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Is this the most important ‘DB’ in Aston Martin history? We find out with a drive in Ferrari’s backyard aboard the brand new DB11

by J A M E S G E N T

P H O T O G R A P H Y by M A X E A R E Y

T O U G H A TT H E T O P

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HERE REALLY IS NOTHING LIKE the sound of an Aston Martin V12 firing into life, for those privileged enough to press the go button or those simply standing in awe around the exhaust tips. There’s no mechanical wail of a V10 or low,

thunderous roar à la V8, but a crisp bark that gently curtails into a low rumble. It’s a sound lesser-heard nowadays, and one that elicits several wide-eyed grins in the Siena courtyard we find ourselves in as eight or nine are fired into life simultaneously.

Today this V12 powers the brand new DB11, a car already described as ‘the most important Aston Martin in history’ by company CEO Andy Palmer and a model, much like the DB9 before it, in a position to either make or break the company. And in a radical if perhaps inevitable move, Aston has followed the turbo route for the first time. Those of you ready to sign this off as a ‘travesty’, I urge you to read on…

There is, after all, no heavy-duty corporate backers behind Aston Martin, save a five per cent buy in by Daimler a few years ago. But that’s it. All money raked in is off its own back, and $1.5 million a pop for a new Vulcan or $2-3 million for the new Red Bull Racing-derived AM RB 001 hypercar goes a long way to supporting Aston’s bank balance. Ditto the DBX SUV crossover, expected in 2019.

It’s the DB11 though, with those two important letters, that will headline Aston’s line-up for at least the next seven years, and from which the next generation Vantage and Vanquish sports cars will emanate. Through which, I'm praying, Aston will finally put an end to some of its more

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Right: Aston Martin DB11. Phwoar! Below: Amidst euphorious cheering, Aston Martin has FINALLY updated the cabin design of its flagship model

‘GIVEN THE POTENTIAL ON OFFER, AND THE FUTURE TO COME, THE NEW DB11 CAN’T AFFORD TO BE A DOG’

notable shortcomings. Gorgeous and enticing as the DB9 still is, questionable interior build quality, outdated technology (step forward SatNav), and uninspiring performance compared with some of Aston's principal rivals were not what customers and critics alike expected of the British marque's flagship model, arguably pushing with one hand while the model's charisma drew in with the other. Mercifully, an injection of AMG seems to have done the trick.

At the heart of the DB11 is a new bonded aluminium chassis, both stronger and more flexible than its predecessor in pursuit of a lower centre of gravity and more pronounced cornering. There’s a new suspension setup, plus a sharper yet more fuel efficient seven-speed automatic gearbox. The headline though is that 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12, new from the ground up and similar to the outgoing naturally aspirated 6-litre bulk only by way of the ‘V’ cluster. Power

is a mighty 600bhp, torque an equally impressive 516lb ft, and 0-100kph is chalked up in less than four seconds. For sheer numbers, only the One-77 can better it. Given the potential on offer, and the future to come, the DB11 can’t afford to be a dog.

Given the manner in which the Siena courtyard beneath us is rumbling, I’ve already signed off on the soundtrack, and it’s a similar story with the design, which manages to find a balance between menace and timeless elegance that any ‘DB’ must adhere too. While the rear end doesn’t quite hold the same graceful punch as the DB9 for this particular writer, it's a moot point: the Aston Martin DB11 is beyond stunning to look at. The two-tone bodyline over the beefed up rear wheel arch and those 20in alloys pluck immediately at my heartstrings. Another tick in the box for chief designer Marek Reichman.

It’s not until I closet myself with barely contained gusto in the hot seat though that more

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than a decade of design progress really hits home. The cabin is simply stunning, a mass of subtle aluminium trim and high quality leather that make the once benchmark interior in the DB9 seem ancient. Joy of joys, the archaic infotainment system and stupid controls for such have been ripped out by the screws and replaced with Mercedes’ familiar 8in LCD screen and switchgear. There’s even sufficient head and legroom for those of us over six feet tall, unheard of in DBs of old. Another tick.

I can already feel my enthusiasm for the DB11 growing as we hit the road, and not just because driving an Aston Martin on Ferrari turf offers me a James Dean level of bad boy-ness. On the opening highway stretch of our test route, the cushioning for instance of those new multi-links at the rear make the ride wonderfully smooth versus the stiffened nature of the DB9. Ditto the seats, which offer more than sufficient lumbar support for mountain-side hoonery without causing irreparable damage to my spinal column. This is after all a GT car, and with Aston Martin keen to widen the gulf between the soon-to-arrive DBX and the Vantage/Vanquish sports car road racers – what Aston calls it’s ‘triangle platform’, akin to a three-legged stool – it’s an important character trait for the new DB11. More than

400km of Tuscany positively floats by. But don’t think for a second this means the

DB11 has gone soft. Settings for the damper and engine are

threefold (‘GT’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+’) and accessible via two thumb controls on the steering wheel. Even in soup-like GT mode, power delivery is immense. Titanic initial pick-up soon spools into solid mid-range grunt, meaning you’re suddenly going VERY fast, VERY quickly. Enter that mighty V12 soundtrack, which somehow manages to kick up another heart-tugging octave into the higher revs.

It’s a thunderous burst of acceleration made all the better by the eight-speed ZF automatic. Changes are seamless, but with a delightful ‘punch’ of momentum as the revs change. Mercifully, that five per cent buy in didn’t include AMG’s nannying transmission, meaning the revs can be held to the bitter end. No question, here’s an Aston DB you can really hustle through the turns.

We’ve been told beforehand that the DB11 power steering has switched to electric, Aston's one eye firmly on fuel efficiency and another on Daimler’s automatic assisted parking system, which won't work with the old hydraulic setup. You’d hardy notice though,

Far right: V cluster aside, there’s very little

the new 600bhp 5204cc V12 has in common with

the 510bhp 5935cc unit in the outgoing DB9

Aston Martin DB11Engine V12, twin-turbo, 5204cc Power 600bhp @ 6500rpm Torque 516 lb ft @ 1500-5000rpm Transmission Eight-speed ZF automatic, rear-wheel drive Front suspension Double wishbone

Rear suspension Multi-link Brakes 400x36mm (front), 360 x 32mm (rear) Wheels 9J x 20in (front), 11.0J x 20in (rear) Tyres 255/40 ZR20 (front), 295/35 ZR20 (rear)

Weight 1770kg Power-to-weight 339bhp/ton 0-100kph 3.9secs Top speed 322kph Basic price $203,900

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‘ISSUES? THEY’RE PALTRY, BUT HEY HO, THE HARDSHIPS OF A MOTORING JOURNALIST’

such is the beautiful wave of feedback coming from the front wheels. As we begin our climb away from the highway and up into the sinuous mountain tarmac, it’s not long before ‘Sport’ engine mapping is selected. A far more brusque form of delivery, a sharp bark of engine notes assuring me that the power delivery – hardly lacking in oomph to begin with – will be even more explosive. Indeed, it’s a civilised ferocity that the rear wheels struggle to properly leash on these fantastically slippery Italian roads. The surface is like glass, and the traction control has to fight to stop the back end kicking out entirely. Drive less like a lead-footed oik though and this ‘problem’ is quickly rectified.

Thankfully the superb balance is more than a match for even these tight and slippery roads too, allowing me to place the front end with more élan and confidence than the DB9 was previously capable.

At first this section of the route is done with

‘Sport+’ damper settings (in for a penny) but before long I’m back in ‘GT’, the widely undulated and rutted Italian tarmac causing the nose to bounce ever so slightly at higher speeds. Not to uncontrollable levels, but enough to make me work harder at the wheel than necessary.

Issues? They’re paltry, but hey ho, the hardships of a motoring journalist.

Underneath that superb V12 soundtrack bombarding the cabin, there’s a faint mechanical whir around the 3-4000rpm mark as the turbos spool up. Once heard, it can’t be covered. It’s not an overly unpleasant sound but does take the smallest of shines away, as does the quite impressive amount of wind noise floating past the door mirrors and through the cracks in the door. The sheer size of that bulky bonnet and that slick windscreen means the car will take a while to shrink around you on any drive. I’m also particularly saddened

to find a Stop/Start button where in the DB9 we’d slot a glass-topped key fob into the dashboard. One of the more notable dramas of Aston Martin ownership now on the scrapheap.

Deal breakers? Not even close. If the V12 soundtrack and fabulous design weren’t enough to give your chequebook dirty thoughts, the DB11 also offers the elegance and excitement that made Aston Martin what it is. Underneath that lies a more refined electronics system, a cabin design and utility finally worthy of the wings on the bonnet, and a drive so accomplished, so spectacular and so effortlessly quick and entrancing that it’s one of the rare occasions where returning a test car took a couple of attempts: “oh come on, just one more blast though the hills, ten minutes…”

The DB11 marks the start of a brand new chapter for Aston Martin. And on this performance alone, I've no doubt it will be a breath-taking one. L

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