Aston Martin has finally dropped the anchor by launching their latest flagship super tourer, the DB12, and the automaker has taken a much more design-led approach than the model it is replacing, the DB11. This is exactly what Aston Martin needed and they delivered it bang on time.
Apart from the prominent changes that we will discuss, the very first thing to appreciate is that Aston Martin fixed the biggest matter in question, their dated interior. The new interior is leagues better than the predecessors. Aston Martin is now embarking on a fresh journey to offer more crisp and more design-oriented cars since the company has reached a milestone of 110 years and the DB lineup has completed 75 years.
Performance -
As the saying goes, “You gotta lose some to win some”, Greeting the new DB12 means we have to bid farewell to the legendary 5.2-liter V12 of the DB11 and other Astons. But there are no compromises in the performance since it will be loaded with a Mercedes-AMG sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces an enormous 671 HP and 590 pound-feet of torque which is outstandingly higher than the previously offered V8s and the mighty V12. The key reason why the DB12 will feel even more powerful is because it is over whopping 100 kilos lighter than the DB11 which was significantly heavier.
For now, the only engine option on offer will be a 4.0-liter V8 but Aston has tuned the V8 of this car specifically with newer and larger turbos in a way that it unlocks more power and it is much faster to rev all the way up and it feels more naturally aspirated-ish than a turbocharged. To suck in as much air as possible, it also gets a monstrous front grille and a completely revamped engine cooling system with bigger radiators. The gigantic horsepower will be delivered to the rear wheels through a ZF-manufactured 8-speed automatic gearbox. The car will be able to perform a 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds and it will top out at 325 km/h, these are pretty great numbers for a car that is supposed to be a luxury super GT.
Design and Interior -
The DB12 has the most dominant road presence of any of the Aston’s DB series ever. The hood design and the body lines are extremely well-designed. This is the first Aston with a renewed Aston Martin logo on it which is much cleaner and minimalistic.
The DB12 sits on a freshly developed advanced suspension setup that has stiffer anti-roll bars and fresh adaptive dampers. Another add-on to the DB12 is the new E-Diff or the Electronic Rear Differential, a much more accurate ESC (Electronic Stability Control), and a revamped power steering as well. It is also equipped with cast-iron disc brakes (15.7-inch front, 14.2-inch rear) which, according to Aston Martin, will enhance the handling of the vehicle. It also gets optional carbon ceramic brakes for those who need the peak braking experience. The DB12 gets a fresh Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 5 summer tyre compound (275/35 R-21), a bespoke collaboration of Michelin and AML, which will help the car perform flat out.
It was long overdue to get rid of the dated interior and Aston Martin finally fixed it because the interior is where things get interesting. The DB12 finally gets a completely redesigned interior which is modernised to meet the industry standards, the coolest thing has to be the neatly designed premium center console with a bunch of physical piano black finished buttons and controls for the volume, traction control, exhaust valves, rollers for aircon controls and an electronic shifter.
The DB12 gets a fresh in-house infotainment system that features a super smooth and responsive 10.3-inch touchscreen which comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The navigation features 3-D mapping and an online connection. It is great to see that Aston has kept the physical buttons below the infotainment screen as almost all the automakers are moving to touch-screen buttons. It also gets a Bowers and Wilkins audio system, one of the industry's leading audio systems. The car also gets the bespoke frameless wing ORVMs which has never been seen in any of the luxury cars yet.
A convertible version of the DB12 is very much expected in the near future which will be called the DB12 Volante and a much more aggressive track version, that is, the DB12 AMR could be expected too.
The company has not released the official pricing of the DB12 yet but this elegantly designed high-performance luxury Super GT is definitely going to catch a lot of people's attention who can spend almost a quarter of a million dollars on a luxury super tourer.
