The summits of excellence

Scaling the Three Peaks of Britain is not for the faint of heart and neither is driving the powerful Aston Martin DBX707. Fortunately, Adam Hay-Nicholls is braver than most and took on the challenge with aplomb

- Adam Hay-Nicholls

BEN NEVIS, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon represent the three highest mountain peaks in Scotland, England and Wales, respectively.

To do all three in succession—and many hard-charging hikers attempt that challenge in 24 hours—requires lots of driving through the UK’s most glorious landscapes, meaning a fast, comfortable grand tourer is of the essence. What car might be best suited to this mission to the great outdoors? Step forward the Aston Martin DBX707.

Aston Martin is an ancient (in automotive terms) English brand; this car—its super SUV —is built in St Athan, Wales. The acres of sumptuous interior leather are furnished by Bridge of Weir, Scotland. What emerges, therefore, is a holy trinity of British craftsmanship.

Outwardly, the 2024 facelift of the DBX you see here looks little different to when the model first roared onto the scene in 2020. The main changes are on the inside. The previous interior simply wasn’t special enough, nor was it ergonomically brilliant. Now, the car has one that befits a £208,500 high-sided GT, complete with a much-improved infotainment system and a touchscreen. The other notable thing about the DBX is that it is now only available in DBX707 form. The customers have spoken: 542bhp wasn’t enough, so the 697bhp (or 707ps in new money, for Pferdestarke, German for ‘horse strength’) upgrade comes as standard. The 707 uses different turbos, with additional cooling to create that power. Only the less practical and even more expensive Ferrari Purosangue boasts more horses (18 more, to be precise) among petrol SUVs and the DBX’s chassis is so good that I think it could take plenty more.

The evening before my first climb, I arrived in Fort William from the south and steered towards Ben Nevis, parking in its shadow off the Glen Nevis road where Mel Gibson filmed the Lanark village scenes in