When one talks about supercars and super-luxury cars, a lot of grandiose words and phrases are bandied around. Glorious, intoxicating, astronomical, telepathic, scintillating, and so on. While some of them deserve a few, most make do with one or two such adjectives. There are some cars, very few, that exceed all of these. Their arrival cannot be described with a word as bland as ‘launch’. Their arrival is an event. Among those very few, right at the sharp end is the Aston Martin DB. Right at the sharp end of that list is the protagonist of this piece- Aston Martin DB12. 

Aston Martin has been around for a long time now. They’ve been flying the Union Jack in some of the most prestigious racing series’ including F1. Then there’s the portfolio; Valhalla, Valkyrie, One-77, Vanquish, and such. Among such giants stands the DB which has perhaps the most special place in Aston Martin’s prestigious lineup. Right from the first iteration, the DB has been there or thereabouts in the range. The most familiar one might be the DB5 or the OG Bond car. 

I have talked about the DB moniker and its significance in my DB11 drive experience and you can read about it at xBhp.com. After lusting over the DB9 in posters and video games, I kept doing what I do best and waited with bated breath for the day I got to drive one. DB9 went out. DB10 was a special for the movie and it was too exclusive for mere mortals. Along came the DB11 and with it, my first proper brush with Aston Martin. It blew me away. It looked like something Vinci might draw in a trance if he was a car designer. 

It had everything; looks, performance, luxury, you name it and it was there. After the experience, I was sure that it could not be topped, not even by Aston Martin itself. What I forgot was that I kept doing what I do best to get where I am. It was foolish to think Aston Martin won’t and leave the DB11 as is. Foolishness is seldom rewarded but in this case, it rewarded me with the opportunity to be blown away all over again. The Aston Martin DB12 is everything that the DB11 was and better. Better in every conceivable aspect. 

Let us start with the looks as that is where things have changed the least. The platform is shared between the two so no surprises there. But there are some changes; most of them subtle and a few of them big. The grille is the first one. If you are a car enthusiast you know that grille enlargement is scoffed at more often than not (ahem). Aston Martin’s flavour of it though is something that you can never have too much of. It does not look out of place on the DB12. 

There are intakes and scoops and vents and creases and design lines and whatnot. Despite all that, the design never feels fussy or overdone. There’s elegant harmony from whichever angle you look at it. That said, compared to the DB11, the DB12 has a bit more intent on display. It is a bit more aggressive. It is not quite scalpel and sledgehammer but scalpel and razorblade, at least in terms of design. And exactly what do I mean by that? You find that out on the move. 

The DB11 had a V12 and it was very potent. The car itself too was entertaining but in a manner that makes you want to take it easy. It was not unruly but it did not like going hard too much. The DB12 is a different animal. The V12 has been ditched and for those of you revolting, I believe it might make another appearance in a Superleggera perhaps. I couldn’t care less though. The twin-turbo V8 propelling the Aston Martin DB12 ensured that. 

0-100 km/h: 3.6 seconds | Top Speed: 325 km/h

In addition to the new engine, everything else has been tightened up as well. The chassis is stiffer, and suspension and steering more communicative, the tyres grippier, and overall, the Aston Martin DB12 is the most well-rounded DB ever! Super Tourer they call it and Super Tourer it is. You can tell even from the exhaust note that the DB12 is raring to go. It has a throaty idle and as the revs build and the engine sings, it tugs at your heartstrings to just keep the throttle pinned! 

The twin-turbo V8 is lighter than the DB11’s V12 and makes more power and torque as well. On the DB12 you get 680 PS of power and 800 Nm of torque. Thanks to weight savings in other areas as well, the DB12 is quicker than ever. Add to that a shorter final and it dispatches 0-60 mph in just 3.6s, without sacrificing top speed that is still rated as 202 mph or 325 km/h. Despite the mammoth torque and power, the DB12 never feels like a handful. It is easy to drive in the city or on the highway. 

This was also one of the more surprising aspects of the car. It has ballistic performance and yet, it is perfectly calm and docile when you want it to be. In GT mode, you can cruise comfortably. From the suspension to the engine, everything is as pliant and polite as it can be. Dial in Sport+ and you have a different kind of car. The steering feels direct, the suspension firm and the engine eager. Then there’s the e-differential that ensures maximum stability by modulating the torque being delivered to the driven wheels. 

I have rarely felt such confidence in pushing a car this hard. With the Aston Martin DB12, I felt like it was on rails and it will keep feeling that way till the time you remember that you are not aching all over, haven’t had a hint of sensory overload, and have driven hundreds of kilometres in a go. What I mean is that it is still a car that weighs nearly around 1,800 kilos and it has creature comforts most supercars won’t come close to. So if you want it to snap, it will and even then, it makes it easy to bring it back in line.

The Aston Martin DB12 is a car that wants you to desire performance and appreciate it when you get it. It does not want you to be greedy. It wants to keep you engaged but not till you fatigue. The DB12 wants you to enjoy everything it has to offer without emphasizing any particular aspect. That reminds me of the cabin. DB11 had nice materials and finish but it was a little out of sorts. The DB12 has all of that sorted. The infotainment system is now in-house and much more in tune with both the car and the user. Not to mention more comfortably accessible. 

So in the Aston Martin DB12, you have a car that can do almost everything and in a very respectable manner as well. You want supercar feels? Drive it hard and it’ll tell you that blistering performance does not go hand in hand with sitting on a rock. Take it easy and it’ll tell you that simply because you are relaxed does not mean that you are slow. Take it to a racetrack or take it for a weekend-long drive and it’ll feel at home for both occasions. 

In simple terms, the Aston Martin has instilled a renewed sense of respect in me for the proverbial Jack of All Trades. That too with humility because the car itself is at least a King of All Trades… if not a bit more.