2025 Aston Martin Db12 Isn't For Introverts

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

I've been very fortunate to thrust a batch of attention-grabbing vehicles during my tenure astatine Jalopnik — Skittle colored supercars, high-end luxury limos and everything successful betwixt — but I've ne'er gotten much of a guidance from passersby than I did successful this Liquid Crimson reddish 2025 Aston Martin DB12. Because of its drop-dead gorgeous looks, nan practice nan Aston brings pinch it and a heavy V8 burble that demands your attention, I was nan coolest feline successful town.

I drove this large bruiser of a coupe complete 700 miles, and I honestly mislaid count of nan number of thumbs-ups, waves, smiles and requests to rev nan centrifugal I encountered. If you don't want to beryllium seen, nan DB12 surely isn't nan car for you, but if you're for illustration maine and bask a small spot of attention, well, Aston's creation deserves your consideration. It brings pinch it a definite aerial of tastefulness that is missing from nan Lamborghinis and McLarens of nan world. A car for illustration this lets everyone cognize that you've sewage conscionable arsenic overmuch high-class sensation arsenic you've sewage money.

Full Disclosure: Aston Martin gave maine nan keys to a gassed-up DB12 to do pinch arsenic I pleased for a week.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

Sure, the 2025 DB12 is simply a very nosy car to drive, but nan point that first drew maine successful was its looks. I've been an Aston instrumentality for a agelong time. If you inquire me, 1 of nan best-looking vehicles ever made was nan 2007 DBS and nan DB9 it was based on, but I was ne'er really a instrumentality of what those British designers did pinch nan DB9's replacement, nan DB11, which preceded this car. It conscionable didn't activity for me. Luckily, the DB12, while only really being a dense facelift of nan DB11, fixed a batch of nan issues I had pinch it. The car is acold much sculpted and muscular-looking than before, pinch sharper edges that springiness a much diversion vibe to nan large expansive tourer.

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It's sewage that classical Aston Martin creation connection we've each travel to cognize and love. The low-slung body, endless hood and short rear overhang are each nan hallmarks of a classically beautiful car. Around nan side, we tin spot Aston's ⅔-body ⅓-window creation accuracy that has made its cars truthful chopped for decades now. And retired back, nan DB12 gets revised taillights and a very fierce diffuser. This thing's stance is awesome from nan rear. It lets everyone cognize that it intends business.

Sure, I'm not personally a immense instrumentality of nan achromatic accents and wheels of my tester, but who americium I to complain?

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Ironically, moreover though Aston called this car nan DB12, it's the first DB car to not person a V12 action since nan DB6. While it's sad to suffer retired connected a awesome motor for illustration that, nan AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 isn't precisely lacking successful powerfulness aliases character. It lays down a important 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque — improvements of 41 hp and 74 lb-ft complete the DB11's twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12. All of that powerfulness is routed done an eight-speed automatic transmission, and if nan driver gets nan motorboat right, they'll beryllium capable to deed 60 mph from a standstill successful astir 3.3 seconds. That's mighty awesome for a rear-wheel-drive car. Eventually, it'll deed a 202-mph apical speed, which is much than capable if you inquire me. Keep successful mind, this isn't moreover Aston's flagship vehicle. That grant belongs to nan someway moreover much bonkers Vanquish.

While nan DB12 excels astatine straight-line speed, it's nary slouch successful nan corners, either. Sure, it weighs 3,900 pounds, but it's acold much nimble than its size and tonnage would suggest. A batch of that comes down to nan very communicative steering box. No matter what thrust mode it's in, nan steering is alternatively dense — not that that's a bad point — and it did a awesome occupation of letting maine cognize what benignant of roadworthy surfaces I was passing over.

There were a fewer times I overcooked a corner, and that's erstwhile nan DB12 started to push astatine nan beforehand a bit. This was easy solved by feeding successful a spot much powerfulness to plaything nan backmost around. The traction power fto maine person nosy while keeping maine from getting into trouble.

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When it comes to capacity driving, I only really person 1 complaint: nan brakes. In normal conditions, nan $14,400 carbon-ceramic units were much than up to nan task (save for their penchant for squeaking), but aft conscionable 15 aliases 20 minutes of spirited driving, nan pedal sewage worryingly soft. That's thing I haven't knowledgeable pinch c ceramics before. I had to slow my gait measurement down and fto nan brakes cool off. After that, nan stiffness returned, but my assurance did not.

Of course, astir group aren't buying a DB12 to beryllium immoderate benignant of canyon carving lunatic. They're buying 1 because it's 1 of nan champion vehicles successful nan world for covering immense distances successful very mini amounts of time. I tin attest to this. While it wasn't a huge distance, I did thrust nan DB12 from New York City to Cape May, New Jersey, and backmost — a 350-mile information travel — and each nan while it would beryllium happily astatine a [redacted] velocity while cruising down nan NJ Parkway. All nan while, that large centrifugal was returning complete 24 mpg. Not excessively shabby. It only benignant of gave maine issues erstwhile nan pavement was rough, but it's New Jersey, truthful nan pavement is ever rough.

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The DB12's interior lends itself to making those galore hundreds of miles arsenic pleasant arsenic possible. Even astatine its lowest point, pinch nan worst parts bins to take from, Aston Martin has ever been bully astatine making an interior consciousness special, and this 1 is nary different.

As you'd expect, each of nan materials, whether it's leather, wood, c fibre aliases metal, consciousness arsenic premium arsenic nan DB12's $300,000-plus value would suggest. There's an aerial of value successful this car that is missing from a batch of caller cars these days. Everything feels heavy. All of nan inputs are purposeful, and it scratched that portion of my encephalon that craves tactile feedback.

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Because Aston's buyers are rather aged (for nan astir part), nan institution decided not to make nan interior excessively tech-laden. The driver still gets a mates of screens to service arsenic nan gauge cluster and infotainment center, but astir of nan different halfway functions tin beryllium operated by a difficult fastener aliases a lovely-feeling scroll wheel. That's astir apt a bully move, because nan tech isn't precisely world-leading successful nan DB12. It's a spot excessively laggy and clunky to woody pinch successful astir instances, but inquire yourself something: do you springiness a crap? Do you attraction if nan ambiance power paper successful a 671-hp ace coupe is simply a spot laggy? I cognize you don't, and neither do I. It's fine. It's usable, and that's each anyone needs it to be. Regardless, Apple CarPlay Ultra is coming down nan pipeline for iPhone users, truthful it's only a impermanent problem.

One downside of nan DB12 is its somewhat cramped quarters. It's capable adequate for 2 adults successful nan beforehand seats — though it could usage immoderate bigger animal comforts successful nan cupholder/storage section — but if you deliberation you're going to get a living, breathing quality personification successful nan rear seats, I've sewage a span to waste you.

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Why Aston moreover bothered to springiness this point rear seats is beyond me, but it has them, truthful I decided to instrumentality nan small feline of my friend group backmost there, Patrick, who is 5-foot-6 connected a bully day. It was sadistic and different reward to shove him successful that space, but I'm a sadistic and different guy. I wouldn't propose doing this pinch your loved ones. At best, this area useful arsenic a bully measurement to supplement nan awkwardly shaped 9.3 cubic ft trunk. My partner and I were capable to get a weekend's worthy of luggage into nan DB12, but immoderate much than that would person been a existent issue.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

We unrecorded successful very uncertain times correct now successful galore regards. It conscionable truthful happens that a awesome illustration of that uncertainty is car prices. Because of President Trump's tariffs and nan reciprocal levies different countries person put connected nan U.S., it's very difficult to opportunity what a car will costs today, fto unsocial tomorrow. The only point I cognize for judge is that erstwhile this DB12 was sold, it started astatine $249,000, including destination.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

No Aston Martin has ever been a guidelines spec successful nan history of time, truthful that's why we've sewage each sorts of costly options for this tester. Some of nan existent highlights are a $10,000 Bowers & Wilkins audio strategy (which sounds fabulous), $14,400 carbon-ceramic brakes, $15,200 successful leather and $5,800 21-inch achromatic wheels. All of this, positive a fistful of different extras, brought my car's as-tested value to $324,700. I cognize that sounds for illustration a batch (because it is,) but it's astir a bargain erstwhile you see this car's older brother, nan Vanquish, starts astatine astir $430,000. It's besides correct successful statement pinch nan hyper-luxury expansive tourers you're going to get from Bentley and Ferrari. That's hardly a consolation, but these cars aren't for mundane communal schmucks for illustration you and me. They're for rich | schmucks.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

It hasn't been peculiarly easy going for Aston Martin complete nan past years. Financial troubles and tumbling income person made life rather difficult for nan iconic British automaker. With products for illustration nan DB12, though, it reminds you that these guys really cognize really to build a bully car that is some forward-looking and harkens backmost to iconic cars of its past.

The wide nationalist seems to agree, too. Passersby are digging what Aston is trading correct now, and they should. The DB12 is damn good, and it's a awesome return to shape for 1 of nan coolest, astir historical exemplary lines successful nan full automotive industry. Now I conscionable request to hold a fewer years for these to get inexpensive capable that I could bargain one.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik