Aston Martin DB12 review

A new direction for Aston Martin. Grand Tourers are no longer particularly relevant, goes the thinking, so the new DB12 is a more dynamic and thoroughly modernised DB11. The ‘world’s first Super Tourer’ is the claim, although that’s a term that has been bandied around before, applied to cars such as the Porsche 911 Turbo and Ferrari Roma that bridge the GT/Supercar divide. That’s where the DB12 is aiming though.

It looks a lot like a DB11 or DBS – is it that new underneath?

Let’s deal with the underneath first. It uses the same chassis and suspension set-up as its predecessor and a similar twin turbo V8 engine. You could accuse Aston of conducting a facelift rather than developing a new car, and you wouldn’t, technically, be wrong.

Hang on, you didn’t mention the V12.

That’s because it is no more. Emissions legislation has finally caught up with it. The DB12 is V8 only. Relax – the V12 is likely to put in an appearance in whatever replaces the DBS Superleggera.

Back to this V8. There’s no hybrid assistance to give a useful power (and weight) boost, but it hardly needs it. In the DB11 this Merc-sourced V8 developed 528bhp. But now it’s benefited from modified camshafts, an 8.6:1 compression ratio, overhauled cooling, plus – naturally – bigger turbos, it has gained over 150bhp. The final figures are 671bhp and 590lb ft. More than either the Porsche or Ferrari can muster.  

All of that charges to the rear wheels via an eight speed automatic gearbox that now boasts a shorter final drive for better sprinting. 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds since you’re asking, and still a 202mph top end. It’s proper fast. More speed than it needs, enough to give the traction a real workout below 60mph and the kind of high speed thrust to outstrip almost anything.

Hang on, the old DB11 wasn’t famed for its chassis control, surely another 150bhp makes it a liability?

Well it would if Aston hadn’t gone to town on the rest of it. Extra bracing means the all-aluminium bonded platform is seven per cent stiffer, but it’s work that’s gone into the damping and body control that has really transformed this Aston.

It is vastly better supported, more accurate and predictable through corners than the DB11. That used to wallow when pushed, culminating in an uncomfortable corkscrew motion coming out of corners. No more. It now does the driver’s bidding, doesn’t get out of shape and retains control when pushed hard. Plus it still has the ability to cruise in great comfort and silence. Or not, if you rouse the V8. That still sounds corking, by the way (more in the Driving tab).

In short, it’s better mannered everywhere, rides expensively and has what it needs to take the fight to the best rivals out there.

And what rivals are those? 

The Bentley Conti GT springs quickly to mind. It still ploughs a heavyweight GT furrow, but does it unmatchably well (another reason for Aston to desert that area). Then there’s the aforementioned Porsche 911 Turbo and Ferrari Roma (read a group test here). And they’re both sportier still than the DB12. The Turbo is a tense and determined thing these days, while the Roma is an over-caffeinated coupe with an awkward-to-use cabin.

Come to think of it, how’s the DB12 inside?

Thought you’d never ask. It’s been transformed. The DB11 had dated quite quickly. The dash was fiddly and congested, the Merc-sourced infotainment was clunky and the design was very old school Brit GT. Nice materials, but not that attractively put together.

The interior makeover is as significant as the suspension transformation. Rather than vertical lines rising from the centre console to bisect the dash, strong horizontal lines have been used, adding width and reducing distraction by mounting the switchgear and screens lower. And rejoice: the screens aren’t Mercedes’ offcasts from a couple of generations back, but now developed in house, more responsive and with better graphics. Aston’s first touchscreen, no less.

The driving position is great, the seats are lovely and the confluence of mirror and A-pillar has been cleared out, improving visibility no end. It’s still not a big car inside. The rear seats are properly cramped, the boot’s quite small and the lid doesn't open far enough – so you bang your head when leaning down.

What about the way it looks, though – it’s hardly moved the game on, has it?

The overall proportions and design language haven’t changed much, but the stance, the way the wheels pack the arches, the vents on the sides… it’s now a more assertive, aggressive and brawnier car.

The DB12 leans towards the ground vacated by the DBS, but it’s slightly less brutish, has less muscle, more tone than that. Many now feel the grille has got out of hand, that it’s too big, but we don’t see that as an issue. Aston knows how to design a handsome machine.

What’s it going to cost me?

It’s gonna be over £200k. Prices may start at £185,000, but by the time you’ve indulged yourself in the options list, it’s going to have risen quite a long way from there. The grey car in these pictures was specced to £225k.

The DB12 is the most accomplished Aston Martin we’ve driven in years. It finally has the spread of talents and abilities to make it a viable alternative to the best rivals out there. It sits squarely in the middle ground between the Ferrari Roma and Porsche 911 Turbo on one side, and the Bentley Conti GT on the other. That may make its claim to be a super-tourer look a bit empty, but just because it’s not the sportiest car in its class doesn’t mean it’s not the best.

It might not ride as softly as the Bentley, but it consumes distances easily. Beyond that, the styling sells the DB12 short. What looks like nothing more than a good facelift conceals a cabin that’s night-and-day better than the old DB11, and dynamics that have given the DB12 newfound athleticism, control and purpose. It’s a very convincing machine.