DB12 spearheads Aston's new-car blitz

ASTON Martin has been through plenty over it's finally ready to launch a product blitz, starting with the new DB12

- John Mcllroy

On paper, the new arrival is an evolution of the DB11 that has been a cornerstone of Aston's line-up since 2016. But such are the increases in power and performance over that model that Aston claims the vehicle goes beyond grand tourer status to become "the world's first super tourer".

The DB12 does indeed share its bare underpinnings with its predecessor - but the bonded extruded-aluminium structure has been reworked, with an engine cross brace, a new front crossmember and a different rear bulkhead, to provide seven per cent more overall structural rigidity.

● Power gains give coupé performance boost over DB11 
● Cabin tech upgraded with in-house infotainment set-up

In addition, there's an all-new suspension, featuring adaptive dampers, stiffer anti-roll bars, a stability control system that uses six-axis inertia, and for the first time on an Aston Martin, an electronic rear differential (E-diff) that's tuned to provide extra agility.

The car is rear-wheel drive, of course, and features an eight-speed automatic transmission that has a shortened final drive ratio compared with the DB11's.

Simon Newton, Aston's head of vehicle engineering, told us that the goal is to provide "traditional touring strengths but with a much broader set of abilities that deliver greater involvement on the right road", adding, "We're confident that dynamically, this car is a huge step compared with DB11.

It's a night-and-day difference." At the heart of the DB12 is a reworked version of Aston's Mercedes-sourced 4.0litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. It now produces 671bhp at 6,000rpm and 800Nm between 2,750rpm and 6,000rpm, which is enough to take the car from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 202mph.

That makes the DB12 almost half a second quicker to 60mph than the DB11, and gives it a 10mph higher top speed.