2017 Aston Martin DB11

From the September 2017 issue

Place an Aston Martin DB11 amid the SUV pods and dull sedans of today’s traffic and it stands out like a Kandinsky painting at a yard sale. Sharply creased, with a low roof and tiny slits for ­windows, the DB11 is sinewy and taut through the midsection and bulging at the wheels. It’s a car that appears to have been driven straight off an auto-show turntable and onto the freeway. And yet, when it’s slicing past the dawdlers, the DB11 gives off a distinctly retro vibe.

There’s a clear connection to the past in the DB11, and a lot of it has to do with the V-12 in front of the driver. Not that the 5.2-liter is old—actually, the engine is virtually all new. It’s the lavishness of the thing that makes it seem pulled from a different era. The V-12 benefits from cylinder deactivation and two turbochargers. Those turbos blow into the engine’s nostrils, angering it to produce 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Power comes on strong right off idle and there isn’t a hint of turbo lag.

While the experience of a V-12 is one that makes us nostalgic, the DB11’s acceleration is wholly of the 21st century. Blitzing to 60 mph takes 3.6 seconds, and the quarter-mile passes in 11.7 at 125 mph. A Ferrari California T is quicker, but its snarling and barking V-8 seems a bit bourgeois after hearing the DB11’s 12-cylinder roar.

It’s a tad surprising that the DB11, at 4222 pounds, is heavier than the DB9, the car it replaces. But next to the 5000-pound Bentley Continental GT, the Aston is lithe and graceful. The DB11 is built on Aston Martin’s new bonded and riveted aluminum structure that will eventually supplant the company’s aging VH architecture. Bolted to that aluminum structure is an elastic suspension that never abuses the driver, even if he or she selects the firmest of the suspension’s three modes. Quick-­ratio steering offers real feel, with minute, tactile tugs pulsing through the wheel.

Under cornering loads, the front tires press hard into the asphalt and begin squealing as the DB11 approaches its 0.94-g limit. Unlike many modern performance cars, the DB11’s suspension quivers and dances in response to hard work. Those small movements don’t disturb the Aston’s handling, but their presence bestows a liveliness and character that aligns the DB11 more with GTs of the past than with the arguably perfect and electronically simulated driving experience you get in, say, a Mercedes-Benz S-class coupe. The DB11’s closer connection to the road shows up in our sound measurements: At 70 mph, the DB11 makes 70 decibels of mostly tire noise, a figure in line with economy cars. At wide-open throttle, 86 decibels of purr make themselves known in the cabin.

Aside from the noise levels, there’s nothing inside the DB11 that is even remotely ­economical. Soft leather, perfectly stitched patterns on the seats and dash, and a new infotainment system borrowed from Mercedes-­Benz make a strong case for the DB11’s $214,820 base price.

While it isn’t the quickest or the sportiest car to be had in the low-$200,000 range, the DB11 marries, in spectacular fashion, old ideas with current engineering and design. It’s a charmer.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door coupe

PRICE AS TESTED: $221,120 (base price: $214,820)

ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 48-valve V-12, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection

Displacement: 318 cu in, 5204 cc
Power: 600 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 516 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 110.4 in
Length: 186.6 in
Width: 76.4 in Height: 50.4 in
Passenger volume: 77 cu ft
Trunk volume: 10 cu ft
Curb weight: 4222 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 3.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 7.8 sec
Zero to 150 mph: 17.8 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 4.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 11.7 sec @ 125 mph
Top speed (drag ltd, mfr's claim): 200 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 158 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.94 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/hwy: 17/15/21 mpg
C/D observed: 17 mpg