2024 Aston Martin DB12 | First Drive

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The Aston Martin DB12 doesn’t look like it messes around, so I’m sure not going to with some drawn out intro.

Imagine if the DB11 and the DBS Superleggera had a baby. I feel like this is it. There’s a lot of DNA from both vehicles and I think Aston picked the best of both and I think this is looking like a beast that you can still take to the opera.

The gaping mouth that looks like it’s eating pavement even before it moves comes from the DBS. The DB12 is slung lower than its predecessor, that’s a bit of Vantage in there, looks like. If the hips are wider than on the 11 but don’t take it quite to the extreme of the DBS.

Yes, it’s a stunner and I love it, but with its new more aggressive nature and the Aston moniker of Super Tourer – yes, they’re shooting for more of a performance bent on this car – there was something pure GT I loved about the DB11. That was a pure touring car and this one pushes that boundary toward sports car.

The DB12 gets a crispy 4.0-liter twin turbo V8. This heart in the DB12 pumps out 671 horsepower and 590-pound feet of torque. Those are incredible numbers – and actually, they end up being best in class and 34% more than the DB11. Want another big number. Top speed of 202 mph. and a 0-60 number.

They managed to squeeze all this out by making very Aston modifications on the AMG engine including using larger turbos, increasing cooling, modified cams, and improved compression ratios. And yippee-kiy-yay, wow. This thing smokes.

This thing has guts, chuzpta, balls, gumption, however you want to say it, it’s here. It gets moved around by an 8-speed automatic transmission, which I think shifts quickly.

I’ll echo my sentiments about the DB12’s looks moving away from the GT world. It’s the same with the way the throttle mapping feels, that’s aggressive and punchy – again rather un-GT like. It’s not a negative but it’s just moving away from a smooth operating powerhouse and acting more like a great gut punch.

80% of the hardware is new and 100% of everything has been touched by new software. When it comes to what underpins the DB12 there’s a lot that’s similar with DB11 but it’s been reworked, reinforced and retooled.

They’ve stiffened up the chassis and made improvements to elements like the engine cross brace, the front crossmember and the bulkhead and that’s improved lateral stiffness and tortional rigidity.

All of those elements add up to being able to fling the DB12 around turns with more fervor. Another reason the nice folks at Aston are going to enable you to do that is because this GT gets an e-diff on the rear for the first time.
You also get stiffer anti-roll bars and adaptive dampers that have 500% increase in force distribution. I’d love to say I got a solid chance to push this car to its limits or even mine, but it was raining for much of my drive on the super twisty bits. Suffice to say, even as I pushed this car as far as conditions allowed, I could feel it encouraging me to do more. It’s got a lot to give a driver and will make you feel very secure about driving it hard.

The DB12 also gets 21-inch wheels wrapped in bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires (275/35 front and 315/30 rear) that use compounds unique to Aston. They’re the first OEM to use these tires on a production car and even in the rain the grip felt solid.

Aston’s put together a car that’s more aggressive now than assertive and pushes the GT limit.

So, when you’re doing all that fancy driving, interacting with the vehicle here is something that I’ve been traditionally underwhelmed by. While the design has always been top notch the user interface has always left me a bit cold. Aston also uses tech from Mercedes and it’s always been previous generation. Aston’s got a new system that they’ve done all by themselves, no hand me downs here, and I’m really eager to try it out.

When it comes to interior craftsmanship Aston Martin always jumps to the head of the line for me. And it should. It’s all handmade. In a world of conveyor belt slap-it-together-and-churn-it-out cars, this is a rarity.

Some optional bits on the DB12 include metallic paint, carbon fiber details, privacy glass, colored brake calipers, and smoked taillights.

Pricing starts at around $250,000. And for that you get a well-rounded car that gives you great power, agility, performance, elegance and stature. I’d say that’s very worthy of my number 12.

It’s new, it’s beautiful, it’s finally got a new user interface that’s great. If I were in the market for a luxury performance car, DB12.

00:00 2024 Aston Martin DB12
0:24 Exterior
2:01 Competitors
2:28 Engine
3:30 Driving Impressions
8:51 Interior
12:29 Price