2025 Aston Martin DB12 review
Aston Martin is undergoing a metamorphosis. Fresh management and a renewed performance focus for its road cars have seen some models receive a serious workover: none perhaps more so than the newest iteration of its long running ‘DB’, the DB12.
Performance is normally had at the expense of comfort, but Aston Martin is determined to have both. Coined as the world’s first ‘super tourer’ by the brand, the DB12’s brief is to take ‘grand tourer’ refinement and blend it with bona fide supercar performance. No small feat. Let’s see how the team at Gaydon has done.
How much does the 2025 Aston Martin DB12 cost?
Getting down to brass tacks right away: the DB12’s price is proportional to its promise.
In coupe body style, it starts from an eye-watering $455,000 before on-roads, with convertible Volante jumping to $492,000.
Our coupe test car, rife with options, pushes the half-mil'-mark before it ever sees the black stuff.
Existing between supercar and GT territory, it’s hard to peg direct rivals for DB12. But for comparison’s sake, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT coupe starts from $366,500 before on-roads, while buyers can get into a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Coupe for $381,200 plus on-road costs.
What is the 2025 Aston Martin DB12 like inside?
The DB12 is, as you would expect from the badge and price, a supremely distinguished place to be inside.
A sloped centre console provides luxury and effortless ergonomics to drivers and front-seated passengers, with knurled switches milled from solid billet and, in our test car, lashings of carbon fibre detailing, adding a whole dimension of class.
Supple, hand-stitched leather is clad throughout, including on the front seats. They offer comfort over long trips while also providing the necessary bolster to match the intense cornering forces drivers can generate (more on that later).
Visibility is acceptable; however a high dash, long bonnet and high, staunched rear guards means determining the vehicle’s extremities, and parking, can be a tad difficult.
We needn’t tell you how stunning a piece of kit it is outside. Our test car, coated in Iridescent Emerald green and riding on 21-inch satin bronze wheels, didn’t leave a head unturned.
Proportionally perfect from all angles, our only gripe with its exterior was a pair of uninspiring tailpipes. Unfortunately, their looks are matched by their tone, with the DB12 reverting to a default, muted ‘GT’ exhaust setting with each start-up.
Racier settings are available, but must be selected manually and will still leave you wanting more bark.
— Liam Murphy
What equipment does the 2025 Aston Martin DB12 come with?
A responsive 10.25-inch centre touchscreen running Aston Martin’s own system is housed within the dash, bringing the DB12 into the modern era. While not free of kinks, the system is a great first attempt and is sure to get better with updates over time. The centre screen is matched by another 10.25-inch driver display screen.
Standard infotainment includes DAB+ radio, Bluetooth connectivity, wireless phone charging, satellite navigation and an 11-speaker Aston Martin sound system come standard, however the latter can be replaced with an optional Bowers & Wilkins arrangement.
LED lights front and rear, a heated rear window, puddle lights, heated 12-way adjustable front seats, electrically adjustable steering and keyless entry also comprise standard inclusions.
The DB12 rides on 21-inch forged alloy wheels, wrapped in wide 275 profile rubber up front and 325 in the rear. Steel brake rotors come standard (in two pieces up front and single in the rear), however carbon ceramic units can be optioned.
How safe is the 2025 Aston Martin DB12?
Unsurprisingly, Aston Martin wasn’t too keen on crashing a few cars this expensive, so the 2025 Aston Martin DB12 remains untested by ANCAP and Euro NCAP.
Lack of a formalised safety score aside, the DB12 boasts a comprehensive suite of safety kit.
Adaptive cruise control with stop-go, traffic sign recognition lane-departure warning, and assists for lane-keep, lane-change, front and rear cross-traffic come as standard.
These are joined by a door open assist, hands-off detection, driver fatigue monitoring and a 360-degree camera and augmented 3D surround view.
What powers the 2025 Aston Martin DB12?
On paper, the 2025 Aston Martin DB12 may appear a weaker value proposition than its predecessor: the AM-built 5.2-litre V12 available in the DB11 is no longer on the cards. Instead, a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (built by Mercedes-AMG to AM specifications) is the sole engine offered.
Dive into the figures, however, and you mightn’t be disappointed. The DB12’s powerplant, though down pistons and displacement, is up 50kW and 100Nm on the engine it replaces, totalling a ludicrous 500kW/800Nm.
Combined with a new eight-speed automatic transmission sending power to the rear and the DB12 will cover 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds.
Aston Martin claims fuel consumption of 12.2L/100km. During our testing, not afraid to ask for full serves of power, we saw just 12.7L/100km.
What is the 2025 Aston Martin DB12 like to drive?
The DB12’s V8 is a low compression (8.6:1), big turbos affair, however AM’s tuning – helped by the responsive auto’s tight ratios – means lag is minimal and the DB12 is almost never caught off-guard.
Torque arrives early, peaking from just 2500rpm and remaining on tap all the way to 6000rpm. There’s no typical midrange shunt of turbocharged power diminishing towards redline here: the engine wants to be revved and will reward drivers who do so.
Variable shift logic sometimes feels like it’s approaching telepathy, meaning the DB12 will fire up from a sedate cruiser to a serious performance car depending on the aggression of driver inputs. Add brake pedal pressure, for instance, and the DB12 becomes proportionally more eager to downshift, feeding in revs and theatrics. Thought you’d never enjoy coming to a stop at a red light? Think again.
A smaller engine also means less weight. The DB12 tips the scales at just 1788kg in coupe guise (1898kg for Volante), and with that V8 mounted so rearwardly, a 48:52 front-rear weight distribution is achieved. Add direct, light steering, and the result is effortless rotation in all conditions and speeds.
Turn-in is razor-sharp, and the mind struggles to comprehend – thanks to sticky Michelin PS5S tyres (designed specifically for the model) and stellar chassis and adaptive damper setups – just how much grip is available as you ask more and more of the DB12.
In the right conditions, even with 500kW of power on-tap, the traction control system may as well have the day off. Madness.
The Open Road’s take on the 2025 Aston Martin DB12
Nailing the brief in a sort of Jekyll and Hyde-type deal, the DB12’s strengths as a supercar also serve for those as a tourer. Its power, eagerness to turn and ability to soak up bumps make it an effortless drive everywhere you put it.
There’s no suffering for the privilege of supercar-rivalling performance here and, price aside, the DB12 is about as close to a no-compromise performance car as we’ve ever driven.
A tourer that is also super? Tick.
Pros:
- Serious performance without the usual supercar compromise
- Jaw-dropping looks and street appeal
- Interior comfort and refinement
Cons:
- Muted exhaust note regardless of drive mode
- Temperamental touchscreen operation
- Frontal visibility can make parking and tight spaces difficult
