Aston Martin DB12 review

The Aston Martin DB12 is the first model for decades to demonstrate what the celebrated car maker can do when it takes the reins.

You see, the DB12 coupé arrives at an exciting time for Aston Martin, with a healthy boost in financial investment and a growing team for in-house development.

The firm is also itching to be more independent of other manufacturers for hardware. After all, while you could do worse than share parts with Mercedes, it’s tricky to be unique when a lot of your switchgear can be found in an old C-Class.

For example, the DB12's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol is still sourced from Mercedes-AMG, but it’s been extensively reworked to produce a dollop more power than its predecessor (the Aston Martin DB11) and tuned with a slightly different power delivery.

Under the DB12’s eye-catching bodywork, the basic structure is effectively a development of the DB11. However, time has been spent revising and strengthening it to help deliver a sharper drive and the more luxurious feel of a grand tourer.

You could view the Aston Martin DB12 as a case of continuous improvement by building on what its predecessor set out to achieve. Just like the DB11, it will be followed by a convertible version called the DB12 Volante, followed by a limited-edition version of the coupé.

So, what about rivals? Well, the Bentley Continental GT is about being relaxed and covering ground effortlessly, while the Ferrari Roma is more focused on raising adrenaline levels. There’s the small matter of top-tiered versions of the Porsche 911 to consider as well, which is known for balancing sports car performance with everyday usability.

So, has Aston Martin succeeded in giving you the best of both worlds, by managing to be both luxurious and sporty? That’s what we’ll tell you in this review, which covers the DB12's performance, comfort, equipment and more. 

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Some buyers might feel a ‘proper GT Aston Martin’ should have a big V12 engine under the bonnet, but the 4.0-litre V8 in the DB12 develops more power than its predecessor. With the help of two turbochargers, it produces a mighty 671bhp and can dash from 0-62mph in 3.6sec – only 0.2sec slower than the Ferrari Roma.

You can bumble around effortlessly at low speeds, or briskly build up to the motorway limit using only its mid-range grunt. The engine has been tuned to reward those wanting to work the engine all the way to the rev limiter though, so while some turbocharged engines run out of puff at higher revs, the V8 continues to flex its muscle.

It revs quite quickly, making the most of its eight-speed automatic gearbox. Overall, it feels more sprightly than the Bentley Continental GT if not as ferocious as the Roma.

All that is accompanied by a suitably loud soundtrack from its switchable exhaust and the engine noise piped inside from behind the dashboard, with a higher sense of theatre than in a Continental GT.

While the Aston Martin DB11 struggled to control its body movements under power, the DB12 hunkers down confidently and stays impressively flat in the bends, regardless of the drive mode you’ve selected (Wet, GT, Sport, Sport+ or the custom Individual mode).

The steering is close to perfection, with a strong sense of connection to the front wheels, plenty of weight build-up and a direct response that avoids feeling twitchy when you gently cruise between lanes on the motorway.

There’s plenty of grip available and the front wheels turn the car’s nose in to bends keenly. Better yet, there’s an electronically controlled differential for the rear driven wheels, helping you maximise traction as you power out of corners.

In short, it’s very easy for the driver to go from a gentle cruise to being engaged as they carve down a country road. A Roma or Porsche 911 is even sharper and more agile, but the Roma's lightning fast steering does take some time to get used to.

While switching to the most aggressive Sport+ drive mode helps the car feel as planted as possible, the ride comfort does suffer. Thankfully, there's a dedicated button on the centre console for the suspension settings, allowing you to soften them down a notch if the road surface becomes too challenging.

The rear of the car thumps over larger bumps, but it remains nice and settled most of the time. Yes, it’s firmer than the pillow-soft Continental GT, but it’s better controlled at the same time. 

Granted, the Continental GT remains on another level in terms of refinement and isolating occupants from the outside world, but the DB12 is quiet enough, with less road and engine noise than in the Roma. There should be little to deter you from completing a brisk, comfortable dash across Europe.

All shapes and sizes of driver should find it easy to get comfortable in the Aston Martin DB12 thanks to a 16-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel with a wide range of movement. The seats feel plusher than in the Ferrari Roma and more supportive in corners than the big armchair-like items in a Bentley Continental GT.

The pedals line up perfectly, but some drivers might find the electric seat controls on the side of the centre console bash their knee.

Forward visibility can be tricky because of the low seating position, high dashboard and comparatively thick windscreen pillars, but it's no worse than most coupé cars. The shallow rear windscreen means the 360-degree parking camera and sensors will be appreciated when it comes to low-speed manoeuvres.

The stalks on the steering column are from a Mercedes but the freshly designed dashboard is perhaps where you’ll see the biggest development from previous Aston Martins. The driver’s digital instrument panel has two layouts (switching from two dials to a single one) and can show the sat-nav map, but isn’t as customisable as the one in the Continental GT. The menus are easier to sift through than the Roma’s, though.

The 12.3in touchscreen infotainment is Aston Martin’s own development, moving away from the Mercedes-sourced system of recent models, including the Aston Martin DBX SUV. It looks sharp and has a range of shortcut keys to hop between functions. The response time is quick enough, although our early test car’s sat-nav suffered from glitches. Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto are standard.

You still get physical controls and buttons on the centre console for commonly used functions, so adjusting the temperature for the climate control or the audio volume can be done by rolling a control back and forth. The gear selector is now a lever (rather than individual dash-mounted buttons) and you have buttons for vehicle settings. Indeed, some of them are a bit small but they are easy to locate by touch after a while. The engine start button is incorporated into the rotary drive mode selector that feels wonderfully tactile.

An optional 15 speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo with 1170watts is clear and punchy, if not quite as head-pounding as the optional Naim stereo in the Continental GT.

Soft, hand-stitched leather covers most surfaces of the dash and doors, accompanied with gloss-black and silver trim highlights, including stainless steel speaker grills on the doors. While the fit and finish is up to a high standard, it doesn’t feel quite as robust or sturdy as a Continental GT, while a few of the minor controls could be better damped.

Front space in the Aston Martin DB12 is very good, with plenty of head and leg room for a couple of tall adults. Storage space includes a wireless charging tray for your phone tucked away on a lower tier below the centre console, two small cupholders, a centre armrest cubby and door bins that can hold a drinks bottle horizontally.

The rear seats are more useful than those in the Ferrari Roma and Porsche 911 with space for children or small adults on shorter journeys, but they’re better suited to a couple of weekend bags. Most adults will find their head leaning on the sloping roof before their back even touches the backrest. The Bentley Continental GT is a much better coupé if you’re going to be carrying more than two passengers.

The DB12’s 262-litre boot is on a par with the Roma's and will be big enough for a few carry-on suitcases, but it’s less accommodating than the Continental GT’s. The low loading lip is useful, but accessing it can be tricky due to the boot lid not opening high enough.

Whichever engine you choose, the DB12 costs a fortune, but no doubt you’ve already considered that if you’re flicking through the brochure with an eye on purchasing one. Be aware, though, haggling isn’t likely to be fruitful – Aston Martin dealers won’t be offering discounts willingly.

The prospect of day-to-day running costs for a car with eight cylinders in its engine is no less intimidating than its asking price. CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are expected to be high and the model won’t be cheap to tax. However, that figure will be dwarfed by the insurance premiums and annual service costs – especially when you need a new set of 21in tyres. The same is true of any of the luxury coupé rivals, though.

You get an extremely long list of equipment in return for your outlay, including heated front leather seats, two-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise control, a DAB radio, LED headlights and an Alcantara suede headliner. Options include ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel and privacy glass.

The DB12 hasn’t been crash-tested by Euro NCAP or security tested by Thatcham, but it comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, traffic-sign recognition and cross-traffic assist.

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