[Auto] Absolute Units: 2023 Aston Martin DBX707 vs. Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT!

[Andy アンディ]

For about two years, we could easily say the Lamborghini Urus was the best-driving super-SUV in the world. There really wasn't any competition. With around 100 more horsepower than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and shockingly great on- and off-road performance, the Urus was the king of the high-performance SUVs.

Then three things happened.

First, Porsche launched the Cayenne Turbo GT. It's not a real GT because it wasn't fully developed by Porsche's crack Weissach-based motorsports team, but the Turbo GT does have an ever-so-slightly different version of the Urus' twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, which was in fact developed by the folks at Weissach. Confusing, we know. And this Cayenne can boogie, so much so that it still holds the Nürburgring SUV lap record of 7:38.9.

Next came the also unbelievably great-to-drive Aston Martin DBX707, a hopped-up high-po version of the pretty good DBX. What a fantastic three-way comparison this would have been. However, the third thing that transpired is that this past November, Lamborghini shuttered regular Urus production to ready the factory for both the new Urus S and the Urus Performante. Each of those bulls will rage soon, but neither launched in time for our showdown. As such, this test is a regular old two-way affair. Well, regular is a silly word when talking about beasts such as these. We are talking a combined 1,328 horsepower. Let's forget for just a moment the obvious question—who on earth needs these things?—and instead find out which of these super-SUVs is superest.

Stacking 'Em Up
On paper, these two seem mostly even. Not identical, but for every spec or stat that sees the Porsche nose ahead, the Aston has one that reels it back in. For example, the DBX707 makes 697 horsepower from its AMG-sourced, Aston-tuned 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 (the "707" refers to metric ponies). Compare that to "just" 631 from the Cayenne GT's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. The Germanic Brit also wins the torque battle, with 663 lb-ft versus 626 lb-ft from the voll Deutsch SUV. However, the Porsche has a sportier steering ratio, at 12.2:1 against 14.4:1, and even more preposterous front brake rotors that measure 17.3 inches in diameter as opposed to only 16.5. And on it goes: The Porsche is 143 pounds lighter but only seats four, whereas the Aston Martin not only has a noticeably larger rear seat in terms of head- and legroom, but can accommodate five people.

But what about performance? Almost a dead heat, until it isn't. The Cayenne Turbo GT is just quicker than the DBX707. The Porsche hits 60 mph in 3.0 seconds; the Aston does so in 3.1. The Porsche runs the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds at 121.0 mph where the Aston needs 11.4, but the latter is traveling a slightly faster 121.6 mph. Everything else being equal, more horsepower equals a higher trap speed. However, the Aston has more effective brakes, anchoring itself from 60 mph to a dead stop in just 102 feet. The Porsche needs 105. Both those distances are remarkable for such heavy vehicles. For instance, an Acura NSX Type S requires 103 feet to halt from 60.

The Porsche is in another class dynamically, however. It pulled 1.07 g on our skidpad, which should be its own news item. The Aston manages 0.98 g, which is still great for an SUV, just not as newsworthy. I won't pick on the poor Acura NSX any more (1.03 g, if you're interested), but the Lamborghini Urus pulls 1.01 g. More impressive is the Porsche's figure-eight performance, where it laid a 23.2-second lap (tying the Acura and beating the BMW M5 CS!), compared to 24.1 for the Aston Martin. To contextualize that a bit, we've long maintained that any figure-eight time in the 22-second range is a bonafide supercar. Meaning that this here Cayenne is dang close.

To further contextualize the figure-eight performance, the Urus put up a 23.5-second time, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing 23.4 seconds. The Porsche is an animal. So that's it, right? The Cayenne Turbo GT dusts not only the Aston Martin but every other SUV ever made, end of story? Unlike these two monster SUVs, not so fast. First of all, we gotta talk money. Replicating this Porsche will cost you $197,010. That's a pile of cash, until you realize the Aston Martin's as-tested price is $290,086, or $93,076 more. With all this in mind, on a pleasant September morning, yours truly and associate editor Duncan Brady headed off into the canyons above Los Angeles to figure out which of these two would take the crown.The Eyes Of The Beholders
The first thing we did when we met up on the mountain was park and just look at our duo. An easy, overwhelming win for Aston Martin. I'm getting sick of writing it, and he's probably both annoyed and secretly thrilled that I keep saying it, but Aston VP of design Marek Reichman is the best designer in the business. Say whatever else you want to about Astons, they're beautiful. Most SUVs? Bad looking. The DBX, especially in 707 trim? We dig it. You can get overly granular and say something like, "I don't like the ducktail." I promise you, five seconds comparing the rear of the DBX707 to virtually every other SUV, and it's a breath of fresh air.

The only weak spot we detected on the Aston were the relative size of the rotors to the wheels. "I wish the rotors filled out the wheels better. As it sits, the 23-inch rear wheels and comparatively small 15.4-inch rear discs give off that F-150 on 24s look." Sadly, both cars arrived wearing white paint, but the DBX707 looks spectacular even in Star Wars stormtrooper spec, especially next to the Porsche, which looks like a potato. Well, a white potato.

Hitting The Road
While we're aware of and embracing our electric future, a great gas-burning engine is great. "God, this engine is a beast. It's raw and manic and unhinged, both in its sound and power delivery," says Brady. I concur. There's a surge and a ferocity and a growl that conspire to put a big, dumb smile on your face. And unlike the Porsche, you can feel the Aston's engine getting stronger as speed builds. It's a bit strange that, with the exception of the flat-plane-crank version of AMG's V-8 in the GT Black Series, this is the most powerful iteration. It's worth pointing out that the DBX707 was developed while former AMG boss Tobias Moers was CEO of the company, and now he's not. Should we be worried about future Aston engines? Naw, as not only will the brand be going mostly EV by 2025, we've already been assured that the flat-plane-crank AMG V-8 in the Valhalla hybrid supercar will make over 800 hp.

As smitten as we were with the Aston's engine, the ZF eight-speed transmission in the Porsche beats the Mercedes-sourced nine-speed unit in the Aston Martin. Says Brady of the Aston, "This transmission's shift logic is not as sophisticated as the Porsche's when driving quickly; it was downshifting unnecessarily and upshifting too early." That's obviously when left in full auto. Start shifting yourself, and the two gearboxes feel roughly like equals, but the Aston's large, carbon-fiber paddles are a world better. Brady again: "This is what I imagine a race car's shifters feel like to use." You'll notice that both super-SUVs use a conventional automatic transmission as opposed to a dual-clutch unit. This is fine, as neither truck needs to go quicker, and when you're not attacking a back road, both SUVs are comfortable cruisers. No herky-jerky starts here.Since you're not doing standing-start launches on a canyon drive, we both thought the DBX707 was the quicker machine. This could be simply because it's louder and sounds better. When it came to tackling corners, however, the Porsche had the advantage, though perhaps not as large as the test numbers might suggest. Brady agreed, saying of the 707 that "the steering is just as direct and accurate as the Turbo GT's but feels like it has a layer of insulation the Cayenne doesn't."

The Aston gets bunched up in tighter corners, where it works itself through well enough; it's just not clever about it. On long sweepers, the DBX707 comes alive. There's suddenly an elegance to its movements, a reason for its admittedly preposterous existence. Dare we call it regal? We dare. It's also around the bigger corners where the massive brawn of the Aston Martin's powertrain shows itself. Again, 697 hp is a great amount of power, and the engine displays no signs of strain well into triple-digit velocities. The brakes are very effective, though the feel is not as confidence-inspiring as the Cayenne GT's. But that's an industry-wide problem Porsche is almost single-handedly solving.

The Porsche manages to drive smaller. Not entirely sure what that means when we're talking about a 5,000-pound SUV, but the Porsche feels like the nimbler vehicle. Perhaps it's the quicker steering rack? It feels like less work to get the Cayenne Turbo GT around the same corners. Conversely, that makes the Porsche more boring, less exciting to drive than the 707. Granted, you're not working that hard in the DBX, but at least there's some physicality to it, some type of theater. The Porsche is more buttoned down, more unflappable. The Porsche also has a tire advantage over the Aston Martin—Pirelli P Zero Corsas to plain old P Zeros—and the British SUV suffers a bit more understeer as a result. Driving them both on the same rubber would be interesting.

The Verdict: Porsche Or Aston Martin?
Brady and I stood around trying to solve the riddle of which is the better SUV for much longer than is typical in these types of tests. We saw it two ways. The first is that the Aston doesn't substantively justify its $93K premium, especially considering its infotainment system is old Mercedes stuff. The Porsche is also slightly better to drive. But as we continued deliberating, our opinion started forming around the idea that the Aston Martin looks and feels the way an SUV that costs well into six figures should, whereas the Cayenne Turbo GT looks a bit gawky and nearly identical to the $80,000 base model it's based on. That makes it stealthy, sure. But also not particularly special. Moreover, we both liked how special the Aston's interior is.Verdict: It's hard to argue with the numbers, but we don't crave this super-SUV.

1st Place: 2023 Aston Martin DBX707
Pros
We love this engine
Imperious driving feel
Looks special
 
Cons
Nearly 300 grand
Dated Mercedes infotainment
We want quicker steering
Verdict: There's an ineffable quality to the DBX707, and we effing want one.

2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 Specifications    2023 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe Specifications*
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT    Front-engine, AWD    Front-engine, AWD
ENGINE TYPE    Twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 32-valve 90-degree V-8, alum block/heads    Twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 32-valve 90-degree V-8, alum block/heads
DISPLACEMENT    3,982 cc/243.0 cu in    3,996 cc/243.9 cu in
COMPRESSION RATIO    8.6:1    9.7:1
POWER (SAE NET)    697 hp @ 6,000 rpm    631 hp @ 6,000 rpm
663 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm    626 lb-ft @ 2,300 rpm
REDLINE    7,000 rpm    6,750 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER    7.4 lb/hp    7.9 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION    9-speed automatic    8-speed automatic
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO    3.27:1/1.97:1    3.09:1 (front), 2.95:1 (rear)/1.97:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR    Multilink, air springs, adj shocks, adj anti-roll bar; multilink, air springs, adj shocks, adj anti-roll bar    Multilink, air springs, adj shocks, adj anti-roll bar; Multilink, air springs, adj shocks, adj anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO    14.4:1    12.2:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK    2.5    2.2
BRAKES, F; R    16.5-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc; 15.4-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc    17.3-in vented, drilled carbon-ceramic disc; 16.1-in vented, drilled carbon-ceramic disc
WHEELS, F;R    10.0 x 23-in; 11.5 x 23-in, forged aluminum    10.5 x 22-in; 11.5 x 22-in forged aluminum
TIRES, F;R    285/35R23 107Y; 325/30R23 109Y Pirelli P Zero A8A    285/35R22 106Y; 315/30R22 107Y Pirelli P Zero Corsa N0
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE    120.5 in    113.9 in
TRACK, F/R    66.9/65.5 in    66.4/66.3 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT    198.4 x 78.7 x 54.1-67.9 in    194.6 x 78.6 x 63.1-65.8 in
GROUND CLEARANCE    6.9-8.7 in    6.1-8.8 in
APPRCH/DEPART ANGLE    22.2-25.7/24.3-27.1 deg    18.9-23.5/17.5-21.5 deg
TURNING CIRCLE    40.7 ft    37.7 ft
CURB WEIGHT (DIST F/R)    5,124 lb (53/47%)    4,981 lb (57/43%)
SEATING CAPACITY    5    4
HEADROOM, F/R    40.6/40.0 in    38.1/38.3 in
LEGROOM, F/R    41.7/40.9 in    41.1/40.0 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R    58.4/54.6 in    59.1/56.4 in
CARGO VOLUME, BEH F/R    54.0/22.5 cu ft    51.7/19.4 cu ft
TOWING CAPACITY    5,940 lb    Not equipped
ACCELERATION TO MPH
0-30    1.1 sec    1.1 sec
0-40    1.7    1.6
0-50    2.3    2.3
0-60    3.1    3.0
0-70    4.0    3.9
0-80    5.0    4.9
0-90    6.3    6.1
0-100    7.6    7.5
0-100-0    11.6    11.5
PASSING, 45-65 MPH    1.5    1.5
QUARTER MILE    11.4 sec @ 121.6 mph    11.3 sec @ 121.0 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH    102 ft    105 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION    0.98 g (avg)    1.07 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT    24.1 sec @ 0.83 g (avg)    23.2 sec @ 0.88 g (avg)
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH    1,200 rpm    1,300 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE    $239,086    $190,150*
PRICE AS TESTED    $290,086    $197,010*
AIRBAGS    10: Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee    10: Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee
BASIC WARRANTY    3 yrs/Unlimited miles    4 yrs/50,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY    3 yrs/Unlimited miles    4 yrs/50,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE    3 yrs/Unlimited miles    4 yrs/50,000 miles
FUEL CAPACITY    22.9 gal    23.7 gal
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON    15/20/17 mpg    14/19/16 mpg
EPA RANGE, COMB    389 miles    379 miles
RECOMMENDED FUEL    Unleaded premium    Unleaded premium
ON SALE    Now    Now
*2023 pricing; 2022 model tested/photographed