While it’s fair to say that Aston Martin’s first SUV doesn’t lack in the performance department, it has none on the new high-performance DBX707. This is how it was created.
When a luxury performance brand like Aston Martin decides to go all out for a faster version of its first SUV, it doesn’t worry about a little more here and a little more there.
Bragging rights mean a lot to big money buyers in this rare space, and Aston Martin has delivered the DBX707 in a good and real way, by creating the world’s fastest and most powerful luxury SUV. .
How do you turn an unassuming Aston Martin DBX into the fastest luxury SUV on the planet?
According to Andy Tokely, senior vehicle engineering director at Aston Martin, it starts with the engine.
“The first big gain we’ve seen with the DBX707 is in the car’s vertical performance and straight-line acceleration with increased power and torque to 707bhp and 900Nm respectively.”
The result is a “top 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.3 seconds (using the new launch function), while 0-160km/h takes just 7.4 seconds. It can also run a quarter mile in 11.4 seconds.”
We also asked Mr Tokely how Aston was able to exploit the dramatic increase in power and torque (115kW and 200Nm) over the standard DBX, using the same twin-turbo V8 powertrain 4.0 liters are sourced from Mercedes-AMG.
“We modified the turbochargers by increasing the size and converting from magazine to ball bearings, which means they can spin faster and instantly thanks to less friction and responsiveness. better transients without sacrificing low-end performance while maintaining top quality momentum,” he said.
Another key factor in the DBX707’s increased performance on a straight line is the nine-speed wet-clutch transmission, which cuts shift times by 40% and allows for controlled launch.
“Faster gearshift times are crucial to the DBX707’s performance boost, while still allowing smooth shifts through recalibrating our transmission software,” he said. he said.
Tokely explains, the electric power steering system (EPAS) has also been modified on the DBX707 to respond and feel through the steering wheel faster and more accurately.
“We have worked quite hard on the steering in the DBX707 by increasing the lateral stiffness of the front axle to about 9% through the addition of a new absolute panel at the bottom of the front subframe, and also Attach the front subframe to the bodywork. structure,” he explains.
“We wanted more front-end agility for the DBX707 and a more linear steering feel off-center and sharper immediate response when turning, which is exactly what we achieved. okay with the car.”
Suspension and body control are another area under the microscope in Aston’s super SUV with a complete rework of the dampers and springs, though keeping the three-chamber air suspension intact. of DBX.
“From a body control point of view”, Aston Martin has “completely modified the inner contour of the dampers” to “completely control compression and rebound using a modified calibration,” he explains. “. That, in turn, is designed to create “more immediacy when the driver switches from the default GT to the more powerful Sport+ mode”.
“What we don’t want to do is create unnecessary loss of vehicle between different modes, because we still want a comfortable level of compliance built into the suspension right away,” said Tokely. even in its harshest environments.
“It goes back to the fact that for the DBX707 we didn’t want an artificial separation between the powertrain modes, because quite frankly, Sport+ need not be offensive. But as soon as you swerve and need the car to act horizontally, it works a lot faster in Sport+ as well as in GT mode. ”
Side trip control is another factor that changed during the transition from DBX to DBX707. The bracket on the top of the damper has been hardened to better handle the higher loads it is subjected to, allowing the damper itself to operate more precisely.
The dampers themselves are the same Bilstein style used in the regular DBX, but the mounts have been completely modified.
“We have also changed the longitudinal bushings on the front suspension by switching from Elastamer bushings to Hydra bushings,” said Mr. Tokely.
“When you do a crash in the DBX707, you get a single controlled movement of the wheel as opposed to the possibility of wheel wobbling due to greater damping in the water-filled bushings.”
The DBX707 also utilizes the same sized swingarms as the standard DBX thanks to an electrically active roll control system that enables torque loads of up to 1400Nm per rod.
The system control has changed in a similar fashion to the new shock absorbers, where changing from one drive mode to another is much quicker.
Braking is another key element to the improvement program for the DBX707, which features cast-iron brakes being replaced by large 420mm carbon ceramic brakes at the front (390mm at the rear), along with two cooling sources and 40 reductions. % weight does not inflate with most of that coming off the front axle.
