While in formula 1 the British team announced the abandonment of the Mercedes engine in favor of a Honda in 2026, the road cars adored by James Bond continue to use the V8 AMG of the brand with the star. But, all the same, the piece of goldsmith’s house, the V12 which animated the DB11 until then, sounds to absent subscribers under the hood of the one who will replace it.
We can’t say that the line is very innovative as a carbon copy of the eldest, even if we gain in spectacular aspect with a grille – it’s definitely a mania – still enlarged. The sensual silhouette of this coupe remains, but it is below this bodywork and inside that we must find novelties. As we said, under the huge bonnet, you only have to count to 8 to have the number of cylinders of the AMG group installed in place of the prodigious Aston V12 (read our test).
Obviously, to console us, the brand is trying to say that the performance is further improved, the 100 km / h being reached after 3.6 s instead of 4.1 s previously. And equipped with a twin turbo, this group derived from the DBX 707 SUV delivers 585 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. and constant torque of 800 Nm from 2,750 rpm. This is the mastery of engineers and electronics technicians, trained in racing experience, to obtain the best from modern mechanics.
Aston Martin still announces 80% new parts, which concerns all the interior fittings and the digital display dashboard. In addition to the engine, it advances a completely revised chassis and stiffened by 7% while maintaining classic rear propulsion. The difference is simply in the introduction of an electronic differential, which seems a bit meager in the absence of rear-wheel steering.
The first model in a series of six to come within two years, the DB12 is also a car that could adapt, thanks to its shorter engine block, to electric hybridization. The Chinese partner Geely, a specialist in the genre and which has just taken a 17% stake in Aston Martin, will undoubtedly be of good advice to attempt this electrified evolution.
