Aston Martin DB12, the successor to the DB11, is priced in India at Rs 4.8 crore (ex-showroom, before options). Bookings for what Aston Martin calls “the world’s first super tourer” will begin in early June and deliveries are slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023.
- Aston Martin DB12 gets a 680hp Mercedes AMG V8
- It will rival the Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari Roma
- The DB12 gets Aston Martin's revised logo
Its arrival coincides with both Aston Martin's 110th birthday and the 75th anniversary of the hallowed DB nameplate. The DB12 is fundamentally based on its predecessor, but with a raft of wide-reaching and hugely significant upgrades carried out to its powertrain, chassis and interior.
New Aston Martin DB12 exterior
Designer Miles Nurnberger said his team’s priority for the DB12 was to place “much more emphasis on performance and power", and so the new GT is a more overtly aggressive proposition than its predecessor.
The front grille is bigger, the aero elements beefier, the wheels larger and the tracks wider – 6mm at the front and 22mm at the rear – to give it a noticeably muscular stance.
Meanwhile, the wing mirrors are smaller and sleeker to aid airflow, and the flush door handles add to the slippier side profile on the move.
Plus, the headlights have been reshaped and are now equipped with LED Matrix technology, a distinctive DRL signature, and the package is capped off by the application of Aston’s revised wings badge – the first time it’s been put on a production car.
New Aston Martin DB12 interior and features
The DB12 is a thoroughly new car in all aspects, but it is inside where the reinvention is most obvious and tangible. Gone is the old car’s oft-derided, ageing Mercedes infotainment platform – noted for being one of few in this segment to not use a touchscreen – to make way for an all-new, totally bespoke set-up engineered and programmed by Aston’s new, in-house software division.
A 10.25-inch touchscreen is now the centrepiece of the cabin, sitting atop a dramatic sloping centre console dubbed the 'waterfall'. Said to be the highest-resolution screen in its class and to respond to touch inputs in just 30 milliseconds, it introduces Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – a long-awaited upgrade for Aston owners – and a whole new host of connectivity functions.
Aston Martin says buyers can read reviews of restaurants, for example, in the navigation interface before setting them as the destination. They can also pre-programme the route guidance in a new smartphone app before getting in the car.
Over-the-air connectivity also means updates can be rolled out without the need for a dealer visit, and offers customers the chance to join an online 'community' of Aston owners through an integrated interaction platform.
For the first three years after sale, Aston will include a selection of subscription features for free, including 4G-connected navigation, voice assistant, car locator, breakdown response and remote diagnostics.
To which end, the DB12 retains a comprehensive array of physical – and intricately designed – switchgear for the most important functions, arranged around a new gear lever and steering wheel for easy, quick access.
New Aston Martin DB12 powertrain
The DB12 makes 680hp and 800Nm from Mercedes-AMG's handbuilt, twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, which is 34 percent more torque than the V8 DB11. This helps it complete the 0-100kph sprint in just 3.6 seconds, with a top speed of 325kph.
The power hike comes courtesy of modified cam profiles, tweaked compression ratios, larger turbochargers and improved cooling.
But conspicuous by its absence is the thunderous 5.2-litre V12 that was offered in the DB11 and limited-run DBS 770.
The firm, which has offered a V12 since 1999, says there is a future for its largest engine "in an all-new application", but highlights the 100kg saving over the front axle offered by the V8 – and points out that it is scarcely less powerful or quick than the outgoing, V12-engined DBS.
The DB12 keeps its predecessor’s eight-speed ZF gearbox, but the mechanical limited-slip differential makes way for an electronic unit, which is said to go from “fully open to 100 percent locked in a matter of milliseconds”, boosting handling precision and consistency.
New Aston Martin DB12 platform
Aston has sought to enhance the DB12's long-distance appeal while also endowing it with corner-carving abilities on par with the most fearsome supercars on sale. Aston touts the capacity of its new ESC system will enhance responsiveness and agility at all speeds, and says uprated adaptive dampers and stiffer anti-roll bars go some way towards offering an "increased breadth of capability".
The aluminium chassis itself is 7 percent stiffer thanks to reinforced braces, crossmembers and undertrays, which the firm says improves dynamics and refinement while also enhancing off-centre steering feel. Brake feel has been enhanced, too, with the fitment of a retuned brake booster.
New Aston Martin DB12 India price and rivals
As mentioned, the Aston Martin DB12 is priced at Rs 4.8 crore (ex-showroom, before options). It will launch in India in October 2023 and rival the Ferrari Roma, which is priced at Rs 3.76 crore (ex-showroom), and the Bentley Continental GT that starts at Rs 3.29 crore (ex-showroom).
Also see:
Aston Martin DBS 770 Volante sold out before delivery begins
Honda to make formal F1 return as Aston Martin engine supplier