While the DB12 has every right to be one of our Cars of the Year, I was slightly surprised after making my personal list to find it sitting at the top. The automotive world is changing at a huge pace, but my star of 2023 is one of the least radical cars I drove this year - a classic example of evolution beating revolution. A full quarter of the vehicles I reviewed this year - both on PH and elsewhere - have been EVs. Close to the same percentage have been hybrids. Against which the DB12’s combination of V8 brawn and right-wheel drive is as old school as it gets.
The DB12’s obvious links to its predecessor are a big part of the story. The DB11 was a car created from necessity - as a much-needed replacement for the ageing DB9 - but it was also engineered on what was pretty much a shoestring budget. Much of that went on the twin-turbocharged V12 engine that Aston built to meet toughening emissions standards. At launch in 2016 the DB11 felt like an unpolished diamond, with massive performance and plenty of charisma, but with a chassis that struggled to deliver the effort of its mighty new engine. Traction was never a forte, to put it politely, and in other areas the lack of development spending was obvious too - especially the interior.
To be fair to the DB11, it improved substantially over the years. The AMR version felt far better resolved, and I always thought that the AMG V8 that arrived in 2018 actually suited the car better than the Jurassic V12. But I’m pretty certain that history will remember it as one of Aston’s nearly cars. As one unkind critic put it when the DB11 was new, sometimes ‘grand tourer’ is just shorthand for ‘unsporty sports car.’
The DB12 obviously shares much with its predecessor. The closeness of the relationship is told by the carried-over bodywork and unchanged 2,805mm wheelbase. But, like the priciest tailors, Aston designers have long been experts at stylishly cutting cloth, and the visual changes at the front end make it look much more brawny and serious - much more like the DBS Superleggera than the DB11. The result is a car with spectacular levels of presence; despite the £188,500 kick-off I can’t imagine any DB12 buyer feeling short-changed on design. I spent much of my four days with the car just staring at it in admiration.
But the bigger changes have been made where they really needed to be. The DB11’s cabin wasn’t good enough for its price tag, something Aston has acknowledged with a comprehensive revamp. The DB12 is the second Aston to get a touchscreen, after the Valkyrie, with this working well enough to have become a non-issue. It’s not a reason to buy the car, but unlike the DB11’s tortuous turn-and-click Mercedes-based UI, it’s no longer a reason not to.
Other changes are more important: better materials, better assembled give a sense of specialness that’s necessary in this part of the market. And, of course, it keeps the DB11’s greatest virtue of impressive space, even the lankiest are not going to be short on headroom or legroom. Yes, it’s a plus-two rather than a true four-seater, but it is still as practical as a true grand tourer needs to be.
But it is the lovingly finessed driving experience that really marks the sea change. Dynamically the DB11 was proof that it is much easier to make a 90 per cent car than one that feels fully optimized. The DB12 isn’t quite perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot closer. That was true when we first drove it on perfect French roads back in July, but I’m delighted to report it is still the case in wintry Britain, even with a car riding on summer-spec Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tyres.
The pictures you’re looking at were taken in our regular playground of West Berkshire. But that’s only because British Airways was tardy in returning the PH snapper from Italy on the day of the shoot. I’d already travelled to the intended location in South Wales when word came through that Harry wouldn’t be back in time to join me, hence a rapid switch to plan B. Which did mean I got to experience the DB12 on some of our favourite roads around Crickhowell as well as a decent schlep along the M4 - one that gave the chance to experience the lane-keeping radar cruise control. Okay, hardly novel new technology - but still a first in an an Aston.
Despite the conditions, the DB12 felt supremely composed - even with chances to deploy the peak 671hp being few and far between. The DB12’s 4.0-litre V8 is indeed an AMG engine, but one that’s been lovingly constructed from a set of Daimler-supplied components rather than being delivered in a crate. Despite its relative lack of displacement it makes 71hp more than the launch-spec DB11 V12 did, and 74lb ft more torque. With a shortened final drive ratio to tighten up the ratios of the eight-speed auto, acceleration is brutal – and in Drive the gearbox and engine work together to downshift early and quickly to keep the turbos spinning. AMG-powered Astons often seem to attract flack in the comments for their bought-in powerplants. But on both performance and theatricality, this is a much better engine than the DB11’s V12.
You will not be surprised to hear that, with only a pair of driven wheels, deploying the firepower was a serious challenge on cold, greasy roads. It often didn’t take more than half throttle to experience the sensation of the rear tyres running short of grip, usually accompanied by an admonishing flash from the stability control icon on the digital dashboard. But the gentlest GT mode handles this without drama, cutting the engine gently to maintain the optimal level of thrust rather than allowing wheelspin. The intervention is much more subtle than it was in the DB11, which sometimes felt like it was being governed with a choke-chain.
The DB12 is still traction-limited, but in a good way. In slower and tighter corners it is easy to use the power to overwhelm rear grip – with even GT mode allowing a small amount of power oversteer before the stability steps in. But the limits are progressive and well-flagged, and with a decent amount of feedback through the steering as well the result is a car that is easy to drive at a high percentage of ‘what’s possible’ pace on a slippery road. I’ve no doubt something with the same power and all-wheel drive would be considerably quicker, but it would not be more fun. The DB12 can be exciting without feeling wayward.
There is a new-found subtlety to the chassis, too. The DB12’s dynamic modes have been moved further apart in terms of stiffness and aggression. Given the conditions, I spent more than 90 per cent of my time with the car in GT mode, which brings a pliancy that works very well in the real world. There is still a slight edge to the DB12’s ride when cruising, certainly more than there would be in an air-sprung Continental GT for example, but just enough to remind you of the Aston’s purity of purpose rather than to cause any actual discomfort. Sport mode is much firmer, and cuts down on roll under cornering loads, but doesn’t turn the DB12 harsh at higher speeds and it is still willing to use its suspension travel to flow over a rougher surface rather than start a fight with it.
Okay, there are still niggles. The cabin is a little loud at a motorway pace, not just in terms of exhaust burble but also with tyre noise that would likely become tiresome over longer distances. I’m not keen on the piano black finish of the switchgear, nor the stubby little gear selector which has replaced the P/R/N/D dashboard buttons. The gearchange paddles on my test car were also much too lightly sprung and lacking in resistance, working with a feeble click rather than a macho clack. None of which are deal-breakers.
Most importantly, the DB12 suits Britain. End-of-year performance car testing on wintry roads is often a frustrating reminder of how good a car was in better conditions, tip-toeing around on track-biased tyres and playing throttle roulette on slippery corners. But even driven well below its toweringly high limits it communicates clearly and stays as friendly and benign as anything with so much power can do. If the DB11 was the not quite Aston, the DB12 is just so.
SPECIFICATION | 2023 ASTON MARTIN DB12
Engine: 3,982cc, twin-turbo, V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 680@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 590@2,750-6,000rpm
0-62mph: 3.6secs
Top speed: 202mph
Weight: 1,685kg (dry)
MPG: 23.2
CO2: 276 g/km
Price: £188,500
Honourable mention | Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato
The Sterrato is a bizarre thing: a supercar that has been deliberately compromised to go off-road, something it is very unlikely to ever be asked to do. I fully understand if you regard it as being offensively pointless. But, hand on heart, sliding one around on desert dirt was the most fun I’ve had in any car all year - and the chance to drive another example on a proper racetrack proved that the lack of grip is actually a dynamic bonus rather than a liability. The slowest Huracan is my favourite example.
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