It has been over two decades since Porsche introduced the Cayenne, and since then it has been a matter of when and not if the other supercar makers would follow suit. Lamborghini, Bentley, Maserati, Ferrari, and even Rolls Royce have all introduced their super SUVs, and most have gotten off to a flying start. Aston Martin took its own sweet time, for a multitude of reasons, and introduced the DBX in 2020. To put it mildly, the DBX didn’t get hearts or cash registers racing. Enter the DBX 707.

With the DBX as the starting point, the team at Aston Martin went for the simplest solution. More power. Everything else that followed was to make the DBX deliver that power. The front grille opens 27 per cent more for better engine cooling, and there is an overdose of carbon fibre all around – front splitter, air deflectors ahead of the wheels, an air outlet in the rear quarter panels, vents on the hood, new skirts, extended rear diffuser and a massive rear spoiler – yes, we are still talking about the DBX and not a race-ready sportscar. If that is not enough carbon fibre for you, the mirrors and side strakes can be in carbon fibre, too, like in the car we drove. Is it overkill for a luxury SUV, which most will only be driven to social events? Perhaps, but bragging rights of being the most powerful SUV in the world don’t come easy. All the changes add a subtle aggression to the otherwise understated styling of the DBX 707. Except the rear spoiler, which has nothing subtle about it.

However, what will get you attention in the DBX 707 is not the styling but the throaty 4.0-litre V8. Sourced from AMG, and seen on a few Mercs as well, it’s been given the super-soldier serum by Aston Martin and not by mistake. There’s a lot of new stuff under the hood, too, like new turbochargers, redesigned exhaust systems and some ECU magic. All that leads to the magic number of 707 PS, hence the name, or 697 bhp if you don’t like the metric unit of measurement. A claimed 0-100-kph time of 3.1 seconds should answer your question on how all this helps. There is 91.77 kgm of torque, too, just in case.

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Honestly, these numbers are staggering but not mind-blowing anymore. I don’t mean to sound elitist, but thanks to hybrid and/or electric combinations, everyone is throwing these insane numbers around, and after a while you get immune to them, I guess. Until you start the DBX 707, that is. Even in the GT mode, there is a throaty bark to remind you this isn’t the regular DBX. There is an active exhaust system with four pipes, and it is always singing, no matter the drive mode you are in. As the revs climb, you forget the DBX 707 does not even have a touchscreen. More on that later, though.

To say that the power delivery is immediate is to undermine what Aston Martin has done with the DBX 707. The best way to experience it is to put the DBX 707 in Sport/Sport+ mode, keep the accelerator and brake pressed till 4000 rpm, wait for the dials to flash ‘race start’ in all red, and get plastered into your seat. As our photographer found out, for some launch control videos it is best to have a GoPro. The acceleration is intense and extremely addictive. Everything is dialled up to 11, and the DBX 707 roars into three-digit speeds before you comprehend what’s happening. Using that as the reason, and an empty closed road at hand, I had to try the launch control again. I did, like six times, and each time the feeling was the same. The DBX 707 at full chat is a human slingshot, and a hilarious one at that. It is raw, real, and invigorating.

I could go on and on about how the DBX 707 can make you feel, but let’s stay objective here. Or at least try to be, after those repeated launch-control shenanigans. On the inside, despite all the carbon fibre, the DBX 707 is the opposite of the outside. Everything is top quality, like in all Astons, but from a time when buttons were the rage. I like buttons, and especially the gear selector, but hands-free driving is not what Aston had in mind when it made the DBX. This is not a place where luxury meets technology, but a place where luxury is the highlight — the leather feels fantastic, the stitching is excellent and the customisation options are immense. There is a lot of other technology on the DBX 707, like adaptive cruise control, lane-assist, blind-spot monitoring, but you still control the infotainment system through a touchpad. I guess Aston should borrow the MBUX from Mercedes, too, not just the engine.

The DBX 707 rides on 22-inch wheels as standard, and the ones you see here have the optional 23-inchers paired with the ultrawide Pirelli P Zeroes. Naturally, the ride quality is on the firmer side, but it is not bone jarring, and all that crazy power is kept in check by bigger new carbon-ceramic brakes which are lighter and exclusive to the DBX 707. Rear seat legroom is decent for two, and so is the headroom despite the sloping roof; all your passengers will be comfortable, while they are being slingshotted.

At Rs 4.63 crore (ex-showroom), the DBX 707 is a lot more expensive than the Cayenne Turbo GT and is not a head turner like the Lamborghini Urus. In this age of living on the ’Gram, I feel the DBX 707 is not for someone who wants to flaunt it. It is more elegant than aggressive, more luxurious than sporty, and more rounded than its competitors. It will smoke them all, but do it in a three-piece suit wearing handcrafted leather gloves. Until the Ferrari Purosangue arrives, the DBX 707 is the most powerful SUV you can buy in India. And even after that, It will still be one of the most ferocious SUVs around. That always counts for something, doesn’t it?

PHOTOS S Shubham