Reviews
Gallery 24
The closeness of the relationship between Aston Martin and James Bond is evident from the tyres adorning the DB11: Bridgestone Potenza S007. Coincidence? I think not.
Despite dalliances with Lotus and BMW, Aston has been inextricably linked with everyone’s favourite spy. The connection has done wonders for the British brand’s image, but hasn’t actually helped it make any money. The DB11 has.
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Bond Cars
We’ve finally managed to get our hands on the first fruits of Aston’s Second Century Plan on local roads to ascertain whether the DB11 is more Goldfinger or A View To A Kill.
Initial reservations regarding the styling disappear in the metal, though it’s possibly a colour sensitive design. It’s well-proportioned with some lovely details, an impression that carries over inside.
The interior contains enough leather to make a dairy farm nervous and while the electronic architecture is now sourced from Mercedes, evidence of the partnership is limited to the infotainment system controller and indicator/wiper stalk.
Located just near your thumbs on that steering wheel are two buttons which alter the attitude of the DB11; the left one controls damper stiffness while the right one adjusts the powertrain, both with three modes to choose from.
Unlike most performance cars, which attempt to run the full gamut from everyday cruiser to hardcore track warrior – with varying degrees of success – Aston offers only different levels of comfort.
The upside to this compliance is plenty of feedback from the chassis, though with 295mm rear rubber the transition to oversteer can be quite sudden – thankfully it’s easily held with the ESP’s Track mode flattering any mistakes.
Unlike its AMG-sourced V8s, the DB11’s 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 is all Aston and it’s fabulous. The linearity of its power delivery means it doesn’t necessarily feel as potent as its 447kW/700Nm and 3.9sec 0-100km/h numbers suggest, but acceleration is ample and the noise wonderful.
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DB11 exhaust noise
This beautiful engine is attached to a ZF eight-speed transaxle automatic which is the perfect partner; it may not have the slick shifts of a dual-clutch but its smoothness in all circumstances is ample compensation. The only chink in the powertrain is a strange mechanical wheeze on deceleration.
If you’re after a hairy-chested, balls-out sports car, the DB11 is not for you. There’s every chance it would feel all at sea on a track, however, it happens to be one of the finest road cars I’ve ever driven.
Powerful, comfortable, evocative, if I had to choose something to drive to Sydney the long way in tomorrow, this Aston would be very high on the list.
24
2018 ASTON MARTIN DB11 SPECS: Engine: 5204cc V12, DOHC, 48v, twin-turbo Power: 447kW @ 6500rpm Torque: 700Nm @ 1500-5000rpm Weight: 1770kg 0-100km/h: 3.9sec (claimed) Price: $428,032
Like: Beautiful V12; great noise; lush ride; handling balance; luxe interior Dislike: Couple of Mercedes interior bits; too soft for ultimate driving thrills Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
