ROAD TEST – 2022 Aston Martin DBX707
Words: via PracticalMotoring.com.au
Photos: Practical Motoring and Aston Martin
The forecast for Phillip Island says rain and 45km/h winds – the forecast is accurate. A shiver runs up my spine as I peek out of the garage at a sodden pit lane, but not for the obvious reasons. You see, the last time I was at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in conditions like this, a colleague put a car on its lid 10 minutes after pit lane opened. That car weighed less, had a lower centre of gravity and significantly less power than the Aston Martin DBX707 that awaits me.
For those unfamiliar, the DBX707 is the high-performance variant of Aston Martin’s DBX SUV that debuted in 2020. With 405kW and 700Nm out of the box, the DBX is no slouch, but it’s not enough for some, so Aston Martin added the DBX707 variant earlier this year that delivers 520kW and a whopping 900Nm from its Mercedes AMG-derived 4.0-litre twin turbo V8, along with other tarmac-biased features like 22-inch wheels, Pirelli P Zero tyres and carbon ceramic brakes.
As you’ve probably gathered, the DBX707 isn’t made for tackling the Old Tele Track or crossing the Simpson. In all honesty, it’s unlikely to encounter anything more challenging than a muddy road into the polo fields or the steep gravel drive leading up to that weekend retreat.
That means not many DBX707 owners will need information like the approach angle of 22.2 degrees, 24.3 degree departure angle and breakover angle of 15.1 degrees. Approach and departure angles can be raised to 25.7 and 27.1 degrees respectively, while wading depth is 500mm.
Towing capacity is listed at 2,700kg and luggage space in the five-seater maxes out at 638 litres, which includes 81lt of underfloor storage.
A Step Above
For my first experience of the DBX707 on the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, I’ve been informed that there’ll be an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 race car on track with me. Circumstances couldn’t be worse in which to test a 2,245kg Aston Martin, which in DBX707 form is billed as the world’s most powerful SUV.
While my nerves percolate, it’s worth a quick refresher on what separates this DBX707 from the ‘regular’ DBX. You might know that the ‘707’ part represents the engine output in metric horsepower, but did you know that Boeing granted Aston Martin use of its trademarked ‘707’? Apparently, Boeing agreed as long as it was always referenced hard against the DBX part, hence DBX707.
Trivia out of the way, the engine is another variant of AMG’s M177 3982cc twin-turbocharged V8. In DBX707 application, it makes the aforementioned 520kW (at 6000rpm) and 900Nm from 2600-4500rpm. These outputs are up 115kW and 200Nm on the DBX.
Despite its 2,245kg kerb weight, the DBX707 is said to storm to 100km/h in just 3.3 seconds. In a world of two-point-something hypercars and mega EVs, it’s hard to create much fanfare with a 3.3, but trust me, it’s insanely fast. And the DBX707 doesn’t stop its rush until 310km/h – again, bonkers for a big bus. For comparison, the regular DBX claims 4.5 seconds to 100km/h and a 291km/h top speed.
For a bit more perspective on just how big the DBX707’s numbers are, consider that it boasts a significantly better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche 911 Carrera S (232kW/tonne versus 218kW/tonne for the iconic German sports car), is 0.4 seconds quicker to 100km/h and is faster flat out.
Aside from the power increase, Aston Martin’s engineers have worked hard to ensure that the DBX707 can harness the outputs of the engine and deliver an engaging experience to the driver. The body is nine percent stiffer and the top suspension mounts are 55 percent firmer. Changes to the three-chamber air suspension system and the damper rates across all drive modes, from GT through to Sport + (the Terrain modes are left alone), play their part, too.
However, a great deal of the higher levels of body control and ride quality on the DBX707 can be attributed to the fitment of hydrobushes to the front suspension. Their role is to dampen the forces taken from the front axle to keep the steering as calm as possible and also to manage the unsprung weight that’s inevitable when you fit the (optional) 23-inch wheels and tyres along with the brakes – standard carbon-ceramics measuring 420mm front and 390mm rear with 6-piston calipers – that are required to slow a 2,245kg SUV with 520kW.
Power is fed through a nine-speed ‘wet-clutch’ automatic gearbox, which has been modified to handle the additional power and torque with new gear ratios. As in the all-wheel drive DBX, torque distribution in the DBX707 is fully automatic, with the ability to send up to 100 per cent of available torque to the rear axle, via an electronic LSD, but the DBX707 uses a shorter final drive so that more of those ratios can be used more of the time.
Additionally, Aston Martin say they have revised the active logic in the all-wheel drive system’s centre transfer case to deliver “greater harmony and precise control between the driveline and the ESP system”. The result is said to be a more natural, sportscar-like driving experience in an SUV that’s over 5 metres long, almost 2 metres wide, 1.68 metres high and has a ground clearance of up to 220mm.
In terms of external changes over the DBX, the DBX707 gains a larger grille with new bars, new DRLs, new intakes for the brake cooling ducts and a new front splitter; the latter finished in gloss black. Bonnet vents are louvred and pick up on the window surrounds that are finished in dark satin chrome.
Deeper sills are finished in gloss black, while the rear wing gains a lip spoiler and the rear bumper has been redesigned. To co-ordinate with this – and the large-diameter quad exhaust system - the rear diffuser is significantly larger and features the same gloss black treatment as the front splitter and sills. The effect of this was somewhat lost on the Onyx Black example I spent some of my time in, but makes more of a visual impact with the DBX707’s other colours, like the Plasma Blue version with a striking ‘Cote d Azur Blue’ leather interior that was also at Phillip Island.
Key interior changes over the DBX start with the addition of soft-close doors and includes the fitment of a rotary dial, instead of buttons, on the centre console to control the driving modes. There’s still no touchscreen for the HMI (that’s coming in 2024) but the Sport seats that are standard on the DBX707 pinch you tighter across the shoulders.
There’s a wider range of interior colours that go further to lift the already impressive cabin ambience on the DBX707, as well as three available themes of ‘Accelerate,’ ‘Comfort’ and ‘Inspire Sport’ that each offer different material combinations and finishes.
To up the exclusive ante of the DBX707 even further, the big SUV can also be personalised using the Q by Aston Martin commission service that offers a bewildering array of trim options.
On Track
Having avoided driving a 520kW SUV in tricky conditions as long as seems polite, it is now time to head out onto one of my favourite circuits anywhere in the world. It seems prudent to leave the dampers in their softest setting to give the broad rubber its best chance to dig in and find purchase on the slippery surface. Speaking of the tyres, they measure 285/35 ZR23 up front and 325/30 ZR23 on the rear wheels. As for the drivetrain mode, I initially jump from ‘GT’ to ‘Sport’ and lock the nine-speed gearbox into manual mode.
There are five driving modes in total – four for the road and one for off-road – some of which have been adjusted and enhanced for the DBX707, including the availability of “Race Start” (ie. launch control) in GT, Sport and Sport+ modes.
The first handful of laps are spent judging available grip and trying to generate a modicum of tyre and brake temperature. Aside from the rain and wind, the ambient temperature is resolutely single digits, so the track has got to be close to zero. But aside from a few tiny streams across the circuit, the surface is mercifully free of standing water, so with a resolution to stay off the kerbs, it’s time to dig a little deeper into the DBX707’s latent performance.
So long as the steering wheel is pointed straight, the DBX707’s chassis will allow you to quickly build to full throttle. And boy is it fast when you do, the tacho needle devouring numbers as it sweeps around the dial. Indeed, so quick and keen is the engine to rev, that I’m a fraction of a second late on a shift and the twin-turbo V8 stammers into the limiter. Subdued by a crash helmet, the soundtrack isn’t the typical AMG blood-and-thunder type, either, so the aural cues to help judge those first few shift points weren’t obvious.
Building Confidence, Building Speed
After another couple of laps, I’m sufficiently dialled into the Aston’s chassis that I bump the dampers up a notch and wind the drivetrain to its ‘Sport+’ setting.
In Phillip Island’s slower corners – Honda, MG and even Siberia – you have to manage both your entry and exit speeds so that you don’t overwhelm the turn-in grip and post-apex traction. Turning off stability control is (wisely) forbidden, but the electronics allow enough movement – especially under throttle – to surmise that the DBX707 wouldn’t be averse to playful oversteer given space and talent (and a healthy tyre budget).
In faster corners, of which Phillip Island has plenty, the DBX707 works its outside tyres (especially the rear), finding grip and sending confident messages back to the driver. I shouldn’t be enjoying driving such a heavy car so quickly on a circuit in such challenging conditions, but each time I alight in pitlane, I’m keen to get back to the driver’s seat rather than hiding in the toilet block hoping that no one will notice my absence.
The conditions take some of the stress out of the day for the carbon ceramic brakes, but they still impress with a high and firm pedal, though for some reason I struggle to smoothly bleed out on a couple of occasions, causing the nose to pitch up marginally. A colleague makes a similar observation, so perhaps it wasn’t my clumsy left foot.
Straight line Sprinting
Given the conditions, I ensure Phillip Island’s long Gardner Straight is bookended by a conservative approach through the fast and long turn 12 left-hander, with very conservative braking for the even faster right hand turn 1 that is Doohan Corner.
Even so, the DBX707 thunders to an indicated 247km/h before the self-preservation alarms begin sounding and my brain fires impulses to my left foot to firmly ease into the brake pedal. In dry conditions, who knows what the DBX707 would nail down the straight, but 260-plus isn’t out of the question. If I hit Aston Martin’s quoted top speed of 310km/h, I’d be exceeding the best speed the Supercars achieve on Gardner Straight and nudging into the territory of MotoGP bikes.
And that GT3? It is already on track when I ease out of pitlane for the last of my sessions in the DBX707, sneaking by me a few corners in. I’m shocked how low it is, or rather, how high I am, as I’ve genuinely forgotten that I’m in a high-riding SUV.
While I’m hardly going to claim that I hunted down a GT3 race car in an SUV, I will say that, over the next four laps, it eased away much more gradually than expected, perhaps putting as little as 10 seconds on me during that time.
Premium Product
The Aston Martin DBX707 is priced from $428,400 plus on-road costs. Of course, that’s the jumping off point, and the Plasma Blue example mentioned earlier added a cool $100K in options.
While we don’t expect many owners will be hitting the track (or off-road tracks, for that matter) in their DBX707 like I did, don’t ever discount its ability if you find yourself at a trackday with one. Even if you’re in a GT3 car.
Star Wars star leads new DBX707 campaign
In what they describe as their most significant product marketing campaign of 2022, Aston Martin has combined the DBX707 with award-nominated British actor Felicity Jones.
A short film under the title of ‘Power.Driven.’ features the star of The Theory of Everything and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story delivering a monologue on the meaning of power, interspersed with beauty shots of a DBX707 in Aston Martin Racing Green.
“This captivating short film is an example of Aston Martin’s drive to inject emotion and intensity to our product marketing, challenging the creative conventions that customers have become accustomed to from the automotive sector,” said Renato Bisignani, Global Head of Marketing & Communications at Aston Martin.
Shot in Britain’s Dartmoor National Park and released on Aston Martin’s social media channels in October, the film and accompanying Power.Driven. creative is Aston Martin’s first major marketing campaign for a single product in their range since the reveal of their bold new creative identity Intensity.Driven. earlier this year.