Aston Martin has unveiled what appears to be the world’s most powerful luxury SUV, the DBX707. Featuring new turbochargers fitted to the now-familiar AMG-sourced 4,0-litre V8, it develops 707 PS, as it’s name suggests, or 520 kW.
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That’s a phenomenal 115 kW more than the standard DBX, as well as an equally impressive 200 N.m more caravan-pulling power. What’s really quite remarkable here is that those outputs are more than the very same engine develops in any AMG product without the assistance of hybrid gubbins.
The numbers are rather impressive with the Urus and Bentayga Speed both being beaten to 100 km/h from standstill; the DBX707 matching the Cayenne Turbo GT’s 3,3 second sprint. The top speed is 310 km/h which is astonishingly fast for a 2,2-tonne SUV. The immense increase in torque is handled by a wet plate clutch as opposed to the standard car’s torque converter, an addition that is said to reduce shift times by 30% while also providing a much sharper response with each gear change. In-gear acceleration has been maximised by means of reduced overall gearing.
Carbon ceramic brakes are fitted as standard and weigh more than 40 kg less than equivalent iron items. This helps the DBX707 retain its 2 245 kg kerb weight, identical to that of the standard DBX. Extensive suspension modifications have been carried out with re-rated dampers, increased electronic control of heave (vertical movement over bumps and crests or in compressions), pitch (when the car dives under braking or squats under acceleration), and anti-roll, as well as reprogrammed steering and drive modes.
Dedicated buttons for suspension mode, ESP and manual gear selection mode address what many considered to be a frustration in the standard DBX, as well as an active exhaust switch which opens the valves of new sports exhaust system without the DBX707 needing to be in Sport mode.
The DBX’s leather-clad and spacious interior remains, albeit with new sports seats that are fitted as standard with the lower console having been revised, now containing the aforementioned drive mode selection switches.
While similar, one will not struggle to tell the DBX707 and a normal DBX apart. A significantly enlarged grille adds presence and aids powertrain cooling – the largest grille ever fitted to an Aston Martin – and at the rear, a new diffuser, carbon fibre spoiler extension and some meaty quad tailpipes suggest that this isn’t a common or garden DBX…
Anyone who has spent any time in a DBX will also welcome the addition of soft-close doors to the super SUV, another example of Aston Martin responding well to customer feedback
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