Aston Martin DB11 first drive review

All-new is a term that is used with a fair degree of poetic licence among the car industry. It can describe anything from a total ground-up refresh to a cosmetic upgrade or even just a simple rebadging exercise.

In any case, it's not a term you could accuse Aston Martin from using too often considering the long shelf life of its range of sports cars. The DB9, for example, has been around – and largely unchanged - for more than decade.

But you cannot call its replacement, the DB11, anything but all new. Save for a few generic nuts and bolts, every element of the swoopy coupe is brand-spankingly fresh from within the depths of the British car maker's design studio and engineering bunker.

The all-aluminium chassis that underpins it is, lighter, stronger, larger and all new. The V12 engine nestled in its nose is more powerful and more fuel efficient and all-new. The gearbox has more ratios, is smoother and is all new. The exterior design is sharper, edgier, smarter and all new. And the hand-crafted two-plus-two-seater cabin is, you guessed it, all new.

Aston says the DB11 kicks off what it calls the 'second century plan' as the foundation stone for a totally refreshed line-up that will see the introduction of a new model variant every nine months over the next five years. It's also the first car to showcase Aston's technical tie-up with Mercedes-Benz' parent company Daimler, which took a five percent stake in the car maker in exchange for access to the German brand's latest electronic systems.

Following in its wheel tracks, but with a promise that each will offer distinct design and driving characters, will be the next-generation two-seater Vantage powered by an AMG-sourced twin-turbo V8, a replacement for the even sportier V12-powered Vanquish, an all-electric Rapide EV sedan, Volante (Aston-speak for convertible) variants of the DB11, Vantage and Vanquish (at least one of which is expected to feature a metal folding hard top) and then the introduction of the DBX cross over and the ambitious AM-RB-001 hypercar co-developed with Formula One team Red Bull Racing.

Needless to say, there's a lot riding on the muscular haunches of the DB11.

More than rhetoric though, there's a lot to talk about in regards to its new look, which trades the classic simplicity of its predecessors for a more dramatic design language that takes inspiration from the One-77 supercar. For starters, there's a lot more theatre in the DB11's stance thanks to its long, low-set proportions, its sculptured flanks and the floating cantilevered roof, all of which might polarise some traditional Aston customers but, side-by-side with the DB9 it replaces, the DB11 instantly looks lighter, tauter and significantly more modern and aggressive. It's just as gorgeous though and there's more than enough instant recognition that it couldn't be anything but an Aston, but it is a generational leap forward.

There's also some neat touches in its design too, including and F1-style blown rear wing that starts with channels in the C-pillars that funnel air through the boot to pressurise the stream before it exits vertically from an outlet on the trailing edge of the bootlid. Aston Martin claims the aerodynamic effect provides added downforce at higher speeds without increasing drag – plus there's the added benefit of not ruining its appearance with a large pop-up spoiler.

The interior also brings a similar degree of modernity to Aston that in no way compromises the hand-crafted opulence it is renowned for. The two-plus-two seater cabin is still cloaked in the finest leather (for a bit of trivia, it takes 13 hides from bulls – because they don't get stretch marks - which are protected from barb wire fences and sharp rocks to ensure a top-quality smooth grain) that can be ordered in myriad of colour options and brogue patterns, while anything that looks like metal is proper milled alloy, the starter button in the centre of the dash is glass and customers can choose from a wide variety of trim highlights in polished or raw wood veneers, piano black or even a unique crushed carbon fibre.

As always, it's a beautiful environment to sit in, but thanks to all the new electronic hardware taken from Mercedes-Benz – including the tablet-style multi media screen on top of the dash and its rotary controller in the centre console, touch sensitive air conditioning controls and its fully digital instrument display - the DB11 is also more user friendly, convenient and connected to the modern world. The sat nav system, for example, no longer requires a road map on how to access, well, the road map. And it finally has keyless entry and ignition.

But the DB11 is still missing a few key features such as a head-up display, ambient interior lighting and the latest suite of driver aids such as active cruise control, lane keeping assist and automated emergency braking.

Aston Martin's Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, explained to Drive the reason behind the latter was to keep an element of purity in the driving experience - as well as its design, because a radar system would sit smack bang in the middle of its signature grille.

As it is with the aesthetic elements, the DB11 also elevates the Aston driving experience to a new level, in most part due to its new twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 engine that produces 447kW at 6500rpm and 700Nm between 1500-5000rpm – an increase in peak power of 67kW over the 6.0-litre naturally aspirated V12 in the DB9, but more significantly the 70Nm bump in torque is produced across a much wider band of revs.

Aston Martin claims the DB11 is capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds, which is fast and on par with the Bentley Continental GT but still behind the benchmark GT car, Ferrari's new GTC4 Lusso.

However, the Aston experience isn't so much about numbers, as the V12 generates a duplicitous character; offering the kind of effortless, long-legged ability that makes it a supremely comfortable cross-country cruiser and also a monstrous surge of pulling power that makes it fast, engaging and challenging (all in equal measures) when pushed through the bends, particularly in its sharpest Sport + mode.

It doesn't matter what kind of driving you're doing, the engine has minimal turbo lag, the cylinder deactivation system (that shuts down one bank of cylinders under light throttle applications to save fuel) is invisible and, all the while, it emits a deep-chested exhaust note with only the faintest hint of turbo whistle under load. It's a brilliant grand tourer; equally as capable of turning heads on the streets of Monaco, Monterey or Melbourne as it is bombing across the Alps, the Sierra Nevadas or the Snowy Mountains.

Moving with the times, the DB11 is also the first Aston Martin with electro-mechanical power steering. And, like all other aspects, it is a step forwards rather than backwards as there is plenty of feedback through the squared-off tiller and a linear weight across the ratio.

On the tight Tuscan roads where we sampled the DB11 for the first time, it can't hide from the fact it is still a big car and is at its best on long flowing stretches rather than tight and twisty mountain climbs. The adaptive suspension is taut enough to keep the body well controlled in the bends when in Sport modes and comfortable in its default setting on the highways, but sharp edged bumps will jolt the 20-inch alloys and jar into the cabin.

There's also a fair degree of wind noise off the A-pillar at highway speeds and we experienced a few jerky gearshifts from the rear-mounted eight-speed automatic while on the move.

But, in all regards, the DB11 is an impressively beautiful yet dramatic car to drive. It not only sets the foundations for Aston Martin's second century but brings the boutique car maker quickly into the 21st century.

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2017 Aston Martin DB11 price and specifications

On-sale: December 2016

Price: From $395,000 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 5.2-litre V12 twin-turbo petrol

Power: 447kW at 6500rpm

Torque: 700Nm at 1500-5000rpm

Transmission: 8-spd automatic, RWD

Fuel Use: TBA

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