Aston Martin DB11 review: Just how good is the £144,000 supercar that could be James Bond’s next company car?
The DB11 V8 is lighter, cheaper and handles better than its V12 big brother - and is still good for 187mph. We take the new Aston Martin for a spin before 007 can get his hands on the keys
TWO observations. One of fact. One of opinion.
Daimler has a five per cent stake in Aston, which means Aston can use off-the-shelf Mercedes parts. It saves it a fortune.
The DB11 V12 uses the latest Merc electronics and the new DB11 V8 you see here today is the first to use a Mercedes-AMG engine.
Now for my opinion.
The 4-litre V8 beats the 5.2-litre V12 hands down.
It’s 115kg lighter for a start, the equivalent of an 18st man. And losing that weight over the front end makes the DB11 sharper and more agile.
The turn-in is phenomenal. In short, it’s more of a driver’s car.
And it’s £13,000 cheaper. Win. Win.
The only downside, dear reader, is the top speed is a little lower . . . at 187mph. I know.
Hardly a deal breaker.
Key facts
Price: £144,900
Engine: 4-litre twin turbo V8
Power: 510hp
0-62mph: 4 secs
Top speed: 187mph
Economy: 28mpg
CO2: 230g/km
One last thing. Aston has tickled the ECU to create its own exhaust note – the overrun in Sport+ mode sounds the nuts – but agreed not to hike power above 510 horses, the same output as the AMG GT S.
An Aston insider said: “If we did that, we might get a phone call.”
VERDICT: Class.
