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First drive: Aston Martin DBX707 2025MY. Image by Aston Martin.

First drive: Aston Martin DBX707 2025MY
The world’s fastest SUV gains a better interior, so is the monster DBX707 now the ultimate machine of its type, in all conceivable regards?

   



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Aston Martin DBX707 2025MY

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The Aston Martin DBX707, laying claim to the title of 'World's Fastest SUV', has had an interior makeover. Does that make it even more appealing than this near-200mph behemoth already was, then?

Test Car Specifications

Model: 2025 Aston Martin DBX707
Price: DBX707 from £205,000
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Transmission: nine-speed automatic, all-wheel drive with active differential
Power: 707hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm at 4,500rpm
Emissions: 323g/km
Economy: 19.9mpg
0-62mph: 3.3 seconds
Top speed: 193mph
Boot space: 638 litres
Kerb weight: 2,245kg

Styling

Visually, the DBX707 hasn't changed from its 2022 first appearance. This means it has the same profusion of vents, spats, spoilers, side skirts and visual addenda that mark it out as the 'ultimate' version of Aston's pioneering SUV... although as the regular, more aesthetically demure model is no longer available, perhaps we should have said 'only' instead of 'ultimate'. Obviously, some people find these sports-car-related styling items a bit much, but you can tone the 707's design wildness down a touch by finishing its body in a classy colour like dark blue or similar. Although some of the bright, lime greens and similar might be a mite too lurid for most palates. Nevertheless, we've always thought the DBX was one of the best-looking SUVs going and something which was clearly a member of the wider Aston Martin family, even if it was san unconventional one by the company's own high standards, so it still looks as great in 2025 as it did back in 2020 at launch.

Interior

This is where the major work on the 2025 DBX707 has been carried out, and it's a big improvement on what went before. When we first drove it five years ago, we opined that the cabin wasn't up to the standards demanded of this new, rarefied class of vehicle even then, and nothing had changed with the passenger compartment when Aston dolloped a load of extra power into the SUV's V8 for the 707 of '22 either.

But now, the DBX707 benefits from the in-house developed infotainment system from Aston itself, rather than relying on Mercedes hand-me-downs instead. Enabled with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and presented on an attractive 10.25-inch infotainment display screen, this system is leaps and bounds ahead of what the DBX had before, albeit we'd stop short of saying the new technology is class-leading. For instance, the new digital instrument cluster measures 12.3 inches (making it 1.5 inches larger than the same item in either the Vantage or DB12 models) and it's all very nice, but it's not quite as configurable or graphically advanced as some of the very best systems you'd get in rivals.

No matter; it, along with the screen, is also complemented by the sensible retention of physical switchgear. Banks of buttons run to either side and ahead of the Aston's gear selector, and not only are the climate controls situated here, but so are key switches for the suspension, ESP and exhaust, and things like lane keep assist. It makes operating the DBX707's multitude of features on the move a breeze, so despite the much-needed technological advancement of the digital displays, the ergonomics have mercifully not gone to pot as a result. Factor in lovely material finishing and a sense of hand-built classiness to everything inside the Aston's cabin, and you have to say these updates make a huge difference to how the DBX707 ought to be perceived. It's still not quite perfection inside, as there's a lack of aesthetic drama to the SUV's fascia, but overall this is a generally excellent upgrade for the 707.

Practicality

With its goliath wheelbase, low sills and wide-opening door apertures, the DBX707 has always been one of the more capacious and welcoming of big SUVs. There's certainly more than enough room for a quartet of tall adults to get comfortable sitting in the Aston Martin, while the 638-litre boot is generous too. So while we doubt anyone's primary reason for selecting the £200,000 DBX707 will be how it can accommodate flatpack furniture in its cargo area or how it copes with the rigours of a couple of toddlers sitting in the back of it on a daily basis, it's nevertheless nice to know that it can do the SUV side of things just as well as it can do the sports-car-on-stilts act. And, speaking of which...

Performance

No changes have been wrought on the Aston Martin DBX707's magnificent drivetrain as part of these updates, but then when you've got 707hp, 900Nm and a 0-62mph time of 3.3 seconds to play with, why would the company bother attempting to improve on this? There's such a thing as gilding the lily, you know. The 707's top speed of 193mph is what allows it to challenge for the title of 'World's Fastest SUV'. What's most startling about this, though, is that - if anything - the performance stats on paper don't convey how ballistically quick the Aston Martin is. Everywhere.

It's brutal for low-speed pick-up. It has a truly monster midrange. And if you dare to rev its 4.0-litre biturbo V8 right out, then not only are you treated to a truly phenomenal soundtrack from the engine and its sports exhaust system, you're also at the wheel of 2.25 tonnes of heavy metal and luxury leather that's moving at speeds which'd shame some exalted competition vehicles, never mind hypercars. Even in a world of 835hp V12 super-GTs, the 707 feels - and is - extraordinarily, bonkers-quick.

Seriously, this powertrain is majestic. The power delivery, the linearity of the throttle, the minimal lag, the way it can respond viciously from anywhere on the rev counter - this is a spectacular installation in a spectacular SUV. At no point during a test period in which we racked up more than 600 miles and 15 hours at the Aston's splendid steering wheel did we ever tire of the noise or performance offered by this drivetrain. Although an average 18.6mpg rather speaks volumes of how expensive to run the DBX707 will be, especially as many of the 614 miles it spent on test were on the motorway where it was ticking along at more like 22-23mpg. And when one 75-litre tank of Super has relieved you of £120, you soon realise just how the other half live.

Oh, and as to the nine-speed gearbox and brakes? Both as close to flawless as makes no difference. At no point did we yearn for anything more from either of them than they could already muster up, so the glittering powertrain in the DBX707 is clearly one of its (many) star attractions.

Ride & Handling

If the way the Aston Martin performs in a straight line is astounding, how it tackles a series of bends is even more breathtaking. Alongside the petrol-powered Porsche Macan, and possibly also the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, there's no other SUV on the planet that drives less like a top-heavy, high-riding machine ought to. Or, in other words, the handling of the DBX707 is just brilliant.

It has mega steering, ultra-direct and beautifully weighted, and even blessed with a healthy degree of feel, which makes positioning it on the road with millimetric accuracy a thorough delight. This is because the DBX707 has one of the most eager front ends we can remember on any road car, SUV or otherwise; if there's understeer in this chassis set-up, even in slimy and low-grip conditions, we struggled to find it on road. In fact, when the Aston nudged up to the limits of adhesion or broke traction, it did so with a pronounced rear bias, which actually makes the whole thing tail-happy rather than nose-led. Luckily, thanks to that ultra-quick steering, you can catch any of its slides smoothly and swiftly, and that involves the driver all the more in the way the 707 dissects a given stretch of road. Exceptional body and wheel control, too, to the point that the Aston SUV felt more like a very, very well-sorted AWD hot hatch more than anything. That's an incredible achievement, for something this big and heavy.

Naturally, though, with so much power on tap, you can't drive the Aston at its limits for very long (at all) on the public highways without putting your licence at no small amount of risk, so it's a joy to report that the DBX707 works equally as well for ride and refinement. The way it covers ground is always on the firmer side of things, mainly because of the forces its suspension must attempt to control in extremis during handling and also that it rides on 22-inch alloy wheels (minimum), but the general comfort levels are exceptional. There are traces of tyre roar, but the levels are never intrusive, and the Aston broadly isolates wind and drivetrain noise superbly too. So while the DBX707 is tremendous fun to fling about the place, all while sampling what that mighty V8 brings to the party, it's almost every bit as rewarding to just cruise along in it at a steady-state pace. Which is another way of saying that the Aston is supremely talented in all conceivable dynamic departments.

Value

At what point the premise of 'value' goes out of the window when you're dealing with these ultra-luxe, high-end SUVs, we're not sure. Therefore, can we genuinely lament the fact that the DBX was £158,000 when it launched in 2020, or that the 707 started from £189,000 back in '22, and yet now you'll need a minimum of £205,000 to sit your backside in one? Especially considering inflation during the past five years, or that the original DBX 'only' had 550hp and none of the chassis hardware/styling of the 707, or that this ultra model of the SUV had a sub-par interior when it landed three years ago? Or, perhaps more pertinently, that all of the Aston's primary rivals are going to be six-figure cars at the very least? No, we don't think we can.

So instead, we'll gloss over the 'two hundred grand' bit and focus on one bit of the spec that should keep audiophiles happy. As standard, the DBX707 comes with a stunning 800-watt, 14-speaker Aston Martin Premium Audio sound system from the off, complete with QuantumLogic surround processing and exceptional clarity. But if that's not enough, then you'll want the Bowers & Wilkins upgrade. This has been acoustically tuned to the DBX707's cabin volume and shape, and is a thumping 23-speaker, twin-amped, 1,600-watt surround sound banger. Thus, if you're (somehow) bored of the tunes the V8 up front can play out, this B&W set-up ought to satisfy your needs.

Verdict

A whole new breed of super-SUVs have sprung up in the past decade to challenge the Range Rover, which long had the pinnacle of 4x4-dom to itself. And there are even subsets within that clique, so there are those with an opulent, luxury bent, like the Bentley Bentayga or Rolls-Royce Cullinan. And then there are the overtly dynamic ones from sports-car manufacturers, like the Lamborghini Urus, the Maserati Levante or even top-end models of the Porsche Cayenne. Or, alternatively, well-heeled SUV fans can go for stoked-up versions of trad old off-roaders, like the Mercedes-AMG G 63 and Land Rover Defender Octa.

But while we accept there's some crossover of sub-categories from some of the above (for example, the Bentley has a strong sporting element to it, the Cayenne is pushing ever upmarket in terms of its interior finishing, and so on), do any of them blend all these desirable attributes together better than the 2025MY Aston Martin DBX707? In our opinion, no, they don't. This isn't just a contender for the title of 'World's Fastest SUV', it's also in the running to be crowned the 'Very Best' too. It's a fabulous, fabulous thing.



Matt Robinson - 15 Jan 2025



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2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.

2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.2024 Aston Martin DBX707 UK test. Image by Aston Martin.








 

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