Aston Martin DB12 Review: Forget All About The DB11

The DB12 is a galactic leap forward compared to the DB11, but there’s still some room for improvement

It really doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were driving the then-new DB11. This was supposed to be Aston Martin’s rebirth – after years of pedalling what were pretty much different versions of the same car, there was something actually new. New looks, new structure, new engine – well, sort of, with plenty carried over from the old naturally aspirated V12 to create the twin-turbo version.

It felt like a big step on from the dated DB9 it replaced. The only trouble was, not enough had been done to make the DB11 feel like a logical choice when presented with cars like the Bentley Continental GT. And so, a mere seven years later, the Aston Martin DB12 is here to spearhead the British brand’s rebirth. Yes, another one.

It’s off to a good start just from the way it looks. The DB11 never felt like a cohesive whole, with its huge grille looking out of proportion with the rest of the car, and various other issues. The DB12, though, is drop-dead gorgeous. It’s taken on a more aggressive aesthetic, but without resorting to excessive creasing as some rivals seem to love.

Under that very different-looking skin the DB12 uses the same structure as before, and there’s still a twin-turbo V8 borrowed from Mercedes-AMG (towards the end of its life, the DB11 was only available with that lump). But this is much more than a heavy facelift and a rebrand. The front and rear tracks are wider, the chassis hardpoints have been beefed up, the tyres are fatter and the suspension radically overhauled.

That V8, by the way, isn’t just a carryover either. It comes with all sorts of modifications made at Aston Martin’s request, so the 4.0-litre lump isn’t quite the same as anything you can have with an AMG badge slapped on the boot. The power stands at 671bhp, which is considerably more than the heavy old V12 served up.

To get there, the engine received new camshaft profiles, a tweaked compression ratio, bigger turbochargers and improved cooling to stop that hopped-up V8 from cooking. Now, there are two auxiliary coolers to go with the main radiator and a low-temperature radiator in the charge cooler water circuit. Should do.

Unlike earlier Merc-engined Astons, this one – and the 2024 Aston Martin Vantage, for that matter – doesn’t sound like an AMG. The new exhaust system gives the car its own character – it’s a delicious, creamy note that makes a tickle of the throttle pedal all too tempting. And yes, that V8 makes this car very fast (0-62mph comes up in 3.6 seconds), and quite lairy.

Wider tracks and fatter Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres can only do so much to tame the DB12’s higher output, and it frequently feels like it has a bit too much power for its own good, with its rear end squirming around significantly while the traction control system only does a half-hearted job to calm the madness. And you know what? We wouldn’t have it any other way.

For all its bedroom poster-friendly looks, the DB12 is a bruiser, as though it’s channelling the spirit of those boxy, twin-supercharged Vantage models of the 90s. The DB12 is far more sophisticated than that, though. Just take the damping, which keeps the body remarkably level without resulting in a harsh ride. Plus, there’s enough finesse in the compression and rebound strokes that you can actually get away with using the adaptive setup’s firmer modes without your spine immediately regretting it.

That’s not to say this is a waft-mobile like the aforementioned Bentley Continental GT, though. It’s much more sporty and focused in its setup than that car and the old DB11, feeling much more like the Vantage’s bigger brother, even in that vehicle’s own overhauled form. It’s a car that’s at its happiest being chucked around, with firm, natural-feeling steering letting you make the most of the front-end grip. This is a car that can change direction very rapidly, and one that shrugs off its 1,788kg weight figure with remarkable ease.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox is another carry-over from the DB11, but again, it’s arrived with tweaks – there’s a shorter final drive ratio, and it feeds power to a new electronically controlled differential.

It’s a slick setup that swaps cogs quickly and rarely annoys – as with a lot of auto ‘boxes, the best compliment we can pay is that you simply forget about it after a while. The chunky metal shift paddles are a nice touch, too – all too often, even expensive performance cars make do with miserably little plastic tabs affixed to the back of the steering wheel.

When you calm down, the DB12 still makes for a fine grand tourer. Those giant tyres are a little louder than we’d like, but otherwise, it’s a calm cabin in which to spend a long journey. The cabin, by the way, is a world away from the DB11’s. The design is all-new, the finish much better, and the material choices mostly spot on. We say mostly, as there’s far too much piano black plastic, which was already looking scratched on our relatively young press car.

There is still work for Aston to do, though. The infotainment system and digital instrument cluster, while much improved over what came before, need to be better in a car knocking on the door of £200,000. Yes, the central touchscreen is responsive, but the menu layout could be better, and a lot of the text on both displays is smaller than it ought to be, making it hard to read on the move. 

These are minor complaints, though. On the whole, the DB12 is a triumph, and a sign of very good things to come from Aston Martin in the next few years.