In February of 2021, Aston Martin—maker of thundering grand tourers and sports cars— declared that they were going green. They took a knee and promised the world that 90% of their cars would be electrified by 2030.
Fast forward to the present day and Aston has just unveiled a new variant of their DBX SUV and it’s powered by... a gas-guzzling 4.0-litre V8. No, I don’t understand how this aligns with their environmentally friendly aspirations either.
It’s called the DBX707 and with 520kW (707PS) bursting under its bulging bonnet it can lay claim to being the world’s most powerful luxury SUV. And you know what? I could not care less.
Every time I try to appreciate the DBX707 as an engineering achievement (creating a 2000+kg SUV capable of 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds is no small feat) I catch a glimpse of its gargantuan grille and a little bit of sick rises into my mouth.
I have no reason to doubt Aston’s claim that the larger satin chrome grille is necessary to increase airflow to the twin-turbocharged V8 and new 9-speed automatic transmission, but I do not understand why it had to look so ghastly. It is a monstrously hideous piece of design that makes the DBX707 look for all the world like a cheese-grate with wheels. And that’s just the front of the car. Don’t get me started on the melting rear end with its drooping tail-lights and ridiculous diffuser. What a distasteful thing.
What were they thinking?
