Aston Martin DBX - my journey

[nathwraith1]

bolidemichael said:

What's the colour? Looks slick.

It’s called “Titanium Grey matte”. Looks more like khaki to me. Cool but not my style.

DannyScene said:

Lovely car OP, always liked the DBX, If I could afford one the 707 would be the SUV of choice for me!

Thanks! Yeah the 707 is certainly special. Will be making a full write up shortly.

MesoForm said:

nathwraith1 said:

What is the graph below "From start" showing?

The number in the middle is the miles remaining range, I’m not entirely sure on the graph. I think it’s MPG calculated over trips over time. Tbh I’ve not given the graphs much thought!

[nathwraith1]

So I’ve handed back the 707 now, back in my “normal” DBX.

Did over 100 miles today, plenty alone(spiritedly) and with the family (leisurely with wife and baby).

So I believe I’ve got a good grasp at how the 707 handles both sides of the coin and also how it stacks up to the “normal” DBX.

As my DBX is one of the earliest, Aston has done plenty of tightening up(sometimes quite literally) to the DBX over it’s production cycle and the 707 is the latest model so here’s my thoughts on the 707 vs my early DBX. These will be related to build quality/small changes and not the obvious fun stuff, I’ll get to that.

Build quality/changes VS early launch spec car

- Front cup holders. Much improved with rubber corners and fold out elements to hold smaller drinks. A welcome improvement!
- Removal of the leather dash/door “flaps”. Many people pointed out these looks rather sexual, these are now smooth leather pieces.
- Steering wheel leather is now spilt. Feels chunkier and has more area to grip.
- Washer jets, these now spray with force whereas the outer two on mine are rather weak.
- Stop/start system is a lot smoother. My car shakes when it restarts.
- Radio seems to hold signal better. I struggle on my car occasionally.
- Leather headlining, much better than alcantara on my launch spec.
- Carbon inlays on all 4 doors. Launch spec only had the centre console in carbon.
- PRND seem to engage with more tactility
- Steering wheel buttons are now matte rather than gloss, much better for staying clean and feel more robust
- Sport+ can now be used with full, half and fully off TC. Before it had to be half or fully off.

Performance impressions

- Sound: Easily 3-5dcb louder to my ears with a solid low down burble opening up into a tuneful top end. Sounded more cultured than the regular car. Much more turbo whooshing towards the top end can be heard too. If anything the “pops n bangs” were less than my car.
- Engine: Yes it’s fast! 1st/2nd are torque limited. 3rd gear really knocks this car into another dimension. The power is addictive and usable.
- Steering: Even sharper than before, feels more precise than the standard car.
- Brakes: Wow, one of the highlights. The longish pedal is gone and with much more bite.
- Handling: You can feel more but without the secondary crashing of stiffness. No doubt thanks to the added lightness of CCB & forged 23” wheels, the turn in is sharp.
- Gearbox: By far the biggest improvement. Feels DCT quick to me. No delay, always ready to deliver another cog. Fantastic, really adds to the enjoyment of flicking through the gears.
- Refinement: Unchanged from the standard car, although those larger wheels do help you to feel more.

Interior/tech changes

The drive modes have reduced from 5 to 4 as the “terrain+” mode was dropped as it probably was never used. I’m sure you can only use it under 30mph in the regular car.

Putting “individual” mode above GT in the selection tree makes sense too. Finally allowing full TC to be enabled in sport+ is great. Enabling sport TC or full TC off disabled the assistance suite & adaptive cruise. So having TC on whilst in sport+ means you can have the best of both on the road.

The mode select click wheel is nice and tactile. So much better than the old up/down buttons.

Manual mode button now means pulling a paddle won’t lock you in full manual mode, it will revert back to Auto after a minute or too. So to use manual gears, you must always press the “M” button. I don’t really like this change being honest but it does give you flexibility to pull the paddles for a few down shifts and then to continue in auto without pressing anything a few moments later.

The suspension mode is now shown in the dash, only if in Sport or sport+ though. Strangely it doesn’t tell you if you have pressed the exhaust flap button other than the LED being illuminated on the actual button. The suspension button also has this illumination, why not make them the same?

Wireless charging is a welcome addition but it’s still wired CarPlay so kinda moot unless you have multiple devices being used/charged in the front.

Soft close doors. Incredible. The DBX door handles are fussy imo. Very annoying to not properly close a door to then have to mess about with the handle again. No longer an issue with the 707, lovely.

Sports seats look fantastic however they do hug tight! I don’t mind so much on a dedicated sports car but for me using this as an everyday car not so much. I mentioned my other spec related reservations in previous posts so happy with my choice of comfort seats.

To summarise the 707 delivers more of everything that the standard car brings to the table.

The handling, braking & gearbox improvements really do make this car supremely energetic. It goads you into feeding more power and rewards you with crisp, precise steering and jackhammer brakes. The car feels alive in your hands and yet so capable. It never feels overpowered or too large to contain the speed it offers you.

I’m genuinely impressed as the early 707 reviews from Sardinia were very favourable and reeked of “pay to win” tbh. I’m glad that I was wrong!

It’s a car I want to wake up early and take for a drive rather than a family car that sometimes can be driven quickly. That’s the difference between the 707 & regular DBX for me.

Edited by nathwraith1 on Friday 5th August 22:20

[nathwraith1]

CSK1 said:

Thank you for your review.
I’m considering part exchanging my Range Rover SVR for a DBX 707 I have been test driving.
You mentioned the Range Rover wasn’t an option as you like a spirited drive.
Well, I love Range Rovers, I’m on my sixth, four full size ones and two Sports, the latest being a SVR I purchased new last year.
Did you consider the Range Rover SVR at the time you went for the DBX?
I know that in the UK the SVR suffers from an image problem although this isn’t the case in mainland Europe.
Also, mine could be mistaken for a standard Sport as it is black on black and most people don’t know the difference between all the Range Rover variants.
The DBX is of course something that stands out and more “in your face” so kind of less under the radar which could be important for a daily driver.

I did consider the SVR sport but it’s an “older” car relatively speaking now, especially as the new Sport has just been released and a new SVR will no doubt follow. The image and susceptibility to being stolen put me off hugely.

I’ve not driven an SVR to compare it to the DBX (or 707), those who have no doubt would favour the handling dynamics of the Aston I’m sure.

[nathwraith1]

Collected the car today! Wow, what a machine! I'll do a larger write up once I've calmed down

Exterior: Gloss AMR Green w/Gloss black upper & lower packs, 23" Forged wheels w/ Bronze calipers

Interior: Inspire Comfort Duotone - Sandstorm & Onyx black, carbon fibre inlays & dark chrome jewellery

No edit on the pics either, just an Iphone 13 camera.

Edited by nathwraith1 on Saturday 5th November 18:18

Edited by nathwraith1 on Sunday 6th November 04:57

[nathwraith1]

Hitch said:

I was so taken with your yellow Supra in the two cars thread yesterday I forgot to comment on this.

Looks epic. Fits in nicely in the Fifty Pound Shop car park too I see ;-)

Does the new two car garage mean the NSX has gone?

You are correct, the NSX went back in June. Incredible car but tracking it so often meant serious bills and unfortunately it did show its weight when pushing on hard(1750kg). Supra is a lot lighter and has more aftermarket if I want to tinker. Also much lighter (1490kg).


Thanks for all the comments RE the 707, it’s currently at the detailers getting a full coverage of PPF. So it’s going to be a long week!

[nathwraith1]

bencollins4 said:

Just catching up with this thread! A couple of things stand out as a bit crazy- tracking the original white car, and trying to park it at the Harbour in Mousehole!

New one looks great, but certainly not something I would want to try on track for more than a few minutes (if I was paying for fuel, tyres and brakes)! Enjoy the 707!

Glad you enjoyed it. Yes it’s not something I want to do in a regular basis!

I’ve got the Supra to use as a far cheaper track capable car now, that’s not to say I won’t take the 707 out, at least once.

Maybe I’ll tow the supra to a trackday with the 707 and use both!

Thanks to all the other posters for the kind comments about the car, I’m not going to quote everyone but I’m glad people are enjoying it!

Edited by nathwraith1 on Sunday 13th November 11:51

[nathwraith1]

K50 DEL said:

That exterior colour is lovely and would be my choice as well, in fact I like all your exterior options.
I'd have had to have the interior fully black though as I really don't like light colour interiors.

The interior carbon is gorgeous, can't wait to read your thoughts on the drive and long term ownership reviews. A great thread.

Thanks! Yeah I may regret not going for a darker interior in terms of practicality(especially with kids) but I couldn't resist the lighter "more exotic" interior style. I know some people take alittle too far with bright yellow or purple interiors but part of buying a new Aston, for me, was the ability to pick everything as I wanted. Judging by the comments on this thread I would say the car's options & spec have been recieved well!

Believe it or not you can get even more interior carbon, you can option your instrument cluster, paddles & seat backs in gloss carbon. I thought it was overkill at that point, especially for the cost. I've not used a DBX with carbon paddles but if they felt any different that the standard billet aluminium ones then I would be disappointed.

Car is due to come back to me on Tuesday from the detailer's and honestly I'm more excited now than I was when I collected it!

[nathwraith1]

The car is finally back from having full body PPF applied including a ceramic coating on top. So maximum protection for the car now, this includes the wheels so hopefully combined with the ceramic brake it should make cleaning the wheels much easier!

Ticked off a few virgin voyages today. Made it to the tip(cardboard only, nothing too messy. Then for a little trip to the Golden Arches(to eat at home).

Car is incredibly fast, overtaking makes regular traffic look like they are going backwards!

Edited by nathwraith1 on Wednesday 16th November 13:21

Edited by nathwraith1 on Wednesday 16th November 13:22

[nathwraith1]

mattf93 said:

I love this, using it for everything already! Even better

Haha thanks. I know some people would look down at using an Aston for such "mundane" duties but hey it was designed as a daily driver afterall.

[nathwraith1]

mattf93 said:

Pics of supra?

Ask and you shall receive. Only 2 months old.

Mods below:
- Carbon Mirror caps
- Carbon Engine cover
- Carbon mk4 style rear wing
- Supramod fake vent replacements (bonnet & front)
- Verus Engineering Carbon anti wind buffeting pods
- GoldenWrench Studios Billet aluminium paddle shifter replacements
- 3D Cabin Angled front tier hook plate mount
- Cusco Front strut brace
- Whifbitz Full Titanium Exhaust (inc opf delete)

That’s it for now

[nathwraith1]

Mezzanine said:

Plenty has been said by the media about the positives and negatives of the Supra.

I think they look fantastic. One lives local to me and it has me staring every time it drives past.

Love the wing Nath.

Thanks!

This is my second mk5 supra, Toyota updated the car for the 22my with lighter wheels and suspension, steering, bushing tweaks. So it’s a lot sharper than the original launch cars.

I know people use the BMW connection as a slur but honestly the car is better for it. Plenty of power, noise, handling, tuning & exclusivity to turn me away from the typical Porsche option.

[nathwraith1]

Switched the 707 onto my winter wheel & tyre combo today(Pirelli Scorpion) A downgrade in size from 23” to 22” but now temps are around 4c here it makes sense. I’m running summer tyres on the 23”s(P Zero).

Not the lightest wheels around! Some good pics of the front/rear brakes and suspension too. I was worried the TPMS would need configuring at the dealer as the wheels were on my old car but nope worked straight away!








Summer tyres on 23” forged wheels


Winter tyres on 22” flow forged wheels

Edited by nathwraith1 on Friday 2nd December 20:22

[nathwraith1]

bolidemichael said:

I prefer the look of the alloys without the chrome/diamond cut edge.

Yeah I do love the 22” “Sport” alloy design, although the Matt black is a little dull to me. Makes sense for winter but I think silver or gun metal would be better.

Church of Noise said:

I prefer the winter wheels (too) - but love the car in any case!

Thanks!

CSK1 said:

I ordered a set of winter wheels and tyres more than a month ago and still waiting for them to be delivered.
Apparently they’re out of stock and my dealer is unable to give me a date.

Yes mine took about 2 months to come back when I ordered in 2021. It’s a shame they don’t offer a 23” winter tyre option or any other alloy wheel style other than the “sport” 22” in matte black for the winter wheel/tyre package.

[nathwraith1]

CSK1 said:

nathwraith1 said:

Switched the 707 onto my winter wheel & tyre combo today(Pirelli Scorpion) A downgrade in size from 23” to 22” but now temps are around 4c here it makes sense. I’m running summer tyres on the 23”s(P Zero).

Not the lightest wheels around! Some good pics of the front/rear brakes and suspension too. I was worried the TPMS would need configuring at the dealer as the wheels were on my old car but nope worked straight away!

Hello Nath,
Happy New Year!
I hope you are enjoying your DBX707 as much as I am.
It’s such a great car.
I managed to get my winter tyre kit fitted but temperatures have gone mild again and you really feel the difference with the summer 23 inch tyres.
The winters are not a patch on the summers.
I feel it’s difficult to get the power down on those tyres.
I’ll keep them on until our trip to the Alps but can’t wait to get the summer tyres back on.
What’s your experience with the winter tyre kit?

HNY to you too! Enjoying every minute of it! It’s such a competent car. Genuinely can’t see me changing this for anything else in the future. (Maybe a newer DBX perhaps aha)

I would agree regarding the winters. I felt very smug when I fitted them initially as temperatures dropped below 0 for a week or so, however it’s hovering between 8-10c now, so on the upper limit of their usefulness.

The car certainly feels more sluggish, it still does a good job of putting the power down although I’m convinced it’s been pulled slightly. However they do not give anywhere near the same confidence when cornering, the grip is there but the squidgyness becomes apparent.

Roll on summer!

Edited by nathwraith1 on Tuesday 10th January 11:21

Edited by nathwraith1 on Tuesday 10th January 11:21

[nathwraith1]

bolidemichael said:

British winters have a habit of luring the winter-tyre-fitting enthusiast into a false sense of security. I don't bother changing mine back until Easter, following the Beast of the East experience.

Yeah that’s the issue isn’t it. I could be swapping them over multiple times over the winter depending on temperature.

They are rated from +10c to -35c but Aston recommends them being used at 7c or less. Have to admit when below 5c they begin to feel less squidgy.

Proper 1st world problem though.

I have just ticked over 1000 miles now, not too shabby since the start of Nov if I do say so.

Edited by nathwraith1 on Tuesday 10th January 11:22

[nathwraith1]

nickfrog said:

Lovely car Nath, which I am already slightly familiar with, having shared a garage with you at Oulton last year! Or was it 2021?

I’ve not taken the green DBX in track yet but I did take the white one back in Nov 21.

I have been to Oulton a fair amount over the last few years as it’s local to me. Usually in the NSX but now that’s gone, I’m using the Supra for track duties. I took the supra for it’s maiden voyage last Dec and it performed excellently!

What car were you driving then?

[nathwraith1]

nickfrog said:

The black M2 next to you in the garage!

I remember now! How are you finding the M2 on track? I’m sure I remember yours having a few choice mods.

[nathwraith1]

Unfortunately the new year hasn’t been great for the 707.

I noticed a slightly wonky looking car upon returning from the supermarket. No suspension errors or issues when driving but measured it back home and it was 0.5” lower on the passenger side.

I was recommended by my dealer to call Aston Assistance out which felt like they were fobbing me off. Aston assistance turned up and had no way of diagnosing or correcting the car, so back to the dealer…

Bizarrely the lopsided nature has gone, or at least I think it has. Anyway the car went off to the dealer today.

Annoyingly the passenger side DRL and driver side headlamp started to show condensation inside them.

So there’s your hat trick of issue to start the year. Disappointing on a £40K car never mind one over £200k!

Another first world problem whinge, the loan car provided was a 520d on summer tyres(non x drive). This wouldn’t be an issue if it wasn’t the fact that the dealer principal promised me I’d always have a DBX loan car after all the ballache of the previous car(many trips to and from the service centre.)To top it off as soon as I got in the beemer, the tyre pressure warning light came on. Joy.




[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/TFPisXc9[/url]





On the plus side it does look incredible!

Edited by nathwraith1 on Wednesday 18th January 19:39

[nathwraith1]

Luke. said:

How you finding the RAV4?

Excellent, although not very exciting. It’s the 4wd version. Great kit, cheap to run, spacious and reliable! All the car you need really.

[nathwraith1]

Luke. said:

nathwraith1 said:

Luke. said:

How you finding the RAV4?

Excellent, although not very exciting. It’s the 4wd version. Great kit, cheap to run, spacious and reliable! All the car you need really.

I agree. Having had Cayenne Turbos and V8 X5s, I'm rather liking our RAV4. The MPGs are a revelation and never feel like I need much more power.

It’s the CVT gearbox which I dislike the most! It’s surprisingly quick.

Percy. said:

I thought I'd seen your car out and about, I recognise that Waitrose carpark

ETA: car looks great and sorry to hear about your issues

Edited by Percy. on Wednesday 18th January 20:54

Yeah that’s in Chester. I do have my son with me here which means I’m in minority of people who use the parent/child bays. The amount of people I see pull in with no kids and just waltz off really does boil my piss.