Barnstorming new Aston Martin DBX707 sees a slew of mods to the 4WD original

I THOUGHT the only thing Aston Martin’s first SUV needed to improve upon was being made Apple CarPlay compatible.

Because that was, frankly, the ONLY thing missing from the superlative DBX.

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And while I was right, Aston Martin have evidently also proved me wrong with the DBX707.

This barnstorming new model sees a slew of modifications to the rock-solid, four-wheel-driven, original DBX ­– and all of them are guaranteed to leave you shaken and stirred. 

Proudly made in Wales, this fire-breathing beast needs no QR code to prove it has had its booster jab.

Forget the Lamborghini Urus. This is now the fastest and most powerful luxury SUV in the world. Until BMW and Ferrari join the party, anyway.

The 707 in its name is not a dyslexic James Bond reference but the number of horses the radically revised 4-litre V8 can thump out.

That’s a shocking 157 more than what is now known as the “base” DBX is. And, if you’re talking torque, that too has duly shot up some 200Nm to an eye-watering, Top Trump-trumping 900Nm.

No one could possibly need this. But it’s so natural to want it.

Cancel culture

And it’s as non-PC as it gets with not the slightest ecological concession or vegan nod in its carbon-based expulsion or its unapologetically genuine semi-aniline leather-loaded interior.

But, my word, it makes you unashamedly happy to both inhabit and handle this 2.3-ton behemoth that’s as lithe as a viper yet as wide, or wider, than a rhino.

If that’s not a feat of utter mechanical mastery then you’re just plainly denying yourself the pleasures of an actual automotive work of art.

Let’s be honest, the cancel culture just won’t stand for this kind of flagrant disobedience for much longer – so drink up.

And while this might sound a tad niche perhaps in the grand scheme of things, Aston Martin anticipates this primo offering to take more than 60 per cent of DBX sales.

And the DBX is its most popular model to date with the standard £157k five-seater SUV having shifted some 3,000 last year.

But it’s not just feverishly hot pace the British boffins have added in the mix here.

Its handling has been shamelessly skewed towards the dynamic with no evident compromise on its road-going compliancy with marked suspension, downforce, anti-roll and steering mods having occurred.

The 707 also stops much more effectively, and appropriately, with a set of mahoosive carbon-ceramic brakes fitted on its 22in rims as standard.

Plus there’s a wet dream of a new nine-speed wet clutch autobox that also swaps those cogs more efficiently than ever to make you look legendary even if you’re sub-Bond in your driving skills.

And the new “Race Start” launch control mode only underlines the obscene power delivery further still. 

It looks different too.

The grille has grown and is complemented by sculpted side skirts, new air intakes, a not inconsiderable front splitter and one redesigned quadruple exhaust housing rear diffuser to rule them all. 

While it still uses the aged Mercedes-sourced infotainment system, it does finally have Apple CarPlay, yet still does not have an actual touchscreen. 

That needs fixing.

However, toggling through the many drive modes from all-terrain to GT and Sport+ (with a few in between) is now a shortcut via a more intuitive rotary knob.

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What Aston Martin has done with what was simply exceptional in the first place is a thing to behold and, ecologically aside, be genuinely proud of.

You could say, once more, British is best.

KEY FACTS: ASTON MARTIN DBX707

• Price: £190,000
• Engine: 4-litre V8 petrol
• Power: 707hp, 900Nm
• 0-60mph: 3.1 secs
• Top speed: 193mph
• Economy: 19mpg
• C02: 323g/km
• Out: Now