Winding through scenic hills of Monaco, Aston Martin's new DB12 is at home. Locked in its lane between the yacht-filled Mediterranean and France's thick forests, the world's first super tourer showed off the dynamics and technology that exemplify the "new" Aston Martin during a 330 kilometer day's drive in and around the principality.
This new version of the classic DB tourer traces its lineage back to the very roots of the British company, through to the DB5 of Sean Connery's James Bond fame to the the DB9 in Pierce Bosnian's Bond films and DB11 in Daniel Craig's.
"[In the new car] superior for us is essentially preserving everything that is Aston Martin GT, everything good about levels of refinement and delicacy from DB11…massively extending the dynamic breadth of capability in the car, elevating its performance in pretty much every way back on track," Simon Newton, Aston Martin's director of vehicle performance told Newsweek before handing over the keys to the new car.
DB12 is the company's first in a series of next-generation sports cars. It's a signal that Aston Martin isn't just trying to remake the DB. The company is trying to create the world's most desirable ultra-luxury British performance brand.
From top to tip, the Aston Martin DB12 is a success. It's a super tourer, not a mid-engine monster, and the car looks and behaves appropriately. And it's sexy.
Upon climbing behind the wheel, it's immediately apparent that the DB12 is Aston Martin's next-generation sports car. From technology to performance to styling to materials to layout. Everything is upgraded from the last DB. The automaker says that it was done in an effort to shift brand perception, from near Maserati, Bentley and Porsche to closer to Lamborghini, Ferrari and McLaren.
It works. Designed to slow time down, not speed it up, the world's first super tourer makes a driver enjoy the drive from on to off. The sights and sounds of the the surrounds are accompanied by the sweet music of the deep voiced engine, which outputs 671 horsepower from its 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine, a 30-percent increase over the DB11's output.
Traveling into the Massif de l'Esterel via curvy roads out of Cannes, the DB12 was as happy to cruise along the highway as it was to be pushed through harsh curves or plod along at low speeds through French towns where onlookers were seen whipping their heads around to catch a peek, pointing out the car to those they were with, and looking generally delighted that the stylish petrol-swallowing Aston could be seen and heard.
The roads gave the opportunity to test out the DB12's drive modes (Sport, Sport+, GT, Individual and Wet). It's happiest in Sport mode. During a torrential downpour that lasted the better part of half an hour, the car stayed in Sport mode with the driver taking the "we'll change it if we need to" approach. At no point, even in deep puddles, did the mode need changed to Wet. That speaks volumes.
Aston representatives are quick to point out that the vehicle is about 80 percent new from generation to generation, but that with the new technology it is more like 100 percent new.
Gone are the Mercedes-Benz infotainment leftovers that have been the maddening pain point for most Aston owners over the last few years. Also gone are the cumbersome controls in the center console that gave previous generation Astons identity in equal amounts that they caused curses.
In their place is a well-sourced infotainment screen/button, switch and dial setup that is thoroughly modern and would be at home inside a modern Mercedes (if they still were keen on buttons) or Porsche (we know how they love buttons). Thankfully, Aston didn't go the way of the Chevrolet Corvette button bar.
The vehicles were prototypes, but dynamically representative of the final version of the car. Aston says that it expects to have four software updates between this first drive experience and when customers get their vehicle that will address various infotainment pain points such as navigation instruction disconnects that reviewers experienced throughout the drive.
Driving in and around fragrant Grasse, France, a region famous for making perfumes since the 1700s, with the windows rolled down and the breeze coming in, it was easy enough to forget the twists of the mountain roads and relax in the comfort of the cabin, which offers comfortable seats, plenty of legroom, and smooth and supple surfaces that find the fingertips. It was the epitome of grand touring.
The Aston Martin DB12 does all it set out to, including showcase a pathway forward for the brand that raises it far above where the company's reputation has long held it. This new DB12 is an essential part of the new Aston Martin, and it's easy to be a fan of both.
The first deliveries of the DB12 commence in July with U.S. customers getting their models starting in October. Starting price for the model is right around $250,000.
