UJI JALAN: Ulasan Aston Martin DBX707 tahun 2023

Apa itu?

The must-have for any serious sports car brand in 2023 – a super-fast SUV. The British brand’s answer to the likes of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT and Ferrari Purosangue, the DBX707 takes an already potent vehicle and makes it even more powerful and more dynamic.

READ MORE: Aston Martin DBX review

Apakah mobil ini memiliki silsilah balap?

Aston Martin has made a splash in Formula 1 in 2023, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll proving competitive in the early season running. And while success on the track would be great for the company, the reality is it needs success in the showrooms more importantly.

The DBX may be a radical departure from the GT cars Aston Martin built its reputation on, but this is the type of vehicle modern prestige buyers want. So by having the likes of Alonso and F1 in general (the DBX is the official FIA medical car at selected events) Aston Martin hopes the old adage of ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ comes true.

Apa yang ada di bawah kap mesin?

It’s largely the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine as in the ‘standard’ DBX, sourced from Mercedes-AMG but tweaked for use by Aston Martin. But for the DBX707 the Aston Martin engineers have boosted its performance significantly.

While the DBX is no slouch with 405kW of power and 700Nm of torque, the DBX707 takes it to the next level of performance with 519kW and 900Nm. That puts it well ahead of the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT and Ferrari Purosangue.

On the road it manages to remain civil and compliant at low speeds, happily to putter around in traffic. But it feels like a lion ready to pounce, because whenever you need more speed the engine responds without hesitation or mercy. Once you find yourself on the open road the DBX707 feels like it can hold its own against any sports car, not just its SUV rivals.

Don’t believe me? Well, despite being a two-tonne, five-seat SUV, the DBX707 can launch 0-100km/h in just 3.3 seconds – which is ludicrously fast.

Then there’s the noise it makes too, with a deep, menacing burble and growl that perfectly suits the nature of this type of extreme SUV.

Bagaimana cara penanganannya?

When we drove the DBX for the first time we came away pleasantly surprised by how well Aston Martin had done at its first attempt to build an SUV. After all, this was not only a major departure in terms of concept from anything the brand had done before, but was on an all-new platform so it was effectively a project started from scratch.

On the road DBX707 doesn’t feel enormously different from the standard car, with good steering, excellent grip and a firm but controlled ride. Perhaps to really feel the difference you need a racetrack, but the bottom line is the DBX707 handles itself with distinction.

One area where the ‘707 is a step above the rest of the DBX range is the stopping power, with carbon ceramic brakes as standard, complete with massive 420mm front and 390mm rear rotors.

Ke mana Anda paling ingin mengendarainya?

It may be an SUV but the obvious place to experience the DBX707 is a racetrack. And where better than Silverstone, England. Not only is it next door to Aston Martin’s F1 headquarters but the fast, flowing layout of the home of the British Grand Prix seems like the ideal venue to explore the power and handling limits of this extreme machine.

Seperti apa interiornya?

As we wrote when we tested the DBX in 2022, Aston Martin was very mindful when creating this new model that it needed to be a practical SUV just as much as it needed to stick to the brand’s performance car DNA. To that end there is room for four adults or two adults and three kids, plus a respectable 632-litre boot.

The design remains very much ‘on brand’ for Aston Martin though, with elements like the thick-rimmed steering wheel and infotainment layout feeling like they’ve largely been copied over from the Vantage.

How much does the Aston Martin DBX707 cost?

You get what you pay for these days, and with DBX starting at $356,512 you better be prepared to spend big bucks for this more potent version. The DBX707 is priced from $428,400, which puts it up against the likes of the Bentley Bentayga S, Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT and the new Lamborghini Urus Performante.

Apakah saya akan membelinya?

As great as it is, these kinds of super-premium performance SUVs ultimately leave me a little bit confused. Because, if I really wanted an Aston Martin I’d buy a Vantage or a DB11 and pick a less extreme and more practical SUV for daily duties. Sure, if you’ve got plenty of disposable income then having an Aston Martin to do the school run or shopping trips is great, but ultimately feels like overkill.