimming class. And yet, you drive hard and it simply goes. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a tiny bit AMG-ish. Just a bit, but… enough to make the difference.
Its power is phenomenal, but it does come at a cost. It fires its way through the gearbox more briskly than perhaps you’d expect, and, irritatingly, you find yourself at corners too quickly. With all that grunt to play with, a small, tight, twisty section of back roads that would light your face on fire in a Miata is simply monstered here. As soon as you’re out of a bend, you’re at the next one. It is the most first world of first world problems, but for a car focused on driver enjoyment, warp speed can be a bit of a buzz kill. Oh, and with some heavy driving it averaged about 7.2mpg. A way off the quoted 19. Not likely a concern if you’re dropping over $230,000 on a car, but don’t be surprised if you’ve got no fuel left after an angry drive.
It’s easy to be bowled over by the numbers, but this is more than a numbers job. Some actual engineering’s gone into the 707 to make it far more athletic, exciting, and adaptable than its lesser sibling. It’s big, silly, and utterly ludicrous. If this is the sign of things to come from Gaydon we’re in for a wild ride. A good one at that.
