In the name of “power and luxury”, Aston Martin DBX 707 was tested overseas

Bitauto original? Time has passed, and ultra-luxury brands are now more than just supercars. SUV models with the pedigree of top sports cars are not new. As a long-established super GT sports car manufacturer, Aston Martin was even late in launching its first SUV model, DBX. However, it is obvious that they have great ambitions.

After the V8 basic version, a 6-cylinder version with a lower threshold was quickly launched, hoping to capture a larger market at a lower price. At the same time, the top high-performance version was launched: DBX?707, as the flagship, proving the strength of the brand.

The new DBX? 707 is extremely sporty in appearance, but at the same time it still retains the unique elegance of the British ultra-luxury brand. No detail will make people feel that it is too hard. Moreover, I am also very confident about the slogan of DBX?707: "the world's most powerful, luxury SUV".

Compared with the regular version of the V8 model, the biggest change in appearance is that the front face and bumper have been newly designed. Aston Martin’s most classic big mouth shape has been designed to be more prominent on the DBX?707 Large, the daytime running lights have also been changed from the original ring shape to a simple short horizontal line shape.

On the one hand, this change functionally increases the efficiency of engine air intake and cooling. On the other hand, it also makes the relatively low body visually wider. Compared with ordinary DBX V8 models, , more impactful.

As a large SUV, DBX is relatively very low in height. It does not look like the typical tall and imposing shape of this type of vehicle. Instead, it has a full sports car feel, and the side of the body is more like a crossover. car.

In particular, this test car has upgraded the standard 22-inch wheels to more exaggerated 23-inch wheels, and paired with a small wide-body design with a double-layer structure added to the rear of the side skirts, further Enhanced sports car visual effects. Brakes come standard with 420/390mm carbon ceramic brakes and front 6-piston calipers.

The biggest change at the rear of the car is the addition of a small carbon fiber rear wing above and the addition of a double-layer diffuser structure below that echoes the taillights. In particular, the size of the lower diffuser is very exaggerated, both in terms of visual effects and actual contribution to aerodynamics. At the same time, the exhaust becomes a design with four outlets on both sides.

The size of the trunk is quite satisfactory for its class. The buttons for controlling the height of the rear axle and folding down the second-row seats are on the left and right sides of the trunk. Naturally, the spare tire and vehicle are under the bottom cover. tool.

Of course, as an advanced model of DBX, after receiving feedback from consumers around the world, the DBX?707 version of the DBX model finally supports the function of electric suction doors. Aston Martin’s classic 12-degree Naturally, the rising door opening method will not be absent either.

The most important changes in the car are concentrated in the hollow control area. The original layout of 5 control buttons on each side has been changed to 4 on each side. At the same time, the position of the small storage space at the front has been changed to a huge driving mode selection knob, with buttons for adjusting the suspension and electronic systems on both sides.

It is worth mentioning that the DBX?707 supports the complete shutdown of the electronic assistance system, which is also a very radical solution for contemporary models. From the side, it can be seen that Aston Martin is very interested in the performance of this machine. Confidence in the mechanical quality of the flagship itself.

Interior carbon fiber trim panels are available as an option, and the seats support the free replacement of standard sports seats with comfortable seats. Both seats come standard with 16-way electric adjustment and heating functions. .

As the top model of a super luxury brand, customization services will naturally not be absent. Q?by?Aston?Martin customization service can provide meticulous and personalized options to make your DBX unique. Exclusive car.

Speaking of the most powerful in the advertising slogan, let’s take a look at the paper data of this car. The DBX?707 is by no means a mere name. It is also a V8 twin-turbocharged engine from AMG. Stan Martin engineers re-tuned the turbine, and the maximum power reached 707 horsepower, which is also the origin of the car's name 707.

With a maximum torque of 900 Nm and a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.3 seconds, at least on paper, the DBX?707 surpasses all competitors in the same level.

Coupled with a carbon fiber drive shaft, a four-wheel drive system that can transmit 100% of the power to the rear wheels, a carbon fiber drive shaft, a wider wheelbase, and a rear axle electronic multi-plate clutch limited-slip differential The blessing of the device provides a strong guarantee for track performance.

Although Aston Martin has not disclosed any lap times of the DBX?707, they also stated that they may challenge the throne of the fastest SUV on the Nürburgring Nordschleife at the right time. More comprehensive Prove its "most powerful" positioning. ?

Start the engine. As a V8 model, the starting sound is naturally the most ritualistic part before starting to drive. What is usually called the normal or comfortable driving mode on other models is directly named GT mode on the DBX, which shows Aston Martin's history of manufacturing super GT sports cars.

In this mode, the body height is the same as the regular version of DBX. Compared with other models of the same level, the most obvious feature of DBX?707 in GT mode is that it does not compromise too much on comfort. On the contrary, it is easy to find out once you get started that this is a completely different suitability from a family SUV. A model for sporty driving.

The steering feel is heavy and the righting torque is also large. The feedback and directivity of the front of the car are almost as good as those in the sports mode of other models. The chassis support is sufficient and the road information is fully retained. But at the same time, as a super luxury model, the texture of the entire chassis is still very good. Such chassis adjustment is impossible to achieve on ordinary models.

Driving on a winding mountain road, relying on the powerful power and sporty style, just using the GT mode can already meet the needs of slightly faster mountain road driving. The gearbox used by DBX?707 is rather special. The gearbox body is an automatic gearbox with a planetary gear structure, but the power is transmitted through a wet clutch instead of the hydraulic torque converter common in general AT gearboxes.

The biggest benefit of this is obviously to increase the efficiency of power transmission. When you step on the accelerator, there will be no slight inconsistency between the speed change and the vehicle speed change that only occurs in ordinary AT gearboxes. Even in GT mode, the gear shifting speed is very fast, and the gear shifting logic is also very smart when running on hills.

The economical performance of this gearbox is also very good. It can already use 9th gear cruising at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. It can be imagined that its fuel consumption performance should be very good when driving at high speeds.

However, in terms of ride comfort, this solution is obviously not perfect. Small gear shifting delays can still be felt quite clearly. But since it is a performance flagship, GT mode is obviously not the focus of today’s test drive, and it can only be experienced initially on mountain roads. After switching to Sport+ mode, the most obvious change is the exhaust sound. The rich exhaust sound of the V8 can be heard at lower speeds.

When the speed increases, the timbre of the sound will change significantly, and the unique metallic texture of the exhaust sound of Aston Martin models will appear. The steering feel is tighter, and the response speed has reached the best level among models of the same class. The front of the car does not drag at all, and there is no phenomenon like that of a household SUV where the front of the car sinks first and then makes a steering action.

What I like even more is that the state of the front wheel of this car is very easy to grasp. As the cornering speed becomes faster and faster, you can clearly feel the process of the front wheel from being comfortable to approaching the limit. , On a sports car, this is a must, but when this feeling appears on an SUV model that is more than 5 meters long, it really makes my eyes shine. This is also a major advantage for sports car brands in manufacturing SUV models: the accumulation of history allows them to know what good driving and handling are like, and now they just need to realize it on another model.

In terms of power, in fact, there is no chance for this most powerful engine in its class to truly display its strength on such a mountain road. On the rare road sections where I could accelerate with a large throttle, its power did not disappoint me. But please be careful when driving like this. A two-ton performance beast rushing forward at such acceleration will feel much more exciting than ordinary high-performance cars.

The feeling of the large-sized carbon ceramic brake is not instant, but a relatively subtle change.

For an SUV of this size, more sensitive brakes can give the driver greater confidence, but being too sensitive can make daily driving difficult. This balance is indeed difficult to strike. But the absolute braking force, at least on mountain roads, is nothing to worry about.

The initial experience gave me relatively strong confidence in the performance of this car on the track. But the only thing that makes me slightly confused is the tires of this car. The standard P0 tires are a specially upgraded formula for this car in cooperation with Pirelli, and do not support the option of higher-level tires. The strongest rival in the same level, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, comes standard with the more semi-hot-melt P0 Corsa.

Aston Martin is very confident in this set of exclusive upgraded tires, but my driving experience is that the intensity of mountain road driving is not enough to allow this set of tires to reach the highest performance temperature. In this situation where the semi-hot-melt properties of tires are relatively unable to be used, the absolute limit of this set of tires is not that high, and I can find it relatively easily. Sooner or later, the electronic stability program will intervene aggressively but gently.

I cannot deduce whether this set of specially formulated tires will perform better after it reaches a more suitable temperature on the track, but I still know the strength of the P0 Corsa relatively well. Therefore, if Aston Martin wants to use this set of tires to create lap times in the future, the pressure from the tires may be the greatest.

Generally speaking, compared with previous Aston Martin models, including super GT sports cars, the biggest change of this 707 is that when driving, it will give the driver a sense of joy and make him more willing to drive. Faster feedback, which is very valuable in SUV models.

In the past, even for super GT sports cars with powerful power, Aston Martin’s feedback was more that it hoped that drivers would restrain the urge to drive intensely and devote part of their energy to driving. While enjoying the beautiful scenery around you. This change in style is what touches me the most about this car.