First Drive: New Aston-Martin DB12 Is a Glamorous, Long-Legged GT With Improved Tech

How does the DB12 drive?

We drove the DB12 on the picturesque, winding roads of Southern France and found its dynamics and balance to be both entertaining and reassuring. This is a car that’s less prone to understeer than its forebear, yet it doesn’t feel twitchy. A new electronic stability program software allows for greater slip angle at the rear for more tail-out fun, incorporating no fewer than nine levels of traction control. There’s a new Wet setting, too, which should help improve the DB12’s usability in suboptimal weather.

That more-sporting calibration is underpinned by a set of new electronically adjustable Bilstein dampers that offer a greater bandwidth between comfort and sport. Their performance enabled this new Aston to respond crisply on France’s legendarily scenic and challenging Route Napoléon. A set of 21-inch Pilot Sport 5S rubber — Michelin’s first original-equipment application of this new tire — adds further confidence.

The net-net of all these changes — the stiffer chassis, the smarter electronics and the burlier powertrain — is a coupe that’s more fun to drive than a Bentley Continental GT, one of this Aston’s key rivals. While it might not ultimately be as sharp as something like a Ferrari Roma, it also means that the DB12 is a better sport coupe to drive every day, one that’s equally happy to crack the whip as it is to coddle. This sort of gracious duality is a cornerstone attribute of a proper grand tourer, and the DB12 delivers.

That doesn’t make this Aston’s driving experience perfect, however. The transmission doesn’t respond quickly enough to sharp throttle inputs in GT mode. In fact, it’s often downright slow to kick down. Fortunately, the slightly more aggressive parameters of Sport mode are still livable enough all the way around that it’s our preferred setting, even for daily driving. (A new Individual mode means the driver can tailor various aspects of the DB12’s performance to one’s liking too.) We also wish there was an even more vocal open-exhaust mode for … reasons.

How comfortable is the DB12?

The DB12 is a pleasingly confident cruiser, aided by its much-improved cabin and supportive revised seats. Despite its low-profile rubber, observed ride quality over France’s mostly very smooth, sunbaked coastal roads was perfectly acceptable. The interior proved to be quiet enough for conversations at normal levels — even at elevated speeds. Credit goes to the stiffer structure, improved sound deadening and foam inserts in the tires that curb road hum by a claimed 20%.