2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 vs. 2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT

From the December 2022 issue of Car and Driver.

Once it was established that high-performance SUVs were not an oxymoron, there was only one direction to go: up. More speed, quicker acceleration, greater grip, more tenacious braking, and—most of all—higher prices. At Porsche, the progression of high-test versions with more horsepower and compound badge extensions has led to the 2022 Cayenne Turbo GT, a veritable sport-utility weapon capable of amazing things on the track, up to and including the vaunted Nürburgring.

Other high-end carmakers have joined in—even Ferrari with its upcoming Purosangue. Aston Martin entered the fray a couple of years ago with its DBX. We’d surmise, however, that the beastly 2023 DBX 707 was in the model plan from the outset.

These Cayenne and DBX models make an excellent pairing, and not just because our samples were painted focus-group white to prevent color bias from creeping in. Ferocious twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engines vigorously propel both, with the Porsche’s 3996-cubic-centimeter powerplant generating 631 horsepower and the Aston wringing 697 horsepower from a mere 3982 cubic centimeters. Beyond that, both vehicles have all-wheel drive and ride on air springs augmented with electronically controlled dampers and active anti-roll bars. Both feature high-stance terrain modes of dubious relevance, and they also command sky-high prices. The lightly optioned Porsche in our test goes for $189,090, while the glitzier Aston Martin commands $290,086.

2nd Place: Aston Martin DBX

If we determined a champion based on onlookers’ attention, the Aston would take this win, hands down. People stopped us at gas stations, wanting to know what it was and snapping photos. When you view the vehicles side-by-side, this makes sense. The 707 has presence. Its fresh, modern styling is festooned with intriguing details, although the diffuser’s fiddly spoiler is one we could do without.

HIGHS: Undeniably fast, rorty soundtrack, stunning design.
LOWS: Insufferable infotainment, eye-watering price.
VERDICT: If money were no object, we wouldn’t object.

The same is true inside, where the DBX comes across as interesting and layered. The seats and dashboard look as if some design capital was spent on them, and the carbon-fiber center console is far more intricate and deliberate than the perfunctory stuff tacked onto the Porsche’s door panels. But, as on the outside, the design would come off better if it were reeled in about 5 percent.

Underway, the Aston delivers the crushing performance its aggressive looks imply. It rushes to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, reaches 100 mph in 7.6 seconds, and runs an 11.4-second quarter-mile at 121 mph. Its willing nine-speed automatic helps it rip 30-to-50-mph passing maneuvers in 2.6 seconds and 50-to-70 ones in three seconds flat.

The Aston is an adept hustler in the twisties too. Precise steering response and strong brakes allow you to push as hard as you dare, with the V-8’s kick, glorious wail, and upshift crackle available when you boot it upon corner exit. Despite some 5138 pounds of British engineering, the chassis feels lithe and balanced, and the active anti-roll control ensures that body lean is held to a minimum as you flow into the next corner. The brake engagement point is a bit lower than the Porsche’s, and slightly more turn-in lock is necessary because the Aston’s steering ratio feels a tad slower, but you’d never pick those nits without aggressively driving these two back-to-back. At the track, massive 23-inch Pirelli P Zero PZ4s help the Aston record 70-mph stops of 155 feet and a healthy 0.97 g of orbital stick.

The Aston is a steady and calm interstate cruiser, with a smooth ride and a steering system that imparts a clairvoyant sense of straight ahead through its nicely contoured wheel. But we did miss a head-up display in this driving scenario, and over time the attractive seats proved to be less comfortable than they appear, with obtuse side-bolster and lumbar controls we never came to grips with. But the biggest gaffe has to be the infuriating infotainment system, which is controlled only by a touchpad or a half-hidden knob that is utterly inaccessible if you actually use the cupholders. Perhaps Aston should move them ahead of the controller and add a bona fide touchscreen to give the driver choices. What’s more, phone mirroring requires a cable, even though the center console’s handy open basement contains a wireless charging pad.

Meanwhile, those seated in the rear will be happy as clams back there. Space is abundant, and climate-control vents are mounted in the center console as well as attractively set into the door pillars. At the end of the day, the biggest thing holding the Aston back is its near-$300,000 price tag. If you’re able to scoff at that sentence, well, don’t let us stop you from making a purchase.

1st Place: Porsche Cayenne

Compared with the Aston, our white Porsche’s rounded-off styling suggests a used bar of soap, with a grille opening that looks like a hockey player’s wide grin with dentures out. Tellingly, an influencer snapping pictures of our DBX framed the Cayenne out of his shots.

But the Turbo GT has got it where it counts, making it a superior sleeper. Despite having 66 horsepower less, the Porsche bolts out of the gate harder, reaching 60 mph in a mere 2.9 seconds and maintaining that 0.2-second advantage through 100 mph and across the line at the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 120 mph. The more powerful Aston starts to outrun it after that, but it’s a close-run thing in a speed realm that has zero daily relevance. Back on earth, the still delivers heady passing performance and benefits from a smooth-shifting gearbox.

HIGHS: Immediate control response, grip for days, lower price leaves room for options. LOWS: Forgettable styling, flintier ride, seats only four.
VERDICT: The Porsche of haul-ass SUVs.

The Porsche’s 30-to-50- and 50-to-70-mph passing times trail the Aston by a tenth and two-tenths, respectively. That’s probably due to the fewer ratios of its eight-speed automatic, but the GT still delivers heady passing performance and benefits from a smooth-shifting gearbox.

In the mountains, the Turbo GT’s standard rear-wheel steering and active roll control team up to make quick work of tight hairpins, flowing esses, and long sweepers alike. The steering response is laser sharp, and the brake pedal feels immediate and intuitive. You just think about doing things and they get done. It’s a oneness the Aston can’t match. There’s also grip for days, and that’s not just in our head; a monster 1.03 g’s around the skidpad proved it.

But there’s a catch—one that likely accounts for the launch advantage, the immediate turn-in response, and certainly the lateral grip, but curiously no significant stopping-distance superiority. The Turbo GT’s Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 tires have a scant 80 treadwear rating (the Aston’s are 280). That’s so extreme, they wouldn’t be legal at an SCCA autocross. Tire Rack classifies them as Streetable Track & Competition tires, and we doubt they’ll last 10,000 miles. Still, perhaps from the perspective of the happy side of a $100,000 price gap, chucking a lot of them at the Porsche feels affordable.

That “yes, but” theme continues on the open road, where the Turbo GT’s standard Alcantara steering wheel feels like, as senior editor Elana Scherr put it, “an elderly cat, all bones and fur.” Rest assured, there’s a more comfortable (and heated) wheel on the typically extensive Porsche options list. The same can be said of the dual-zone climate control, which can be upgraded to four zones with a comparatively modest spend (the DBX has a standard three-zone setup), and our Porsche’s lack of adaptive cruise control. The standard eight-way sport seats are comfortable over the long haul, though, and they do much to take the edge off rougher roads. That said, you could also upgrade to 18-way chairs.

What you can’t option away is the slightly less compliant ride, the four-place seating, and the 1-mpg-worse EPA combined fuel-economy rating, which relates back to the gummy tires and the cog-deficient eight-speed automatic. But there are 100,000 reasons why this doesn’t matter, and there’s no denying that the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is the more potent and rewarding sport-utility weapon. Plus, if that interested influencer is any indication, the local constabulary will likely direct their attention to the Aston instead.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com