5 Key Improvements On The Aston Martin DB12 Over The DB11

Aston Martin is celebrating its 110th Anniversary in 2023, and has debuted a range of interesting new models and editions throughout the year. The British marquee unveiled the newest generation of its performance-oriented luxury GT (Grand Tourer) in May, and now the Aston Martin DB12 is on sale in India as well. We’ve heard from the carmaker that the European super tourer (as Aston says) is 80 percent new over its predecessor, the Aston Martin DB11, but let’s take a closer look at the key improvements:

More Performance

Since Aston Martin is not offering a V12 in its series production models anymore, the only powertrain option for the DB12 is the AMG-sourced 4-litre twin-turbo V8. While the DB11 debuted with the choice of twin-turbo V12 at launch in 2016, it introduced the option of the Mercedes-Benz AMG twin-turbo V8 by 2017. This powertrain has been significantly improved and tuned by Aston Martin’s own engineers for a much higher output.

Evolutionary Design

At first glance, the Aston Martin DB12 does not look that different from the DB11 but it certainly packs a host of design updates for a more aggressive exterior. The front end now features a much larger grille, likely for better airflow to feed the engine’s extra performance, flanked by new LED headlamps. Its rear end styling seems largely unchanged, but the rear track is now wider by 22mm and the DB12 rides on 21-inch forged alloy wheels as standard. Overall, the design has not made a significant shift from its predecessor but evolved with time to earn that description of a Super Tourer.

A Cabin To Match

The interior of the Aston Martin DB11 is just as plush as you’d imagine with a strong sense of handcrafted luxury. However, the layout of the dashboard started feeling quite dated halfway through its life cycle. The DB12 addresses this weakness with a cabin layout that should feel modern and opulent even 10 years from now.

The dashboard is flat giving an uninterrupted view of the road ahead as the central infotainment unit no longer stands at the top of the dashboard and the digital driver’s display sits neatly behind the new steering wheel. The central console of controls acts as the divider between driver and passenger for better ergonomics and the floating layout also opens up storage underneath it. You get a host of backlit haptic controls as well as some physical controls.

New Technology, Made In-house

Not only has the cabin of the Aston Martin DB12 been brought forward in terms of design, it also features a spanking new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, developed by the British marquee itself. It replaces the outdated COMMAND infotainment unit from older Mercedes-Benz models that was not even a touchscreen system. The new system supports wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and gets connected car tech too with the ability to get over-the-air (OTA) updates over time.

Sharper Driving Dynamics

Changes to the design, adding more technology and bumping up the power figures are par for the course of introducing a new model. Aston Martin has also strived to make the DB12 even better to drive, not just in comparison to the DB11, but in the entire DB lineup. As such, it is the first of the series to feature an electronic rear differential (E-diff), linked to the ESC system. This allows the system to from being fully-open to being 100 percent locked in fractions of a second to make the large performance car more responsive and precise. Of course, we’ll have to drive it ourselves to confirm just how much of an improvement is the DB12, but it all adds up on paper.

If you’ve been waiting for a new luxury two-door, 2+2 seater, with excellent craftsmanship and a chonky V8, the Aston Martin DB12 just launched in India at Rs 4.59 crore (ex-showroom). Mind you, it will easily touch Rs 5 crore once you start personalising it and deliveries are set to begin in Q2 of 2024.