Aston Martin DB11 2016 Review

Aston Martin DB11
Road Test

It's fair to say that the DB11 is one of the most important new Aston Martins in a long time. It replaces the best-selling DB9 and ushers in a new era that features turbocharging and infotainment provided by Daimler. It looks great inside and out and it's sportier to drive than any other GT car in the class. On top of all that, Aston's new twin-turbocharged V12 motor is an animal you'll want to learn to tame. Phenomenal.

Like all vehicle classes, the GT segment isn't as well defined as it used to be.

Gran Turismo was once applied solely to fast performance cars that were also good over long distances. Today you can buy a Peugeot 308 with a GT badge stuck on the back...

If the history books are accurate, the term has its roots in Italy. And today we're back in Italy to try out the latest GT, Aston Martin's new DB11.

Replacing the DB9, the DB11 was always going to be an important model for the British brand, but it carries an even bigger weight on its wide shoulders in the form of the company's future. Simply, it's the first of an all-new generation of Astons, mixing Daimler (AMG) electronics with a fresh design direction and new aluminium chassis architecture. Oh, and it's powered by a turbocharged engine.

It's becoming a familiar story, isn't it? Charismatic old naturally-aspirated petrol engines are dropping like flies, to be replaced by modern, downsized and boosted alternatives with engineered-in and sometimes synthesised personality.

Hold that thought until you've sampled Aston's new engine, as it's special. Very special.

While Aston will share turbo V8s with Mercedes-AMG in time, it went ahead and developed its own replacement for the 6.0-litre V12, and the DB11 is the first outing for the new twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12. That doesn't sound very downsized, does it? But the V12 layout is still important to wealthy buyers. Bless them.

And there's nothing downsized about the performance either, with 447kW and 700Nm on tap, the latter from just 1500rpm. So yeah, you're ready for it to feel rapid when you put your foot down for the first time and it doesn't disappoint. The large capacity and relatively high 9.2:1 compression ratio help eradicate any discernible lag before the turbos spin up with intensity and you are shot at the horizon with convincing force.

The standing start acceleration is impressive, despite the traction limitations of the rear-drive layout. But where this engine really kicks is in the midrange…

Ambling along behind some slow moving traffic in, say, fourth gear, and a gap opens up, drop to third and as the revs build past 3500rpm the DB11 surges forward on a wave of seemingly unending acceleration. What's more, with peak power at 6500rpm, it revs with real vigour and retains the previous car's gloriously long throttle pedal travel, making it a cinch to metre out power to your requirements.

What you might not be quite ready for is the noise this thing makes. Turbos usually have the effect of muting an engine, regardless of its size or layout. Aston Martin, however, realises that the noise its cars make is a large part of their appeal and its engineers have done an exceptional job on tuning the intake and exhaust of the DB11.

Without resorting to sending enhancement through the audio system, it has managed to make the new V12 sound at least as exciting as its predecessor. There's an evocative flare of revs when you press the start button (unless you've chosen the 'quiet start' function to avoid annoying the neighbours…), then a purposeful rumble as the engine warms up.

The flow of the exhaust gases are electronically controlled in the rear muffler and the path is altered depending on whether you choose GT, Sport or Sport Plus driving modes, but even in the GT setting it has a real hard-edged roar if you explore the upper reaches of the rev counter.

Personally, I'd have it in Sport mode virtually all the time and, arguably, the engine is reason enough to buy this car.

But there's so much more to explore. The V12 is mated to ZF's well-proven (and virtually flawless) eight-speed auto, mounted on the rear axle, which you can leave to its own devices or take control of via tactile metal paddles mounted behind the wheel.

That steering wheel looks a little odd, like a circle stretched to be more square-like, but it feels great to hold and turns out to be more natural in operation than the endemic flat-bottomed alternative of which many car makers are so fond.

Behind the wheel is a crystal clear set of TFT instruments, bespoke to this car. It's all very easy to use and the view changes subtly depending on driving mode selected. Other switchgear is more obviously sourced from Mercedes, despite a minor restyle, but it all works well and the infotainment is a league above the old Aston Martin system so no complaints here.

Elsewhere, there are plenty of super-stylish touches and a wealth of personalisation options. Our favourite detail is the new brogue feature in the leather upholstery. It looks classy and unique and it feels good to the touch too.

The front seats, meanwhile, are firmly supportive, yet exceedingly comfortable with it. Apparently there's more room inside too thanks to the new aluminium chassis, though the rear seats are still only that in name. Think of them as extra luggage space.

So is the DB11 the kind of car you'll want to take on long journeys?

The raucous engine might make you doubt that at first, though it's not intrusive at a cruise. Stick to more interesting roads and you may also wonder if Aston Martin has developed the sporting side of the car more than the GT side, as it is, without doubt, the most engaging vehicle in its class.

A combination of torque vectoring and a tight mechanical limited slip rear differential give the chassis real pointiness, emphasised by the steering that is quicker than the DB9's. Hence, it's very keen to turn into a bend and front-end grip, even in damp conditions, is never in question. The weight distribution probably helps with that, as the engine is even further back and lower down in the chassis than before.

Lean harder on the power and, even with the stability control in its default setting and a dry road underneath, the rear can twitch for a microsecond before the electronics intervene. It'll never get much out of shape but even that little movement may unnerve the uninitiated. However, those that relish such things will discover there's a mid-setting for the stability control system that disables the traction control and this allows the DB11 to truly come alive.

Once familiar, The DB11 is an easy car to drive quickly, yet massively rewarding. There's a lot of grip from the bespoke Bridgestone tyres, yet you can confidently play on the edge of that adhesion thanks to feedback through the steering and your butt. The brakes were flawless over a couple of hours of hard driving too and the pedal modulation is great.

One of the few questions we have about the chassis set-up is whether the softest damper setting, GT mode, is soft enough. It's absolutely fine on the highway at speed, but the big tyres do pick up on every ridge and bump and the DB11 can skip around a bit on poor surfaces. But we reckon that's an easy tweak in the adaptive damping software.

If Aston does that before the DB11 hits Australian shores in November this year then it will have done well to stick to the GT brief.

We can't wait to see what it does next.

2016 Aston Martin DB11 pricing and specifications:
Price: $428,032 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V12
Output: 447kW/700Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic transaxle
Fuel: 11.3L/100km (approx)
CO2: 265g/km (approx)
Safety rating: Not tested

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