2024 Aston Martin DB12 Black Coupe($245,000) - Interior, Exterior and Drive(Powerful Coupe)
0The 2023 Aston Martin DBX707 represents "a new level for the brand." So said Andrew Tokley, senior manager of vehicle engineering, the morning journalists gathered in advance of being turned loose upon the unsuspecting denizens of Sardinia, Italy, in the storied brand's new 697-hp SUV. We were crammed around two video monitors as Andrew and Aston CEO Tobias Moers explained what it took to transform the "regular" 550-hp DBX into the veritable monster that some of us had traveled more than 24 hours to drive. But thoughts drifted back to the previous evening's dinner at the fantastic Hotel Cala di Volpe, where I happened to be seated across from Tokley, who introduced himself as Andy. I asked Andy how much of the DBX707 can be traced to the fact that Moers is now running the Aston show. Andy smiled and nodded.
"We protected the platform from the beginning for a high-horsepower offering," he said. "But Tobias got us to turn it from nine up to eleven." That quote alone was worth a seven-hour layover in Rome. To tie it back to Andy's opening statement, the DBX707 represents what Aston Martin now stands for: beautiful machines with ultra-luxurious innards that offer "class-leading performance." That last quote is from the man himself, AMG's ex-CEO Moers, who was brought into the Aston fold by billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll to—once again—save the company from the ever-looming maw of bankruptcy. Before Moers' arrival, it was hard to explicitly state what Aston precisely stood for beyond pretty cars. Cynics could and will argue that Stroll bought the storied British brand simply so his son could go F1 racing, but Moers is taking the opportunity and riding the gift horse straight down the throats of the competition. He's doing the one thing he knows how to do in this business: make mean machines that beat up all comers.
SEE ALL 36 PHOTOS
The Benchmarks
To wit, the DBX707. You can tell a lot about a vehicle by learning what vehicles were chosen by the development team as benchmarks. When I first drove the Lamborghini Urus prototype, that company's then vice president of R&D Maurizio Reggiani asked me what my favorite high-powered SUV was. At the time I thought the best of the breed was the second-generation BMW X6 M. He smiled and widened his eyes. "That's what we thought, too." He then let me drive an X6 M around the Nardo handling circuit to see all the ways Lambo had bested M's ridiculous and ridiculously talented product. And bested it Lambo had. Similarly, Aston benchmarked the Urus, as well as the physics-defying Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT. The latter much more so, as Aston felt the Porsche had superior handling dynamics, though the Urus provided the yardstick in terms of acceleration.
The Aston's thrust comes courtesy of the most powerful version ever of the AMG-sourced M177 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, which pumps out 697 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 664 lb-ft of torque at a fairly low 2,600 rpm. Yeah, the SUV is called the 707 because it makes 707 metric horsepower, or PS, which is 697 ponies to you and me. The fascinating part is that the DBX707's iteration of the M177 makes more power than any AMG version. Yes, the power-mad GT Black Series engine cranks out 720 hp, but that's the M178, a dry-sumped, flat-plane variant.
Remember that when the regular DBX launched, it made "just" 550 hp, and yet the same engine in the less expensive GLE63 spun out 602, never mind the GT63's 627. How did Moers get Mercedes-AMG to agree to let the most potent M177 live inside an Aston Martin? No clue. The result is that the DBX707 now produces more power than anything in its class, beating the 641-hp Urus and possibly even the as-yet-undetailed refreshed Urus, which is likely to include an Evo version with about 680 hp. Moers' secret weapon is a man named Ralph Illenberger, who worked with Moers for 16 of the latter's 26 years at AMG. Illenberger is now the head of powertrains at Aston Martin. "Ralph knows how to get the most from this engine," Moers said with a twinkle in his eye.
While not always true, I tend to feel the best-driving vehicles have a personality attached to them. What would a Porsche GT product be without Andy Preuninger's guiding hand? Or a Lamborghini not infused with Reggiani's room-illuminating smile? We're getting ready to ask this very question of Mercedes-AMG, as the GT Black Series is the last car Moers signed off on. As for Aston Martin, if the DBX707 is any indicator
aston martin, aston martin dbx, aston martin dbx review, aston martin suv, aston martin dbx 707, new aston martin dbx, aston martin dbx suv, aston martin dbx 2021, aston martin dbx sound, aston martin dbx 707 review, aston martin dbx707, new aston martin suv, new aston martin dbx 707, aston martin dbx price, 2023 aston martin dbx707, aston martin dbx vs, 2022 aston martin dbx, 2021 aston martin dbx, aston martin 707, car review, new aston martin, aston martin review