2023 Aston Martin DBX707 has a clunky name but a lot more performance – Roadshow

The Aston Martin DBX is one of our favorite high-end SUVs, blending the right amount of luxury and performance and delivering that intangible Aston feel. But the team at Gaydon decided the power was not enough, as the British brand revealed the strangely named DBX707 variant of its crossover on Tuesday.

Named for its new power figure in PS, a tactic also used by Lamborghini to less funny effect, the DBX707 takes the regular DBX’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and turns things up a couple notches. The AMG-derived engine has new turbos and unique calibration and tuning, resulting in a total output of 697 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque, increases of 155 hp and 147 lb-ft over the standard car. That makes the DBX707 more powerful than any Mercedes using the engine, save for the AMG GT Black Series that has a flat-plane crank.

The upgraded engine is paired with a new 9-speed wet-clutch automatic transmission that replaces the normal DBX’s 9-speed auto, which Aston says was needed to handle the DBX707’s higher torque. It also provides quicker and more aggressive shifts according to Aston, and hopefully it’ll also be smoother than the old torque-converter transmission. Aston says the DBX707 will hit 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, nearly a second and a half quicker than the standard DBX.

Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard fitment and a first for the DBX, with 6-piston calipers and the rotors measuring a huge 16.5 inches up front and 15.4 inches at the rear. Aston says the new brakes save 89 pounds, and the booster is retuned for better pedal feel, another criticism levied at the standard DBX. Twenty-two-inch wheels are standard while 23s are optional, all of which come with Pirelli P Zero summer tires. The DBX707 also has a revised electronic limited-slip rear differential with a shorter final drive, new damper valves and tuning for the adaptive air suspension, an updated 48-volt anti-roll system and revised electric power steering with better feel. CEO Tobias Moers says Aston will be going after the Nürburgring’s SUV record with the DBX707, which is currently held by the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.

Aston couldn’t just give the DBX more power without making it look like it has more power, so the DBX707 has a number of styling changes. The front end has an even-bigger grille flanked by new air intakes with LED running lights that improve cooling, different hood vents, a new lip spoiler at the top of the hatch and an awesome redesigned diffuser with quad exhaust tips and more vents. The DBX707 also gets lots of gloss black and satin chrome accents, but carbon-fiber exterior trim is obviously optional.

While the DBX707 sadly doesn’t feature a new infotainment system or even a touchscreen — Aston says a brand-specific infotainment overhaul will come with the DBX’s facelift in a few years — there are some nice changes to the interior as well. It has a redesigned center console with a drive mode dial, so the driver no longer has to sift through the screen to change modes, as well as buttons for functions like the active exhaust, transmission, standard 360 camera, air suspension and start/stop system. The DBX707 also gets 16-way sport seats, lots of optional Alcantara upholstery, new color schemes and available trim finishes, and dark chrome switchgear.

The DBX707 will go on sale alongside the standard DBX in the second quarter of 2022. It’ll start at $232,000 not including destination, about $70k more expensive than the normal SUV. Aston says it could make up as much of 60% of total DBX sales — at least until the plug-in-hybrid model comes out in a few years.