As a company, Aston Martin has certainly had some ups and downs, but even so, over the decades they have continued create achingly beautiful vehicles. Many of these beauties have worn the ‘DB’ moniker, which stands for David Brown, the English businessman who bought Aston Martin in 1947 and Lagonda in 1948, and the first person to have been attributed to “saving” Aston Martin.
After passing through the hands of many owners, Aston Martin went public via an initial public offering in late 2018 and started trading on the London Stock Exchange, but the company continued to struggle finacially. Enter billionaire Lance Stroll, who made his fortune in the fashion industry with brands such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. In 2020, Stroll with the help of a consortium, purchased Aston Martin’s parent company and also a Formula 1 team that he later renamed Aston Martin Racing. So why is this important to the success of DB12?
Stroll is a savvy businessman who has an eye for a company’s potential and from the beginning he had big plans to turn Aston Martin around, again. This included giving a 5% stake in its business to Mercedes-Benz to access next-gen engines for its cars several years ago. DB11 was the first Aston Martin model to use the Mercedes-Benz technology that included their iconic AMG bi-turbo V8 engine and their older style infotainment system.
The Aston Martin DB12 is the first of the ‘next-gen’ models with Stroll’s influence more than ever now shining through. The DB12 is an evolution of the DB11, not a revolution, and I’m certainly glad of that. Because just look at this Iridescent Emerald DB12, it is simply stunning! Sexual innuendos were used more than once when I was chatting to my friends about its looks.
Aston Martin call the DB12 “the world’s first Super Tourer” thanks to its combination of power and finesse. The DB12 has an increased track by 6mm at the front and 22m at the rear compared to the DB11. The DB12’s wide-track stance is complemented by the standard-fit 21-inch forged alloy wheels, these are Y-Spoke Satin Bronze, with Michelin Pilot Sport 5s tyres made to Aston Martin’s precise specification and designated with AML.
Stopping power on this DB12 was thanks to the optional Carbon Ceramic Brake (CCB) with black brake calipers. Offering increased braking performance and reduced brake fade at temperatures of up to 800°C, fitting CCB saves 27kg in unsprung mass compared to the standard braking system, which in turn benefits ride quality and steering response.
The all-new front-end features a larger, re-shaped radiator aperture and a re-shaped splitter that is quite high for supercar standards, so I didn’t feel I had to worry about scraping it on every speed hump that I encountered. Another handy Aston design feature is the way the doors incline slightly up when you open them, so they don’t hit the curb.
The design lines are as meaningful as they are beautiful and I love that the flush door handles now pop out automatically when you go to open them, so there’s less chance of scratching them. The vents and folds of the DB12 are all there to improve the aerodynamic efficiency and include a clever invisible rear wing. Ducts incorporated into the C-pillars direct air through the boot lid and out of the top of it to create downforce from an aeroblade.
Under the bonnet is the familiar hand built Hot V bi-turbo V8 from Mercedes-AMG that has tuned by Aston Martin engineers to deliver 500kW at 6,000rpm and 800Nm between 2,750-6,000rpm; an increase of 34% compared with the outgoing DB11. The low down V8 rumble becomes more frantic as you increase speed and revs and its power delivery is terribly addictive. There are five drive modes: Wet, GT, Sport, Sports Plus and Individual, which are selected using the rotating start/stop button. Individual mode allows you to customise the Drivetrain, Steering and Chassis between GT, Sport and Sport Plus.
GT mode is supple and perfect for everyday cruising, but when I wanted to have some fun with the DB12 I skipped Sport mode and went straight to Sports Plus, where everything tightens up. The ride is firmer, the exhaust is louder, the engine revs higher, the gearshifts are faster, and the rear end is less grippy. As I was enjoying Sport Plus mode more often than not, my fuel use for the time I had the DB12 was 19.9L/100km. Officially the rear-wheel drive DB12 can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 325km/h.
Power is fed through an 8-speed automatic transmission and for the first time on an Aston Martin DB model, an Electronic Rear Differential. Gear selection is made using the small toggle and you can ‘manually’ change gears using the wheel mounted metal paddle shifters, finished here in dark chrome. These paddles now rival McLaren’s as the ultimate sensory pleasure touchpoints in my opinion.
We once again played our fun family game of ‘find the surface not covered in leather’ in the Aston Martin interior and like the DBX707, the answer is ‘almost none.’ The aromatic, hand-stitched Bridge of Weir hides cover not only the seats, door trims, and dash, but also the headliner, the parcel shelf, the sun visors and even the sliding vanity mirror covers. The leather features the new Lux Quilting pattern that has been introduced in the DB12 and this is matched with dark brushed Aluminium centre console and door trims with the dark Chrome Jewellery pack on my DB12.
These are the Comfort Seats and both front seats have powered adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat heigh front and rear, side bolster adjustment on both the back and base of the seat, 4-way lumber support and three memory positions, with the controls located on the side of the centre console for easy access. The seats come as standard with heating and my DB12 also had the optional ventilation as well, which worked as well as most other vehicles with this function, but they were noisy when operating.
A major DB12 landmark is the introduction of Aston Martin’s next-generation multi-screen infotainment system, which has been designed and developed in-house by Aston Martin and replaces the old Merc infotainment system. The new touch control 10.25-inch display is meant to support wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but I was unable to connect to Android Auto either with or without a USB cable and the screen gets bad fingermarks on it. At night the cabin can now be lit with ambient lighting, another updated feature for Aston Martin.
Understanding the need for balance between touchscreen commands and the positive tactility of physical switches, DB12 retains buttons for the key mechanical operations offering the perfect blend of digital and analogue controls. There are also override switches for chassis, ESP and exhaust, Lane Assist and Park Distance Control, ensuring the most used controls are always conveniently to hand and these will look familiar if you are acquainted with a Mercedes-AMG cabin.
There’s a wireless charger for compatible devices on a ledge under the centre console and two USB-C ports and one 12V socket under the arm rest, where there is a shallow cubby for your phone. There are two cup holders in the centre console, which have a removable base for easy cleaning. The cubby in the doors is suitable for your sunglasses, but has a low lip, so you need to be careful that they don’t fall out.
My DB12 was fitted with the optional Bowers & Wilkins bespoke speaker system that has been acoustically engineered for the DB12’s interior volume and shape to deliver a truly spectacular listening experience. The Aluminium Double Dome tweeters and Continuum midrange speakers give this 15-speaker, double amplified 1,170W surround sound system with a powerful subwoofer, the most enthralling sound experience possible in an Aston Martin sports car. With stainless steel speaker grilles available in finishes to match the interior jewellery of DB12, they feature perforations optimised for perfect acoustics and striking aesthetics ensuring the system looks as good as it sounds, both of which are exceptional.
DB12 is actually a 2+2 GT, but I call vehicles with back seats as small as this a three-seater car. Because the passenger seat has to be moved forward in order for one person to sit behind it. The feedback I got from my children were that the rear seats were hard, with very little headroom, no rear air vents, and can you believe they even complained about being dropped off in the DB12! The rear seats do have ISOfix and rear tether child seat restraint points, but if you were going to be putting a car seat in the DB12 careful consideration would need to be given to the shape of the seat you are fitting due to the sculptured nature of the rear seats and the low roof line.
There is no external boot release, so to unlock the boot you need to use the button on the substantial-feeling key fob or in the cabin and to close the lid down you need to push on it, so you may scratch it over time? The boot is large enough for a grocery shop or luggage for a weekend away. My DB12 had the optional Aston Martin umbrella and they come standard with a tyre repair kit.
Demonstrating the GT nature of the DB12 it comes with a number Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. These include Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise control with Stop & Go function, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Rear Cross Traffic Assist. The DB12 also has a combination standard rear-view camera with a 360-degree and 3D Surround Camera and 360-degree parking sensors. For convenience you also get auto lights with auto high beam and rain sensing auto wipers.
All new Aston Martin vehicles come with a three-year unlimited kilometre and an extended warranty can also be purchased. The service interval for Astons is every 12 months or 16,000km whichever occurs first and a major service is completed every four years.
The new direction that Aston Martin is heading under the leadership of businessman Lance Stroll is looking as good as the DB12. The starting price for the Aston Martin DB12 is $455,00 before on-road costs and owners have the option to make their DB12 truly unique by using Q by Aston Martin bespoke service. You can configure your DB12 online or visit your nearest Aston Martin dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| The stunning design | Android Auto did not work |
| The Aston Martin tuned V8 engine | The ventilated seats were noisy when operating |
| The beautiful interior | Limited room in the rear seats |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.