Aston Martin DB12 - long-term review

While the long-term DB12 is being put through the wringer over at TG HQ, I’ve been tasked to put Aston’s ‘super tourer’ to the test by passing it through one of the most brutal automotive environments on the east coast: New York City. You know how the song goes; “if it can make it here…”

Aston Martin is no stranger to NYC. Indeed, the city is home to Q New York, the automaker’s flagship brand showroom on this side of the pond, a sort of embassy for ultra luxury. It speaks to the larger move to expand Aston’s brand awareness across the US on the heels of a busy year that saw the launch of four core models, special editions and the increased profile provided by the rise in stateside Formula 1 viewership.

With this said, Manhattan has seen it all, and so the sight of a 671hp, $250,000 DB12 isn’t enough to garner a second look from anyone as I trundle through SoHo at single-digit speeds. Good thing there’s a handy button to open the exhaust pipes in the center console if I desire to wake people up. Having the Aston Martin in my charge has also afforded me the opportunity to chauffeur a couple friends to their anniversary dinner in style, though the husband quickly discovers what Ollie points out: the back seats are useless. Even still, they are elated to be in the Aston and its supple interior, admiring the quilted headliner and the leather that’s panini-pressing them into submission. Next year, a DBX, for sure.

The city’s chaos is democratizing, and all cars are treated with the same level of respect or condemnation, depending on the given situation. If a gap is open ahead, it will be filled by whomever is fastest, be it DB12 or a cabbie with nothing to lose. You get the sense that there is some regard for the Aston in that those fighting alongside to get upstream will give an extra inch when squeezing past it.

As far as pedestrians go, the ‘mind your business’ attitude of this town keeps most glances brief, while others feel perfectly comfortable to ask for a full list of specs when you’re caught at a light with the window down. Better know your stats, drivers.

Navigating the former New Amsterdam in a car this wide is harrowing, particularly given how the view from the cockpit doesn’t provide you with much awareness of the car’s proportions. Sure, the 360-degree camera helps but it’s a bit inaccurate - the car is much closer to objects than it lets on - and frequent glances away from the action are ill-advised. The DB12 has what it takes to fight its way up and down the wide avenues but detours down the older roads downtown bring with them all sorts of levels of anxiety. The Cygnet, this is not.

Throw in the multitude of double-parked vans, delivery bikes and buses, and the idea of life with an Aston Martin in the city becomes frightening instead of appealing. Venture out of city limits, though, and the DB12 is free to be its full self. There are many routes outside of Manhattan that offer up automotive respite. One way is to shoot up the west side highway and into Westchester county. The roads will take you into the Hudson Valley, an historically contentious region for Yanks and Brits, so my driving a sporty luxury car from Gaydon through it is a form of healing, really. You’re welcome.

Throughout it all, the DB12 never failed in being smooth and deliberate in its controls, and even the roughshod streets of the Big Apple weren’t enough to break the Aston’s composure. It has the sophistication of a well-to-do Manhattanite and the chops to keep up with the city’s hustle and bustle.

By the way, that exhaust note? Fantastic through the Holland tunnel.