Aston Martin Unveils the World’s Fastest SUV | Architectural Digest – Architectural Digest
On February 1, Aston Martin unveiled the quickest and most powerful ultra-luxury SUV in the world. Based on the brand’s lovely DBX, the DBX 707 sports nearly 700 horsepower, besting rivals such as the Rolls-Royce Cullinan (600 hp), Bentley Bentayga Speed (626 hp), and Lamborghini Urus (641 hp).
All of these galloping ponies arrive courtesy of a newly massaged version of Aston’s mellifluous 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 engine, which has been extensively re-tuned to produce over 25% more power than in its base trim. The engine itself is derived from a design from Mercedes-AMG, and it is good enough to power that brand’s all-new SL roadster.
The SUV can jump from 0–60 m.p.h. in just 3.1 seconds.
Putting this power to all four wheels via an all-new 9-speed “wet clutch” transmission, the DBX 707 is able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds. This record bests the competition as well.
Of course, in order to handle all of this power, the 707 also receives significant upgrades to its braking, suspension, and handling—including standard Formula One–derived carbon ceramic brakes—which should make what we consider the best-handling luxury SUV even better.
The SUV features beautiful, traffic-stopping 23" wheels.
And to add show to the go, the already gorgeous DBX includes a more aggressive treatment of its body, incorporating satin gloss trim, a huge quad-outlet exhaust pipes, a larger iteration of Aston Martin’s signature hill-climb grille, and gigantic 23" wheels. All of this comes at a price, of course. The DBX 707 starts at $232,000. Though this slots it nicely between the Bentley ($250,000) and the Lamborghini ($225,000), it’s well below the Rolls ($336,000).
The interior of the new SUV is as sleek and sporty as its exterior.
As this demonstrates, Aston continues to push the envelope in the development of its gasoline-powered engines. But what does this focus on carbon-powered vehicles mean? At a time when its competitors are promising a shift to electrification, Aston’s own battery-powered projects appear to have stalled.
“We set out a strategy for electrification, and it will focus first on performance-orientation. So, not a long-range hybrid. A performance-oriented hybrid, with two electric motors,” Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers said in an interview. “So, hybridization is the next step to go, and officially, we talk about 2025 as when we are going to launch our first pure electric drive vehicle.”
Aston is excited about this path. “It’s the path to go. And we have to figure out how to bring the philosophy of our brand into the future of electric drive, but I’m not so scared about that,” Moers said. “We have a lot of attributes we can keep in the cars. Driving dynamics, the sense of personalization. So, it’s merging together ultra-luxury with electric drive.”
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