It’s as much a part of James Bond as the vodka martini, Miss Moneypenny and saving the world. Because without his Aston Martin, the most famous secret agent in the world would probably be just a small number in the British civil service.
And even if there is a new cast for the leading role every few episodes, 007 has been loyal to its house and court supplier for a very long time: Hardly any other brand stands for the 007 series like Aston Martin and especially their classic DB5.
That’s why there’s hardly any question which car he’ll drive in the next film – even if the actor hasn’t been chosen yet. After all, Aston Martin has just renewed its most important model and replaced the DB11 with the DB12.
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And while Bond will probably have to wait at least two more years for its maiden voyage, sufficiently well-off people can already get started this summer – because the dealer they trust would like to have around 225,000 euros beforehand. There is a super sports car that, in contrast to most of its competitors, largely refrains from aggression and provocation.
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Yes, the DB12 is also bursting with power, has become even wider with the new edition and opens up its radiator mouth even further. But instead of wild spoilers, he wears an elegant tuxedo over his muscles, which not only makes you look good in the pit lane, but also in front of the Grand Hotel.
Let’s be honest: With this scenery, the next James Bond could also step into the picture
Source: dpa-tmn/Aston Martin
This continues in the interior: Hardly any other sports car manufacturer equips the cabin with more luxury.
And since Aston Martin no longer has to apply the old infotainment system from its development partner Mercedes, but has recently made its own on-board electronics, the displays and, above all, the entertainment center in the center console are also up to date. Even if the navigation gets a bit muddled just before the start of series production and the indicator sounds more like a physical experimentation kit than a top-class symphony.
Apart from that, Aston Martin paid so much attention to the good sound, insulated the windows particularly well and even filled the tires with sound-absorbing foam for a relaxed atmosphere on the motorway.
Aston Martin DB12: The family stays at home
While this can also be changed over-the-air with a software update at the latest, one point of criticism about the cabin certainly remains: the two leather recesses in the second row are at best elegant bag racks and are not even suitable for the offspring as emergency seats, it is so cramped there.
But after Mr. Bond never really worked out with a family, even normal mortal customers have to hold back – or simply switch to another car. After all, there will soon be more room for improvement: because next year the DB12 will also be available as a convertible.
Luxurious command center: Aston Martin has also installed a new infotainment system in the cockpit
Source: dpa-tmn/Max Earey
The DB12 is best enjoyed alone anyway, if you don’t have to take other sensitivities into account – even if the name is misleading and there is no twelve-cylinder engine under the hood. Because it no longer has a future with the British either, they instead install the V8 of the predecessor, which was heavily trained for the new edition.
Aston Martin has elicited around 30 percent more power from the four-liter Mercedes-AMG eight-cylinder engine from Affalterbach: 500 kW/680 hp and 800 Nm are now on the vehicle registration document.
The driving performance improves accordingly: the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h now takes 3.6 seconds and the top speed is only reached at 325 km/h.
Aston Martin DB12 chases precisely over country roads
But it’s not these benchmarks that make the difference. Above all, it is a matter of enthusiasm and emotions. Because only together with the newly tuned eight-speed automatic, next-generation adaptive dampers and the first electronic rear axle differential in the series does the stronger engine unfold its sensual effect.
It spices up the chic that is usual with Aston Martin with a sharpness that has never been seen before in the British: Precise, snappy and lightning fast, the DB12 hunts down the country roads, drives the corners of your mouth upwards with every curve and feels much more manageable than you would expect from a car of 4.73 meters.
Yes, you can argue about the shapes: but who wants to be seriously sharp-tongued in the face of these lines
Source: dpa-tmn/Max Earey
But no matter how wildly you drive it, the bolide from Britain always remains a gentleman who takes out the knife between his teeth just before the limit and, above all, never shows off. At least acoustically, he becomes the secret agent below the super sports car and maybe that’s why he fits James Bond so well.
Data Sheet: Aston Martin DB12 Coupe
Motor: Eight-cylinder petrol engine with twin-turbo displacement (4000 ccm)
Perfomance: 500 kW/680 PS Max.
Torque: 800 Nm
Drive: rear wheel drive
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Long: 4725 mm
Broad: 2135 mm (with mirrors)
Height: 1295 mm
Wheelbase: 2805 mm
curb weight: 1788 kg
payload: k.A.
trunk volume: 262 l
Top speed: 325 km/h
Acceleration 0-100: 3,6 s
Average consumption: 12.2L (WLTP combined)
Range: k.A.
CO₂-Emission: 276 g/km
Fuel: Super
emission class: EU6
Energy efficiency class: k.A.
Base price of the Aston Martin DB12: that. 225,000 euros
Type classes: k.A.
Vehicle tax: k.A.
Important standard equipment: Security: Six airbags, distance cruise control, reversing camera, cross traffic assistant
Comfort: Air conditioning, carbon brakes, digital infotainment
Spritspartechnik: k.A.
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