Aston Martin DBX 707

Before the British carmaker entered the SUV segment with the base DBX, every other high-performance SUV was first developed as a mainstream family cruiser, before having an assemblage of high performance, high technology parts bolted on to overcome any dynamic restrictions of the platform. Wisely, Aston Martin went a different route, developing the DBX platform from scratch as a high-performance SUV from the outset.

The chassis is pure class, with double wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear. Remarkably the DBX has less roll than the smaller, sportier Vantage coupe. That distinctly focused core delivers character and exclusivity in a same-same feeling segment, but importantly it has given Aston a much higher performance ceiling to work with. And thus, here we have the DBX 707.

And yes, at 707 metric horsepower and 900Nm of torque, the DBX 707 is at the top of the tree. There is no more powerful SUV produced currently and anything even remotely close. No one can replicate that baked-in dynamism you get when you develop with performance first from the ground up.

And looking to the electrified future, this highly tuned version of Aston’s 4.0-litre twin turbocharged V8 – the most potent derivative of the engine to date – is going to be somewhat of a phenomenon too. It’s an SUV that, for a brief window in time, marries dedicated performance SUV chassis development and octane in a way that we might not ever see again.

The DBX 707 represents a huge step up from the standard DBX, with over 150 more horsepower coaxed from the engine with larger turbos and increased fueling, combined with shorter final drive gearing that’s good for 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 310km/h. Those figures spoil the party for the Lamborghini Urus as the previous fastest production SUV available.

Opening the taps on a long straight, the exhaust note makes the hairs on the back of your neck bristle, an intense baritone cacophony like Thor gargling fencing staples. The mass of the vehicle takes a moment to launch, but as the speedo needle climbs and you get pushed back further into your sports seat, you click gear after gear on the 9-speed wet clutch transmission (unique to the DBX 707), it just wants to keep pulling right to that terminal velocity.

Because the DBX baseline is so capable already, Aston Martin’s engineers didn’t have to work too hard to extract that bit extra from the 707. All the suspension bushings are stiffer to deliver a more communicative and immediate experience and the 48 volt active anti roll bars and adaptive dampers have been remapped for even greater control over what is undeniably substantial mass.

But with all the power on hand, and that sharper, more responsive suspension, you can play with the DBX 707, in ways that belie its size. Cornering is precise and even initiating oversteer feels predictable and composed; it’s notably lither than any other large performance SUV.

And as one would expect from a $390,000 vehicle, the cabin is appointed beautifully. Our test car was optioned with flourishes of meticulously crafted carbon fibre that interact tastefully with acres of stitched leather. The center console has been designed to provide you with instant access to the car’s most important functions, including revised drive modes, manual gearbox mode, suspension control and even Active Exhaust Control allowing you to pass quietly by, or give full voice to that V8 soundtrack.

Don’t misconstrue Aston’s objectives to create the fastest, the most powerful and the best handling SUV in the world as an exercise in ostentation. The marque hasn’t started with a platform-shared, Labrador-carting family vehicle and just bolted bits on. Instead, the performance criterions achieved are logical expressions from an eminently capable, sports utility vehicle. The ultimate SUV. Long may it last.