OLBIA, Sardinia – What’s the definition of a supercar? It varies from era to era, from nation to nation, and from model to model. It’s the kind of advanced query that might gas pub speak till the faucets run dry. Aston Martin’s supercars have traditionally been the low-slung two-door variety, however the British agency submitted a distinct reply by releasing the 2023 Aston Martin DBX 707. It’s an SUV that serves supercar-like energy, supercar-like acceleration, and a supercar-like worth. Does it deserve a spot on this elite group regardless of its family-friendly proportions? I traveled to the Italian Mediterranean island of Sardinia to seek out out.
On paper, the 707 is a DBX with a extra highly effective engine – that’s one approach to sum it up however it’s cruelly unfair. Dig deeper and also you’ll uncover a whole bunch of modifications made to distinguish the 2 fashions, each when it comes to design and when it comes to driving dynamics. The grille is 27% larger (it’s not simply BMW driving this practice), the aspect skirts have been redesigned, there’s a carbon fiber spoiler connected to the highest a part of the hatch, and the rear bumper is now vented. Some of the putting design cues is the rear diffuser: loosely impressed by the unit fitted to the Valkyrie, it stands proud far past the bumper and appears prepared to select a struggle with each curb that comes its means. Aston Martin informed me you may nonetheless match the 707 with a hitch, in order that’s a aid. Wait: tow? With this? Definitely! Bolt that hitch on it and you’ll pull roughly 6,000 kilos.
Whereas a few of these tweaks are purely aesthetic, others allowed Aston Martin to hone the DBX’s aerodynamic profile. Including splitters to the entrance bumper stabilizes airflow, for instance, and Sam Holgate, Aston Martin’s chief designer for mid-engined fashions and SUVs, identified that the 707 has about 5% much less carry than the common DBX.
“Primarily, that got here out from the entrance of the automobile by venting air out of the arches, however then we obtained it again with the rear spoiler, so this automobile is totally lift-neutral entrance to rear, no matter whether or not you’re touring at excessive or low speeds,” he informed me.
In a means, the 707 is a laboratory that includes among the suggestions that Aston Martin has obtained concerning the DBX since manufacturing began in 2020. Consumers needed soft-close doorways; it’s obtained them. And, there’s one enchancment that Aston Martin’s engineering staff is especially pleased with. “We redesigned the cupholders to take an even bigger number of cups,” stated Andrew Tokley, Aston Martin’s senior supervisor of car engineering. Buyer suggestions, a lot of it from American consumers instantly formed the brand new cupholders (no point out of American automobile reviewers). Scoff when you should, however they had been surprisingly ineffective earlier than.
As within the common DBX, the entire supplies that the passengers see and contact are top-notch, which you’d rightfully anticipate in a automobile that goes deep into $200,000 territory. Aston Martin actually sweated the small print: each sew is appropriately aligned and each change feels stable. Its heritage is rooted in luxurious, in any case.
The one disappointment inside – and it’s not an insignificant one – is the infotainment system. Yep, I heard you: “nobody buys an Aston Martin to get a elaborate touchscreen!” Truthful sufficient, however know-how has, for higher or worse, turn into one of many yardsticks used to measure luxurious automobiles and the DBX falls quick right here. It’s fitted with what’s basically an older Mercedes-Benz infotainment system, which means one managed by a touchpad and a dial moderately than a touchscreen. It’s cumbersome and unintuitive; the DBX deserves higher, particularly since there are some cool options and menus stuffed into the software program.
Energy comes from a twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8. It’s the acquainted eight-cylinder that Aston Martin borrowed from Mercedes-AMG to drop into a number of of its fashions, together with the common DBX, however right here it’s tuned to develop 697 horsepower at 6,000 rpm (or 707 pferdestärke – therefore the identify) and 663 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm. Fans accustomed to AMG’s V8 cookbook will acknowledge that no in-house recipe yields these numbers, and that’s as a result of it is a British recipe, not a German one.
“The Mercedes-Benz know-how switch settlement is essential for us, and this is without doubt one of the outcomes. We had been in a position to make a number of refinements to the engine. The settlement additionally offers us the leverage to be a lot faster to the market,” stated Aston Martin boss Tobias Moers. Importantly, and this isn’t a coincidence, his final job was working the very firm that designed the engine: AMG. His gravitational pull was robust sufficient to carry a couple of key folks with him to England, together with Ralph Illenberger. He’s now Aston Martin’s head of powertrain having beforehand been AMG’s head of engine growth.
Tokley defined that among the modifications made in-house embrace becoming turbochargers outfitted with ball bearings as an alternative of journal bearings. Software program and calibration tweaks entered the equation as effectively.
From the crankshaft, the V8’s cavalry reaches the 4 wheels through a nine-speed automated transmission linked to beefy shift paddles, an energetic switch case, an upsized carbon fiber driveshaft (which doesn’t have a middle bearing with the intention to save weight), and an digital limited-slip rear differential with a remaining drive ratio that’s 7% shorter than the usual DBX’s. Hitting 60 mph from a cease consequently takes 3.1 seconds, a quantity that turns into much more spectacular whenever you consider the 4,940-pound mass that the engine must lug round. The nine-speed automated retains up with the tempo by delivering fast, crisp shifts, both by itself or manually. The shift paddles are even bigger than these within the common DBX, and are manufactured from carbon fiber moderately than steel.
Aston Martin permits you to select how loudly the DBX 707 involves life. For the usual exhaust notice, merely push the “engine begin/cease” button positioned on the dashboard, between the buttons used to place the transmission in gear. To show it up, which I extremely advocate, hold the left shift paddle pulled as you push the ignition button. The distinction in decibels is perceptible, each inside and outside. The V8’s tune is value turning down the audio system for, and Aston Martin spent a substantial amount of time fine-tuning it. Moers, a person whose love of great-sounding engines is effectively documented, personally weighed in on it.
Until you’re a present Aston Martin proprietor, the model’s long-standing automated shifter location takes a little bit little bit of time to get used to; your hand instinctively reaches for the middle console. However, when you’re off, you’re off. The DBX’s acceleration is almost instantaneous, which is shocking as a result of the engine’s full horsepower and torque outputs aren’t obtainable till 6,000 and 4,500 rpm, respectively. There’s a lot of each beneath your proper foot that the engine curve issues far lower than it does in a automobile with, say, 150 horsepower. At full throttle, the DBX delivers the kind of gut-twisting acceleration related to a supercar. Strive launch management as soon as, and I’ll guess the price of my take a look at automobile’s elective 23-inch wheels (that’s $5,100, by the way in which) that you just’ll instantly cease to do it once more.
The chassis enhancements got here to life on twisty Sardinian roads. This isn’t a light-weight automobile, and it by no means seems like one, however dialing in a 52% entrance and 48% rear weight distribution ensures it’s not as front-heavy as you’d anticipate. It’s fairly effectively balanced, particularly contemplating the phase that it competes in. The air suspension and 48-volt anti-roll management hold physique motions in test, and the huge tires unlock a reassuring (and virtually supernatural!) stage of grip. Bend after bend, the DBX 707 delights with exact, well-weighted steering … till I come out of a pointy right-hander, foot half-buried within the throttle, and notice I’m barreling in the direction of a gaggle of goats chilling in the course of the street. That’s the place the usual carbon ceramic braking system is available in. Relaxation assured: the DBX handed the goat avoidance take a look at with flying colours.
On straighter, sooner roads the place the percentages of encountering cheese-producing livestock are decrease, the DBX 707 is a pleasing and cozy automobile to cruise in. Just like the common DBX, really, the 707’s wild aspect is entertaining, however it is aware of how you can be calm when the event requires it. It’s additionally quiet thanks partially to remarkably thick home windows. Solely the V8’s tune permeates the cabin. A few of it comes from the audio system, although Tokley stresses that the precise exhaust notice is being piped via moderately than a faux sound emitted by a synthesizer. For the braver souls amongst us, there’s an off-road mode that will increase the bottom clearance.
Due out within the second quarter of 2022, the 2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 begins at $239,086 together with an enormous $3,086 vacation spot cost, and the $300,000 threshold is effortlessly reached whenever you start ticking choice containers – my tester price $291,586. At this stage, what are you actually cross-shopping the DBX 707 with? Any of the opposite household haulers that price almost 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 {dollars}, certain, however you could possibly additionally get a used Cessna or purchase a cabin in a picturesque a part of the Alps and a four-wheel-drive Dacia Duster to get there. That’s the purpose: the center crushes the mind on this equation. Nobody wants a 697-horsepower SUV, however the acceleration, the sound, the design, and the luxurious make you need one. Forged on this mild, floor clearance and seat rely be damned: the DBX 707 is a contemporary supercar.
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