by Michael Satterfield - Photos by Lucas Kepner - Jewelry Provided by David Gardner's 05/13/2024
Sports car companies have slowly started producing SUVs, a trend we can all blame on the Porsche Cayenne. This trend has spread to Maserati, Aston Martin, and even Ferrari. Aston Martin first launched the DBX in 2020 and did an excellent job at keeping the Aston Martin sports car DNA intact. It's the most practical Aston Martin in years and could serve as a daily driver if you didn't mind risking parking lot door dings.
The DBX looks amazing, and it sounds even better, especially since this is the DBX 707; while your standard DBX develops "just" 542 horsepower from its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, the new DBX 707 model produces 697 horsepower, which is 707 PS, a European power measurement. But it isn't just a little AMG tuning under the hood; the 707 gets a larger grill for more airflow, a carbon-fiber front splitter, a longer rear spoiler, and several other revisions are made to the bodywork to improve aerodynamics.
Our test car is Aston Martin Racing Green with black side mirror caps, hood vents, roof rails, and defusers. Inside, our DBX features special order black and green leather, a leather and Alcantara steering wheel, and interior carbon fiber trim, which ties into the pops of exposed carbon on the exterior. The seats are sporty but comfortable and feature heat and ventilation for both front and rear passengers. Every surface is covered with leather; in fact, the first thing most people noted when I opened the car was the fantastic leather scent that greeted them.
The infotainment system leaves little to be desired and is the only part of the interior experience that disappoints. Like the AMG-sourced V8 under the hood, the infotainment system also comes from Mercedes-Benz, but instead of the latest touchscreen tech, it features a previous-generation rotary controller and touchpad in the center console. Flanking the touchpad in the center console are a number of switches that control the exhaust valves, engine stop-start, and the driving mode selector. Like other Astons, the gear selection is done via buttons in the center of the dash.
Under the hood, the 707 is powered by the same 4.0-liter V-8 as the standard DBX. However, it gets new turbochargers, redesigned intake and exhaust systems, and, of course, a new computer to make everything work properly. The transmission is also swapped out for an AMG-sourced version that utilizes a wet clutch pack instead of a torque converter. Not only does the 707 transmission shift faster, but it also gets a launch-control function, which will put you into your seat and put a smile on your face. When starting the 707, for fun, hold either of the paddle shifters and push the start button to do a "loud start," which is a dramatic pop and growl.
The result of all this tuning is an SUV that can go from 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds, which isn't bad, but it is just slightly slower than a Bentley Bentayga Speed. But the 707 loves to run and is a joy to drive on the back roads; putting it in Sport+ and playing with the paddle shifters is the most fun I have had in an SUV on pavement, and I would love to get one out on the track. But if you find yourself getting on the highway, the DBX 707 acceleration will throw you back in your seat before settling back down into a reasonable daily driver.
The DBX 707 has five drive modes, including one off-road, done via the spinning dial on the center console. Manual mode is a lot of fun when you have a winding country road, but even in full automatic, the DBX is exciting. For backroads and around town, I would keep the 707 in Sport or Sport+; the standard setting is GT mode, which has a quieter exhaust note. During my week with the DBX, I did visit a ranch on some gravel/dirt roads and had a chance to use Terrain mode. This setting lifts the DBX by 1.8 inches, giving the DBX over 9 inches of ground clearance.
To keep it all in check, the standard carbon-ceramic brakes have massive 16.5-inch rotors in front and 15.4-inch rotors in back; ours feature yellow calipers as an option. The carbon-ceramic brakes stop on a dime, look amazing, and save 88 pounds compared to the standard cast-iron rotors on the base DBX. The DBX is a driver's car, so while it does have adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, forward-collision warning, and blind-spot monitoring. However, it does not have a hands-free driving system.
All of this power, style, and performance come at a cost, and the base price of the 2024 DBX 707 is $242,000 plus options, which our test vehicle had several, including paint, interior, carbon fiber, etc., bringing the price up with destination and delivery to a staggering $285,886.
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