NEW Aston Martin DB12 Volante Review: Still A Super Grand Tourer? 4K

Aston Martin has put a big hole in the

db12

, but don't worry, it was deliberate: they wanted to make this

db12

verante the definitive version of the db12, but as with all coupes that become convertibles, the question is whether they took away the

super

market. the

super

toura to sum up with the latest db12 coupe Aston Martin claimed that he had invented a completely new type of car, a car that offered a sharp driving experience and true luxury over long distances. He called this Duality the short but tough Aston super

tourer

. I've done it, the db12 is amazing, the thing is when you convert a coupe into a convertible it fundamentally affects performance, this is engineering 101, you lose the metal pillars and roof, the car wobbles, comfort and handling suffer , so to fix it you need to strengthen it and it is also necessary to install a mechanism to be able to raise and lower the roof.

The result is that the car handles heavier and performance suffers. Not only that, but you also pay an extra $15k for the privilege of making this £200,000 db12 look great. but with all these cons it's worth spoiler alert the answer is yes there's no point in this being the softer db12, everything good about the coupe is here and more because now you have the extra noise and sunlight, well Sometimes the Valante is a little heavier than the coupe, 250 pounds heavier than an entire Anthony Joshua, if you will, and that means it's a little slower, up to 62 mph per tenth of a second, so now it takes 3.7; although this don't miss that tenth of a second.

The thing is fast and not only that, but with the roof down you can fully enjoy the attack of the noise of that mid frud mounted on 4, a biturbo V8 of 680 horsepower and 800 Newt M of torque, everything is going to the rear wheels and puts on its power. It goes down so well that the steering is really light and responds very well. Aston Martin has tuned the steering column specifically so you can really feel the road through the wheels, which is really unusual for a Tourer and means it gives you a lot more confidence when going. cornering makes it a lot more fun to drive, but let's pause for a moment and take a look because if it doesn't look good we might all go home, after all it's an Aston Martin, it's basically designed to give you a big dose of dopamine the moment you see it and according to Aston Maron the db12 Volante puts the air in a debbon air game, it looks pretty good eh it has a much bolder look than the db11 valante it has a 56%.

Larger grille to allow more air to cool the radiator and a much more aggressive sculpted hood. It's very nice, they say it has a 6mm wider front track and a 22mm wider rear track, giving it intimidating wide shoulders with every extra centimeter. maybe tell them that there are not many inches and 22 mm less than one. In fact, the db12 uses an AI-generated headlight design that gives it a more focused beam of light and just behind it you'll find the familiar front axle behind the steering wheel. Appearing on all DB products here, this feature helps reduce lift and is one of the first cars to use the new Michelan Pilot Sport S5 tires wrapping a new 21-inch alloy wheel design, but obviously we have to talk about the roof because this is not a cheap fabric, it is eight layers of fabric designed to keep noise to an absolute minimum inside the cabin, not only that, but it takes 14 seconds to open and close, which is about the same time as It will take me to finish this sentence and realize it.

How low and sleek the rear of the steering wheel is, it's worth quoting Aston Martin at this stage, who say it embarrasses rivals committed to the bulk and efforts of its package, that's fighting talk, that's not More than fair game, most convertible rears are pretty lumpy, but not this one. and that is due to the fact that it has a k-folding system, so when the roof is folded it folds down so low that it is only 26cm thick, which means that in theory there is a lot more space in the trunk. I mean 262 L, which is less than a Ford Fiesta, but oh well. a Ford Fiesta doesn't have 680 horsepower.

I mean, it takes a lot of parties to make 680 horsepower and a moment to talk about how impressive this interior really is. It's a big jump from the DB1 with its messy buttons and strange vents and small aftermarket. Looking at the infotainment screen, they call this center console the waterfall area because of the way it flows down from the dashboard. Now everything is really pretty and much easier to use. You

still

have buttons and dials for all the things you want to operate on the go, like volume. temperature and most importantly make the exhaust sound louder and it shows on the top of the dash which is SED in beautifully stitched leather.

Oh, and a specific touch to the steering wheel is that the wood veneer or carbon fiber panels on the seat back match the trim and the doors because you can see both when the roof is down, it may not be as opulent as a Bentley Continental, but everything feels very fresh. I mean in my opinion it's a big step up compared to the Fry Aroma, particularly when it comes to the entertainment system this one feels really modern and the Bowers and Wilkin sound system is so good even with the roof down. I think we can all agree that it feels very special.

What is it like to drive well? I don't want to dwell on it, but the roof. It was always going to be what makes or breaks this car and I would say this is the best convertible you can get. Aston says you can raise or lower the roof at speeds of up to 30m per hour. and not only that but you can do it with a headwind of the same speed so hypothetically speaking you could do it in a hurricane not that you would ever want to do it in a hurricane but it is good to know that it is strong and the impressive thing is all those layers in The roof actually works, so when the roof is up you have a very well insulated, very quiet and very refined car and, as a fun fact, the tires have a polyurethane coating that helps keep road noise to an absolute minimum, So when you have the lid up you will barely hear the wind, road, rain or hail on the roof, if the weather is on your side you will love sitting inside this thing.

You have two seating options if you wish. To feel more like a

tourer

, opt for the Comfort seats, as fitted in this car, they are very comfortable and I would gladly sit in them during a long journey or if you want to be sportier and have a little more support in the corners, get the High Performance Seats, whether you drive it fast or slow, the db12 Volante does a great job of being a tourer. Placid and smooth one moment, but then you turn it into Sport mode or even Sport Plus mode and the character changes completely.

I mean, now it feels like it's streaming. On the supercar side of the equation, it handles so well that it really doesn't feel like it loses much compared to the coupe. I'm on the road, it's smart, as you want it to be super agile and responsive, it's good and That's down to the DB2's aluminum chassis, which was developed specifically with the Valante in mind, meaning Aston Martin didn't make the coupe and then had to solve the problems associated with cutting a large hole in the roof from scratch. Work has been carried out, although there is a new transverse engine reinforcement that improves lateral rigidity, the rear suspension mounting points have been improved and the front axle has been stiffened by 140%.

I really like the adaptive suspension on the DB1. There wasn't a big difference between comfort and sport, but here there is a 500% increase in bandwidth, so Comfort is really comfortable and sporty, plus I mean the character changes completely, so if you are looking a db12 just for posing around Mayfair, potholes won't be a big problem, but if you're considering this car. Because you want to drive it on B roads, then sport mode keeps the body in control and prevents it from rolling in corners. It's also fantastic in a straight line and has 800 Newton M of torque to play with, meaning the db12 likes to throw.

It heads violently towards the horizon, a word of warning, although the engine relies heavily on its turbos. Peak torque is supposed to occur between 2750 and 6000 RPM, but the car doesn't really come to life until about 4000 RPM. on the boil to get the best out of it, which is great when your brain is in supercar mode, but when you're lapping around in tour mode you sometimes feel like you want a little more at lower revs, can we take note of that? The fact is also that I haven't had to put my hair up, that's how good the wind protection is on this car, meaning you can drive it in the winter or on a day like this and

still

keep your wig under control, the gearbox is fantastic, although it is a torque converter rather than a dual clutch, which really suits the character of this car because the gear changes are very smooth and the shifts are quick and adequate in sport mode and me love the feel of these paddles they are so tactile this car gives you so much confidence makes it so fun to drive its very hard not to love this dv12 vante and as a drop top it will never have the same sharpness as the coupe and thanks to the roof it has a sense of occasion that only The convertibles they can bring are very, very good and very easy to recommend.

Oh I love it. Thanks for seeing it. Be sure to subscribe, and in the meantime check out War's

review

of the db2 C pay.