Aston Martin DB12: a trompe-l’oeil novel

Launched in 2016, the DB11 has completed its traditional seven years of life, and therefore must pass the torch. But in the higher levels of the car, things do not work like in other industries. Maybe we’re keeping a car in inventory for almost 10 years, or we’re essentially putting something new on an outgoing model. This is a common practice at Ferrari for example, and today at Aston Martin.

At first glance, only the front end of the DB12 is new, with new headlights and a new widened grille that gives it a little extra character. Apart from the volume of the windshield on the other hand, we can say that nothing has changed compared to the DB11. At least to what it seems. Because across the board, there are many changes.

From 0 to 100 km / h in 3.6 seconds

Compared to their rivals, modern Aston Martins have often sinned with a quality of finish that is not worth the asking price. But that was before. The DB12 certainly features a very neat, elegant and undeniably modern dashboard, especially thanks to the current digital instrument cluster. At this time, we can say that the English woman will stand in comparison with Ferraria Porsche or a maserati.

Finally, mechanics. With the DB12, Aston says goodbye to GTs with V12 engines. But we do not lose much in the change, since the V8 4.0 liters of the original Mercedes-AMG develops 680 hp and 800 Nm, more than the 639 hp and 700 Nm that the DB11 V12. Power is sent to the rear wheels through an automatic box 8. All this makes it possible to reach 0-100 km / h in 3.6 seconds, and reach 325 km / h.

It remains to be seen whether the DB12 will also be a better sports car than the DB11, as the chassis benefits from many changes. The launch is scheduled for the final quarter, and we know that 2024 will also see the arrival of a convertible version of the Volante.

Stephane Lemeret