Road Test of the Year 2017: Aston Martin DB11
The Aston Martin DB11 is billed as the ideal luxury GT car. How does it cope with the roads of South Wales though? Rebecca Chaplin finds out
Under brooding, stormy clouds in a deserted Welsh car park, it sits – its paintwork so dark you would think it was black until a glimmer of sunshine breaks through to reveal tones of purple and blue.
Its design is something so sleek in profile, it could have been painted on the scenery with a single brush stroke.
A door opens, and people standing nearby cast an eye at the delicate and petite silhouette that emerges. Out steps, feet first, cautiously testing the sodden ground, a person whose stature matches that of the car but attire not so much.
You might be thinking Bond girl but instead she was more like pond girl; dressed head-to-toe in black, but in a puffer jacket, ripped jeans and, of course, a bobble hat.
The reaction from those around to my exit from the Aston Martin V12 DB11 was much like most people would feel getting into it.
The exterior looks are simple, it’s an exceptionally beautiful piece of design, but why the same simplicity hasn’t been applied to the interior, I don’t know.
Personally, I quite like the scalloped seats that curve around your body, but then I have always been quite keen on pursuing a career as a mermaid. The quality and weight to everything feels like great British engineering and, although it’s something I’d never think of choosing, the blue leather even looked right on this particular car.
The party piece on the DB11 is its V12 engine, though. Accommodated in an unbelievably small space, with a push of a big red button in the centre of the console, it fires into life.
It’ll do 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and will carry on to a top speed of 200mph thanks to the 5.2-litre twin turbocharged engine. It’s the first in a long line of Aston Martins to come, downsizing from the old 5.9-litre cars, but it doesn’t disappoint. It still sounds like a smooth-talking, fire-breathing dragon and it’s got performance credentials to match.
The DB11 can be quickly changed between three different driving modes: Normal, Sport and Sport Plus. Buttons on the steering wheel let you adapt to the road conditions, with adaptive suspension to match.
As a grand tourer, this Aston fits the bill. Its suspension carries you across the roads but at a blistering, bullet-straight pace. Switch up through the modes and the car becomes more aggressive, but the turbo-lag also becomes more noticeable. Turn the leather-dressed steering wheel into any country lane corner and it’ll float through and if you’re happy with GT then this is it.
You could be mistaken for thinking this is a sports car, or even a supercar if you’re James Bond, but it just isn’t. Compare it to the McLaren and you’ll begin to find faults where there are none; compare it to any 911 and you might be mistaken that this car isn’t fit for purpose – and definitely don’t compare it to any modern Mercedes.
Since all of the interior appears to be stolen from Merc as the two brands forge closer ties, you wouldn’t want to buy yourself a practical family car from the German brand, unless you want to question why you’ve got the older and less reliable version of the Command infotainment system in your £150,000 motor.
Driving out of Wales, I was following the 720S that was also a member of RTOTY’s class of 2017. It had been a tiresome drive through queues of traffic as we approached Cardiff, but I had plenty to amuse myself with by making a lot of noise.
Having a soft-riding car might not be everyone’s dream, but I got to be smug as we finally made our way across the border and a particularly bumpy section of road.
The DB11 is already a classic. It’s got the looks, the style and it’s a performance car you can live with on long journeys. Yes, it’s only a 2+2 and the boot only really has enough space for one small handbag, but it’s more spacious than you’d expect if you saw it driving down the street.
It’s a shame that it has already dated itself with that interior and the infotainment that looks as though it might as well run on Windows XP, but at least it works. If nothing else, it certainly gives us plenty to be excited about for the next generation of Aston Martins.
By Rebecca Chaplin
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Price (as tested): £183,170
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Power: 600bhp, 700Nm
Top speed: 200mph
0-60mph: 3.7 seconds
Fuel economy: 25mpg
Emissions: 265g/km
