“The Aston Martin you’ve been waiting for” and “A design evolution” is how the DB11 is described on the manufacturer’s website. For once, the British company underestimates one of its products. For all intents and purposes, the DB11 is a revolution in every area analyzed compared to the old DB9.
A comfortable grand tourer just like its venerable predecessor, the 2017 Aston Martin DB11 marks a departure from former models developed in the 21st century by the Gaydon-based manufacturer. To put it simply, the DB11 is the most forward-thinking design from Aston Martin Lagonda since Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford founded the automaker in 1913.
The key to this 180-degree turn is Daimler AG, the outfit that owns Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, smart, and MV Agusta. Not only does Daimler AG own 5 percent of Aston Martin Lagonda, but the German juggernaut also agreed to supply the Brits with an AMG-developed twin-turbo V8 for the entry-level variant of the DB11 and for the MY 2018 Vantage. Other than the firepower, Daimler AG also provides electrical baubles and various switchgear for Aston Martin.
But does a British grand tourer with German innards tick all the right boxes? In a nutshell, hell yes!
Somewhat previewed by James Bond’s exclusive DB10 movie car, the DB11 is more of a four-wheeled sculpture rather than just another way of traveling from Point A to Point B. Up front, the highlights are the slim LED headlight clusters augmented by the front-hinging clamshell hood, as well as the wide, sexy, and beautifully minimalist Aston Martin grille.
Viewed from the profile, the Aston Martin DB11 reveals 20-inch wheels wrapped in a unique type of Bridgestone S007 rubber, gills located aft of the front wheels, and a roof strake that underlines the fluidity of the design from A-pillar to C-pillar. At the rear, designers and aerodynamicists alike went mad. Other than the traditional sloping decklid, the DB11’s LED taillights are complemented by a virtual spoiler located at the base of each C-pillar. The utility of what Aston Martin calls the AeroBlade is to reduce rear-end lift, thus aiding high-speed handling characteristics.
Regarding size and curb weight, the European-spec DB11 tips the scales at 1,770 kilograms (3,902 pounds). It’s 4,739 mm (187 in) long, 2,060 mm (81 in) wide, and boasts a wheelbase of 2,808 mm (111 in). By comparison, the VH platform-based Aston Martin DB9 weighs 1,785 kilograms (3,935 pounds). Grandpa DB9 measures 4,720 mm (186 in) in length, 2,061 mm (81 in) in width, and it’s bestowed with a 2,740 mm (108 in) wheelbase.
If the exterior is pleasing to the eye, wait till you see the interior. A feast of leather adorned with brogue detailing, Nexus quilting, and something called Celestial perforation, the cabin is not a bad place to spend time in. The second thing that catches your attention after stepping inside is the shape of the steering wheel, which is as square as a circle, literally.
Behind it, two paddles lie in wait to be touched by the driver’s fingers, shifting cogs up and down. Further away, a digital instrument cluster comprising of a 12-inch screen displays all the driver information one can wish for. An 8-inch infotainment system borrowed from Mercedes-Benz is mounted bang in the middle of the dashboard. Like the model that precedes it, the DB11 has the controls for the transmission laid out in buttons on the dashboard, labeled P, R, N, and D. Between reverse and neutral, there’s a button which starts and stops the force-fed V12.
As expected, this grand tourer features a traditional 2+2 layout. Of course, the rear seats are not exactly worthy of being called “seats,” but an extension of the car’s parcel shelf. Be that as it may, there are ISOFIX mounting points if you’re planning to use the DB11 as a family car. The wide trunk opening reveals a luggage compartment that’s “large enough to accommodate two large holdalls plus carry-on baggage.”
What Aston Martin wants to say by that is that the DB11 boasts a cargo capacity of 270 liters (9.53 cuFT). It’s large enough for a high-speed pan-continental road trip, but not as cavernous as the Bentley Continental GT’s trunk.
When it comes down to gadgets, the 2017 Aston Martin DB11 definitely isn’t a Q car. But for a real-world car, it’s got plenty of toys for the driver to play with. The central storage compartment, for example, is equipped with a powered lid that glides open at the press of a button. Just like the virtual cockpit in the various Audi models, the DB11 also lets the driver reconfigure the TFT LCD instrument cluster as he wants, how he wants.
The infotainment system, however, suffers from a problem you wouldn’t expect on a car that kicks off from $211,995 (€204,900; £154,900). More to the point, there’s no touchscreen for effortless control of the system’s function. Instead, the DB11 gets the rotary knob from the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. On the upside, an optional touchpad with character recognition can make life a little easier for those who depend on satellite navigation.
Theatrics are in this car’s nature, especially when the driver turns on the audio system. Do that and see how the Bang & Olufsen-developed high-frequency rise from the dashboard, setting the mood into motion. While on the subject of music, here’s something worth mentioning: “We were adamant the Aston Martin DB11 should have an honest, genuine engine note, so what you hear comes purely from the intake and exhaust, not from speakers pumping synthesized sound into the cockpit.” And boy, does the AE28 twin-turbo V12 sound like the mechanical equivalent of James Brown live at the Apollo in 1962.
Technological highlights also include parallel and bay park assistance, keyless entry, as well as a 360-degree birds-eye camera system. Last, but certainly not least, the DB11 also incorporates an active spoiler into its decklid. At higher speeds, this fellow deploys, acting like a Gurney flap, improving traction over the driven end by increasing downforce.
Under the hood of the rear-wheel drive DB11, you’ll find a 5.2-liter V12, the first twin-turbo engine ever fitted to a series production Aston Martin. Boasting 600 horsepower (608 PS) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque, it’s also the most powerful engine Aston has ever put in a road-going DB series car. Top speed is a nice, round 200 mph (322 km/h), while sprinting to 62 mph (100 km/h) takes 3.9 seconds. The V12 features variable valve timing, stop-start, and cylinder deactivation technology, turning into an inline-six when power demand is low.
The DB11 is fitted with an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission, with paddle shifters. A mechanical limited-slip differential with active torque vectoring marks another first for Aston Martin. Stopping power is provided by 15.7-inch cast iron discs with 6-piston calipers in the front, and 14.1-inch cast iron discs with 4-piston calipers at the rear.
Aston is staying away from artificially enhanced exhaust note, but the engine noise changes depending on the selected drive mode – GT, Sport, or Sport Plus. The DB11 also features a “quiet start” function, allowing you to turn on the engine without waking up the neighbors’ baby. Presumably.
As it’s often the case with dearly priced exotica, the 2017 Aston Martin DB11 has yet to and will probably never be tested by the likes of Euro NCAP and the IIHS. Without regard to the absence of crash test data, the DB11 is a reassuringly tough machine, laden with safety features.
Robustness is given by the high-quality materials that go into the body shell and chassis. Of course, a suite of six airbags is also on this car’s menu. For serious driving enthusiasts, the DB11’s stability control system can be set to allow a little bit of slipping and sliding before taking over the reins. Active safety systems such as lane-departure warning and adaptive cruise control are on the cards as well.
Then there’s the clamshell hood, which was designed by Aston Martin specifically to absorb and dissipate energy in the case of an accident with a pedestrian, thus minimizing potential head injuries. Emergency brake assist and positive torque control round off the best the DB11 has to offer in this department.
It may be fundamentally different from the DB9, but the DB11 manages to abide by the Aston Martin mantra much better than its foregoer could. It oozes with intoxicating power, it’s bestowed with alluring beauty, and its soul is interwoven with the burning flame of the deity of grand touring.
For all intents and purposes, the DB9 was a good grand tourer when it came out. But later in its lifecycle, the DB9 struggled to convince as a GT against the like of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe and Bentley Continental GT. The DB11, however, is a more grown-up affair. As the first all-new Aston Martin in more than a decade, the wait was worth it.
Coast to coast (no grand touring pun intended), the DB11 is a great departure from Aston Martin’s hit-and-miss Ford era. It’s also a tremendous start to a portfolio of fresh models in the same way British band The Who got over its skiffle music origins to focus on mod counterculture with My Generation.
