Touted as “world’s most powerful luxury SUV,” the DBX707 is Aston Martin’s spicy take on the sport utility vehicle. It costs $239,086 before options but the one we tested last year carried an eye-watering asking price of $291,386. We’ve established that it’s expensive, and this video shows it’s also immensely quick (acceleration) and fast (top speed). Shot on an unrestricted section of the Autobahn, the footage depicts an SUV impersonating a sports car.
The German highway was the perfect location to put those 697 horses to the test and let the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine developed by AMG stretch its legs. With 664 pound-feet of torque, the DBX707 is a real beast but also quite thirsty. Near the end of the video, we can see the digital instrument cluster shows the average fuel consumption reaching 28.1 liters / 100 km at one point. That works out to a measly 8.3 miles per gallon.
It needed just three and a half seconds to go from 0 to 62 mph but the folks from Gaydon say their ultimate SUV can go even quicker, in only 3.3 seconds (or 3.1 seconds for 0 to 60 mph). Flat out, the DBX707 reached 188 mph, which is slightly lower than the 193-mph velocity advertised by Aston Martin. It remained perfectly stable even at the top where few owners will ever take it. And yes, the windshield wipers still work at nearly 190 mph.
The DBX707 not only borrows the engine from Affalterbach, but also the nine-speed automatic transmission with its wet clutch. It enables an improved launch control system that was put to good use in this all-out test drive. When time came to slow down, the speedy SUV made use of its carbon-ceramic brakes supplied as standard equipment with massive 420-mm front and 390-mm rear discs hugged by six-piston calipers.
Lest we forget the DBX707 has an all-wheel-drive system with variable torque distribution, capable of sending the full 664 lb-ft to the rear axle. It also boasts an electronic limited slip rear differential able to cope with the immense torque. Customers can get the mighty SUV with 22-inch standard wheels or spend more on an optional 23-inch set featuring larger-diameter tires to sharpen up steering.
