Get to grips with what exactly makes Aston Martin’s DB12 so irresistible.
Most exotic cars turn heads, but not all foster the same reaction. Gawping petrolheads aside, the average layman on the street, at the junction and in the traffic has already made their mind up about you. It’s not always entirely positive. But, universally, in the Aston Martin DB12 you’re almost certainly a gentleman. A driver with taste, manners and understated wealth. You are welcomed. Smiled at. Ushered into heavy traffic without hesitation. For Aston Martin’s latest creation isn’t merely a DB11 facelift, it’s an eye-catching statement of intent nobody can resist. A statement it calls the ‘Super Tourer’…
The DB12 is now more aggressive than its predecessor, sportier and clearly ready to throw you around. In the rear view mirror, its huge front grille oozes a bruising confidence but, in reality, the super GT is imposing from every angle. Yet it’s also suave, sleek and sophisticated. Sweeping lines draw your eye up its enormous hood and across seductive curves and delicately balanced haunches that slope away towards the rear. It causes the kind of involuntary stare usually reserved for real people; nevertheless those that drive the DB12 will come to realize it’s probably got more personality.
Don’t be fooled by its elegant looks. Underneath that massive hood lies a thumping 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. Though it comes from Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin has had its hands all over it – tweaked compression ratios, modified cam profiles and, naturally, larger turbochargers among a host of modifications. The result is potent; 680PS, 800Nm of torque and 0-62mph in only 3.6 seconds. It’ll deliver ‘instant power for immediate high speeds’, say Aston Martin, and we can certainly vouch for that. The DB12 will throw your head back in a nanosecond, and accelerate with the same ferocity for what might seem an eternity, all the way up to 202mph (if you’re brave enough).
Despite the loud V12 no longer being an option, the V8 in the DB12 still produces that smile-inducing, burbling purr we’re all accustomed to in an Aston Martin. Granted, it’s a bit quieter – but that won’t matter when the road opens up. The acceleration is savage. Brutal. Unforgiving. It keeps going and going and going. And the engine note that goes with it is just as indulgent, popping and cracking down through the gears. A 7% increase in torsional rigidity has given the car tighter control and a 140% increase in stiffness between the shocks a more direct and precise driving dynamic. Through corners, the DB12 is pointed, connected and sharp; you feel as if the road is glued to the tires, belying the reality of how heavy this GT actually is.
An automatic ZF 8-speed transmission pairs up with an electronic rear differential, the first DB to have it, that will lay down power individually into each wheel according to your drive set-up. The transmission has been built to give shorter gear changes, particularly mid-range, for acceleration and speed all the way through. Yet the mass of the car will also comfortably swallow miles of grand touring. You might assume rough city roads would present a bit more of a problem, but the DB12’s ‘comfort’ setting is delivered by a chassis and suspension that truly can handle it all.
Inside, the cabin has been given a new look too. The 10.25-inch screen is now baked into the dash instead of sticking up over the top. It’s touchscreen too, at last, and packed with tech befitting of its luxury status. Heavy, knurled dials surround a start button encased in metal that smoothly twists to switch drive modes. A 1170w Bowers & Wilkins sound system immerses you in recording studio sound, amped from 15 speakers that bring the stadium to you. In the front seats, you’re enveloped in craftsmanship, cocooned into a plush interior clad in hand-stitched leather. You can’t help but feel special. It produces the kind of leather scent that follows you around, long after parking up – a luxurious giveaway that tells those around you you’re driving an Aston Martin.
We’re starting to see Aston Martin’s reliance on Mercedes loosened, with an infotainment system completely designed in-house – voice control joins for the first time, along with app-controlled connectivity meaning you can update the car from the palm of your hand. It’s nothing new among the wider industry, but it’s the first of its kind in 110 years for Aston Martin.
The DB12 is more than a drive; it’s an experience. Soulful yet subtle, charming yet ruthless. It is a hedonistic example of supercar ownership for all the right reasons, gently concealed behind beauty and artisan craft. And when a car like this rolls downtown, past shops, across junctions, through traffic and the world simply smiles, you know that it’s a supercar done right. And one that nobody can ignore.
Looking for more petrol luxury? Check out our other articles here.