"The world’s first Super Tourer," says Aston Martin. Actually, it’s a badge that’s been attributed once or twice before to cars that bridge the GT/supercar divide, cars such as the latest Porsche 911 Turbo. But let’s take it at face value, because it accurately describes what Aston is trying to do here.
The mission is sports cars. The Valkyrie has (finally) arrived, the development of other mid-engined machines is ongoing and Aston’s quest to become the British Ferrari is basking in the reflected rays of F1 success. Alongside this, the grand tourer seems a dated concept. And besides, the DB11 was never the finest exponent of the breed.
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But it’s not replacement time yet. The DB11 has only been around for seven years, when the DB9 that preceded it lasted the best part of double that. Aston needs the platform to pay its way. So it’s been given a very thorough overhaul.
The headline is what’s not there anymore. The V12 is dead. Emissions finally caught up with it. Here’s what else isn’t there: a hybrid or any form of electric assistance. Instead, the DB12 uses the Mercedes-sourced 4.0-liter twin turbo V8. That was in the DB11, where it produced 528hp. But with no 30bhp twin turbo V12 and a quest to boost sportiness, Aston needs the V8 to do more heavy lifting.
Modified camshafts, an 8.6:1 compression ratio, overhauled cooling, plus – naturally – bigger turbos, has seen the V8 gain over 150bhp. 671hp makes this not far off as potent as the 715hp DBS.
That power figure means a few things. 0 to 100kph is dusted in 3.6secs, max speed is 325kph. Torque, incidentally, is up 34 percent at 800Nm from 2,000rpm. It also means everything else has to cope. The bonded aluminium chassis has more bracing increasing torsional rigidity by seven per cent, with particular attention given to improving the mounting of the rear axle and dampers.
The adaptive dampers themselves are all new and have far more bandwidth. The double wishbone front and multilink rear suspension layout is retained, as is the electric steering, but the promise is that the calibration and precision of everything has been transformed.
However, the eight-speed auto now has a shorter final drive, there’s an e-diff, 21s are standard, track widths are up six and 22mm and there are 400mm front brakes. Carbon ceramics are optional and save 27kg. Best of all, when everything else seems to weigh over two tons, this comes in at 1,685kg.
Most importantly, it looks like it means business. The bodywork has been skilfully enhanced. It leans towards the brutish muscularity of the DBS, but modernises those lines with more defined creases. The way the wheels pack the arches, the enlarged intakes, the curvature of the bonnet and broad haunches – it’s a sharp piece of design.
But for real transformation, step inside. Almost all traces of Mercedes switchgear have been eradicated as Aston has taken the infotainment in-house. Hopefully that’ll be a good thing.
Certainly it allows them to keep more up to date and avoid stumbling into the DBX no-touchscreen issue. There is one of those, a 10.25-incher with a 30ms reaction time. There will also be over-the-air updates and a comprehensive phone app. More pertinently, a new partnership with Bowers & Wilkins sees an optional 15-speaker, 1,170-watt hifi appear on the options list.
The driving environment has been entirely redesigned, the push button gear selector has gone and there are plenty of buttons to reduce menu browsing time. But it’s the optional sports seats that provide the clearest evidence that the DB12 takes a new direction. They’re firm, more scantily padded, but with higher bolsters. A carbon Performance seat tops the range.
2023 marks 75 years of Aston’s DB cars and this, so the claim goes, is “the most complete and accomplished DB model in [the firm’s] history. Put simply, no series production Aston Martin has dedicated itself so completely to setting new dynamic benchmarks". We’ll find out in July if it lives up to its billing.
Note: This story first appeared in TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
