THE VERY ORANGE AND VERY FAST NEW ASTON DBX707 GETS A BRAND NEW INTERIOR
This is the brand new Aston Martin DBX, and at first glance it appears not much has changed. And you’d be right.
For it features the same Mercedes-AMG sourced 4.0-litre V8, developing the same 697bhp (707PS, hence the name) and 663lb ft of torque as before. Tops out at the same 193mph. OK fine, it’s two tenths faster to 60mph now, taking just 3.1s vs the old car’s 3.3s.
But it looks the same, if a little more… orange. So what, you cry, has Aston Martin done to this power-crazed four-wheel-drive manor house? Well, step through the doors and enter…
… a world of yet more orange, and a completely overhauled interior. Take a moment to ingest all the details and architecture, because this now looks like a proper Aston Martin cabin.
Where the old DBX’s interior was a touchscreen-free, somewhat awkwardly designed throne room, this new car is a modern revelation. Taking inspiration from the revitalised DB12 and Vantage, the new DBX gets a much cleaner design.
There’s a new steering wheel. A more cohesive centre console layout, which at its heart now features an actual touchscreen. The air vents are slimmer. There’s a slab of physical buttonry further below including important things like suspension modes, PDC and the shouty exhaust. Oh, and the gear lever of course.
About that touchscreen. There are two: one for the driver and one for the middle. The former’s bigger than the one in the DB12 and Vantage, measuring 12.3in, while the latter is 10.25in and both are Aston’s own ‘Pure Black’ tech (not Merc’s), with “capacitive single and multi-finger gesture control”.
Naturally Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and many USBs are bundled in too, while there’s a more advanced version of Aston’s driver assistance system.
Aston says it’s improved every single area of the cabin, with a little help from alternating chrome and ‘contemporary’ veneers around the cabin. There are even new door release handles and a standard-fit 14-speaker sound system. A Bowers & Wilkins system is an option, transforming this 697bhp manor house into a countryside rave.
Speaking of raves, though the powertrain and nine-speed auto remain as before, Aston’s tweaked the calibration of the active dampers and air springs, resulting in “improvement in response precision and driver confidence”. The old DBX707 was already a hoot.
There are five new paint options for the body to choose from – black, yellow, and many greens – along with two new wheel finishes, new door handles (which power outwards when unlocked), and a new wing mirror design.
There’s also something else that’s new. “Such is the overwhelming popularity of the DBX707 that it now becomes the marque’s single powertrain in the portfolio,” Aston said. Which means: the entry-level 542bhp V8 car is no more, and this 697bhp range-topper is the only Aston Martin DBX you can now buy. Prices start from £205,000.
So on second glance, it appears quite a lot has changed…