SHAKEN - AND STIRRED (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_astonmartindbx707_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

Aston Martin reckons the DBX 707 is the ultimate SUV. Jonathan Crouch looks a the updated version.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 59

A sabre in a segment of sledgehammers. Is that what the Aston Martin DBX 707 is? An Aston Martin SUV is already something pretty unique. With 707PS, lots of attitude and a top speed knocking on the door of 200mph, this is better. The DBX 707 is now the only DBX you can have and it's been usefully updated.

Backgroundword count: 176

Back in 2020, Aston Martin launched its first SUV, the DBX - and created it very much with this uprated version, the DBX 707, in mind, which arrived in 2021. Customers loved this top version - so much so that it quickly accounted for two-thirds of sales. Hence when the time came in early 2024 for a mid-term DBX update, the brand decided to delete the lower-powered standard model entirely. This improved model gets enhanced cabin screen tech, but otherwise, the changes are subtle. In developing the original DBX 707, with some of the shackles removed from the asking price, the Gaydon engineers were given free rein to develop the ultimate version of this design in a bid to create the fastest, the most powerful and the best handling SUV ever. A lot more was done here than simply push the 4.0-litre V8 engine's power output up to 707PS. Almost every aspect of the drivetrain was re-engineered. The idea was to truly unlock the performance potential within the DBX to create a world-beating high performance SUV.

Driving Experienceword count: 372

Aston Martin has contented itself with only minor updates to this improved DBX model's engineering. The dampers have been recalibrated and the brand claims that 'response, precision and driver confidence' have all improved as a result. Plus the steering's been re-tuned to give a greater bandwidth of behaviour between the various drive modes. As before, the Mercedes-sourced 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 has 707PS (hence the model name) and there's 900Nm of torque. As a result, the 62mph sprint time takes just 3.3s and the top speed is 193mph. That kind of performance would eventually wreck an ordinary auto gearbox, so a 9-speed 'wet clutch' auto transmission is installed, better capable of handling the extra grunt and dealing with the extra 'Race Start' feature added into the car's 'GT Sport' and 'Sport+' drive modes. The electronic limited slip rear differential is re-engineered for the extra torque too, as are the brakes (they're of the track-level carbon ceramic kind). Plus the Electronic Active Roll Control set-up features parameters that heighten the sense of agility and improve the aggressive balance of the car. Despite its modest 190mm of standard ground clearance, this DBX will properly go off road. The 4x4 rough surface settings are 'Terrain' (where the air suspension lifts the car higher) and 'Terrain+' (higher still). With everything raised, the car's approach angle can be as much as 25.7-degrees and the departure angle can be as much as 27.1-degrees, with a breakover angle of up to 18.8-degrees, plus there's Hill Descent Control for slithering down slippery slopes. All of it's enough to ensure that this car will go far further off road than any owner will ever need it to. Arguably more useful though, is the 500mm wading depth: there's even a breather pipe on the rear differential for situations such as reversing a trailer into water when launching a boat. But of course this car is much happier on tarmac, where the lack of semi-autonomous driving aids is a disappointment but journeying refinement is a pleasant surprise. That's no accident: there's a double-skin bulkhead, which acts like a noise-isolating structure between the cabin and the engine. Plus the Pirelli P-Zero tyres feature noise-reducing technology and the structure incorporates over 30kgs of sound-deadening material.

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