Took the DB12 out for a drive at the local dealership. Went with a cousin (pictured) who is visiting me. He had never been in any Aston Martin previous today. He got a double shot with driving the DB12 and then driving my Rapide.

They gave us the keys for an hour. Car has brutal power (to me) and really an impressive package over all. Too many electronic menus and sub menus for my taste. The center console layout was tough to tell which gear in manual mode and the icons are kind of small compared to DBX. The power and pick up are truly impressive. Seats are comfortable and the whole thing is a winner.

 

Sounds like most cars now, unfortunately. At least they kept buttons and switches for most major functions!

How did you find the sound? This to me is the biggest drawback of most newer, turbocharged performance cars. Do you know if the NA cars will have particulate filters a la European versions?

 

Salesperson said she didn't think they NA cars would have the filter and that we may find the sounds a little muted. On full throttle it sounds really nice. My cousin who's never heard or been in any Aston thought the Rapide was more visceral, raw and liked the NA V12 engine sound more. I couldn't get over how powerful & grunt of the DB12 in lower RPM. He was amazed at how long the throw of the throttle pedal was on the Rapide compared to DB12. I think the DB12 will be a hit.

The side view mirror & arms on the DB12 are really something to behold.

 

Yes there are some lovely details on the DB12, and I think it is a better looking car than the DB11 and DBSS, although that is a matter of personal taste I realize.

Kudos to your friend for his auditory preferences LOL.

Your description of the lower RPM driving characteristics really crystallizes the difference between modern, turbocharged cars and past, naturally aspirated cars. All that low end torque can be a giggle, but to me there is more pleasure in extending an NA engine to higher revs to extract the performance, at least in a fun/weekend car. For a daily driver, that turbocharged grunt off the line and at sane speeds is hard to beat, though. Re: the throttle pedal travel on newer cars, I think this is at least partly contrived, to give an impression of more low end grunt than there actually is. One of the things I always loved about the NA Astons is the long travel, which allows very precise metering out of acceleration, and also adds to the excitement of stretching the engine.

 

Spot on.

I do love the look of that DB12 though. Stunning thing.

 

You got the good drive! I took it out for like 20min on their loop. I agree, it's a very impressive car. It should sell like hot cakes.

 

I had my DB12 test drive yesterday at Miller Motorcars in CT.

It's a stunning car inside and out. It sounds fantastic and the drive modes allow you to alter the feel of the car dramatically. It's a vehicle that can eat up the miles on long drives and also transform to be something more aggressive, assertive and dynamic on demand. The exhaust even cracks, pops and burbles in sport-plus mode.

But I left—dare I say—underwhelmed? There is something characterless about it. It's almost too good—too adaptable to different scenarios. It didn't feel like an "event" getting behind the wheel. I wanted more drama, heavier steering, and less turbo lag at the low end.

I'm sure driving my older-generation naturally aspirated V8 Vantage to and from the dealer didn't help. I also realize the Vantage and DB12 are two philosophically different vehicles, and perhaps my experience with DB12 confirms I personally lean more toward "sportscar" than "GT."

...Or maybe I'm just waiting for the depreciation to hit in a few years before I allow my preferences to shift (haha). Time will tell.

 

Any early deliveries of DB12's yet? I have one on order that has finished production and is due at my dealer the end of March. Haven't seen much on any forum around experiences with the car post-delivery. I know my dealer has delivered 4 cars since December. The only thing I've seen in any forum has been related to the infotainment and car settings software, which, no surprise, it is showing a lot of initial bugs which are being worked through with regular releases. I can't wait to get mine, but first thing will be to have them update the software before I take delivery, unless they do that anyway at the prep center in Baltimore before delivery. Would love to see some pictures and get early experience feedback from other owners.

 

Yes. There have been a few delivered at my local dealership. 3-4 would be my guess so far.

 

Any feedback from the owners?

 

Only saw them being prepped for delivery.