From Dream to Reality: Experiencing the Aston Martin DB for the First Time

The Aston Martin DB12 represents an important step forward in the range of models of the British firm since it incorporates some of the DBS solutions and a spectacular design in a set with a much more adjusted price. Also internally, the leap is giant in terms of technology. We met him and we tell you our first impressions of him.

Aston Martin says that the new DB12 is a Superturismo, a new category that according to them is above the Gran Turismo, which is where by nature this model should be framed.

Its design is spectacular no matter where you see it. Its coupé bodywork has the classic proportions for this type of car: a short rear overhang, a very rear passenger compartment, and a long front hood.

It's hard to find someone who would criticize just one aspect of your design.

Presiding over the latter is the classic Aston Martin grille, which in this case has been redesigned but remains the element that occupies the most space on the front of the car. It's a pity that the registration in Spain is going to spoil an aesthetic that seems sublime to me.

The hood is crossed by a series of very marked nerves, which give muscle to that area of the car. It has two air intakes that allow the turbo to breathe.

At the front ends, the rounded optics have LED technology. As seen before you, it is perceived as a very wide and low car, and looking at the technical sheet we can confirm that this is the case: compared to the DB11 it has an extra 6 mm in front track width and 22 mm in rear track width.

The tiny and fine front wings have some moldings that leave a significant open space in the wheel arch, which will allow better cooling of the brakes/tires and step assembly, it marks its style by incorporating the word Aston Martin on glossy black.

The wheels are 21-inch and have a spectacular design, even in the case of the unit exposed for the coming-out of the model, which was configured in a discreet silver color with black details.

The DB12 arrives in the year in which the 110 years of the brand and the 75 years of the DB are celebrated

In this last color is the entire profile that runs along the roof line from the A-Pillar to the hypothetical C-Pillar, a piece that as an option in the Q by Aston Martin customization program can be requested in carbon fiber.

The rear is forceful, with sharp optics and a very thin profile that, together with the greater width of the rear wings, gives it a very robust appearance. The vertically operated retractable spoiler is perfectly integrated into the boot lid and is only visible when it is opened.

Seeing the car in detail, it is easy to appreciate the highly worked and elaborate aerodynamic set, with areas such as the inner profile of the arch of the windows that directs air towards the rear, generating load in this part of the car.

Without a doubt, it is a very successful evolution of the classic Aston Martin design to create a set that looks very attractive and striking, although always in its proper measure.

Generational leap inside

To enter the interior of the DB12, you must first open the doors by pulling the flush handles on the door. It opens slightly upwards, very subtle but enough so that the access sequence is different from that of other cars.

Once seated in the driver's seat, the first thing that stands out is the posture, very GT, with the legs super stretched and the rear located very low. Perfect for making long trips in those seats that are a good example of a compromise between comfort and lateral support.

Taking a look at the rest of the cabin, we find a central console with a diagonal inclination, which goes from the area that separates both seats acting as a central glove box to the top of the dashboard, presided over by a large screen.

It is a modern 10.25-inch high-resolution screen (1970 x 720) with a Pure Black finish, which together with the digital dashboard behind the wheel, gives the interior a much more modern and avant-garde appearance.

Of course, it already incorporates basic technologies today, such as the use of Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ among others.

Also luckily, Aston Martin has managed to keep sanity in terms of the rest of the controls, and physical buttons are maintained for many functions. These are high-quality buttons, with a very good touch, and the thread to increase or decrease the volume of the audio equipment stands out, for example.

The backlit central button allows starting the V8 TwinTurbo mechanics of Mercedes-AMG origin. The steering wheel is slightly flattened on the sides and at the bottom, and in general, the quality of the leather that is touched and of the materials is first-class.

It is a 2+2, although access to the rear seats is quite tight for an adult and the space in those rear seats is quite limited. I think that its space in the rear seats is closer to that of a Mercedes SL, in which these seats are practically useless than to those of a Porsche 911 where they can be used relatively normally.

In general, I think that the perception of the car with all this level of technology, screens, and so on, makes it feel like a very modern and current car, something that has not happened in most Aston Martins to date.

Modern mechanics and more adjusted price

The lavish front hood hides inside a V8 twin-turbo engine that delivers 680 hp and 800 Nm of torque from Mercedes-AMG origin. It is about the type of engines that most of the cars in its segment mount today, now that they have put aside the glorious V12.

The engine is paired with an 8-speed sequential automatic gearbox. The electronics are advanced, it has four predefined driving modes (Wet, Activated, Circuit, and Deactivated) and an electronic rear differential (E-Diff).

All this, but above all the adoption of these highly proven mechanics, has allowed the final price of the Aston Martin DB12 to be much more adjusted than that of the previous DB11 and that of many of its rivals, thus placing it in a very favorable position. to reap many sales.

The Aston Martin DB12 costs 280,000 euros in Spain, therefore being in the same vein as a Porsche 911 Turbo S that costs 283,000 euros, somewhat above a Mercedes-AMG SL 63 with 223,000 euros or the Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo that despite having 557 hp and a V6 engine instead of the V8, it costs 253,000 euros.