Aston Martin hopes the newly revealed DB12 Volante can help to usher in a new automotive segment known as the “Super Tourer.” Ideally, a Super Tourer combines the power and performance of a supercar with the stately elegance of a more traditional Grand Tourer, or GT. At first glance, the DB12 coupe unveiled last year seemed to live up to the stated goal with a 671-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 and luxurious interior appointments throughout. Now, the Volante version adds the convenience of a soft convertible top to an exterior design that already rivals the best on the market.
A rainy press launch in Malibu provided somewhat less than the ideal setting to experience everything the Volante has to offer, but shed light on exactly where Aston Martin prioritized the DB12’s development dollars. Top of the list, clearly, is the new powerplant from AMG, which somewhat ironically renders a V12 engine obsolete on this, the DB’s 12th generation. To help compensate for the unfortunate numerological oversight, Aston doubled down and somehow coaxed a stupendous 671 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque out of the relatively compact 4.0-liter V8.
Test-Driving the DB12 Volante in Malibu
All of that power routes to the rear wheels only, luckily through a capable eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. The wheels themselves, measuring 21 inches in diameter, also come shod in a set of brand-new Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tires being used in their first production application. Up front, the 5S rubber spans 275 millimeters, while the rears measure a whopping 325 millimeters wide—supercar numbers, beyond a doubt, but much like their predecessors, eminently capable tires in a bit of wet, as well.
Even if the raindrops forestalled enjoyment of top-down cruising or handling at the very limit, semi-judicious application of throttle on straights allowed that V8 engine to roar all the way through its 7,000 rpm rev range, with a prodigious amount of forced induction boost building throughout. Lifting off well in advance of braking zones, to provide enough room for error lest a canyon corner turns into a mudslide or makeshift river, then allows for copious overrun snorts and burbles in quintessential V8 fashion.
Chassis Tuning of a Modern Convertible
Meanwhile, even at lower pace, the DB12’s sublime chassis tuning straddles a fine line between overly tight sports car and opulent cruiser. A hint of lean from the 3,960-pound body communicates where, exactly, the center of gravity sits at all time, from individual front tires entering corners to each rear when the time comes to punch the go pedal once more. If anything, the overly assisted steering provides light resistance more in line with grand tourers than sports cars—though without any sense of sloppiness, so at least each degree of steering angle contributes to a sense of confidence rather than the more common vagaries of similarly hefty vehicles.
Optioning the convertible top contributes 244 pounds to that total curb weight, but in climates that typically afford as many opportunities for top-down cruising as Malibu, the potential sacrifices to handling probably make for a worthy trade-off. Unlike so many soft-tops, the DB12 Volante looks equally stylish with the top up or down, largely thanks to svelte body panels and a rakish windshield, as well as a strip of chrome around the waterline. The revised intake up front will remind James Bond fans of Aston’s iconic DB5, while the tail transitions from muscularity to futuristic angularity without losing a surprising hint of boattail provenance.
Priced in Line with a Strong Segment
All in, with a stunning Magneto Bronze paintjob complemented by a full Copper Tan Metallic interior, this Aston as tested stickers for $323,700. That’s a fair total above the starting M.S.R.P. of $265,000 (the two options contributing most: carbon ceramic brakes for $14,500 and a monotone leather interior package for $10,100). A DB12 Volante as specced therefore enters solidly into the arena of Bentley’s Continental GTC, which leans much more heavily toward the stately grand tourer rather than supercar spirit.
Meanwhile, a Maserati GranCabrio in Trofeo trim starts nearer to $200,000 and comes equipped with a twin-turbo V6 engine and all-wheel drive as the only powertrain option. Mercedes and AMG’s twin-turbo V8-powered SL and GT lineup likely presents the DB12 with its nearest comparable, though Aston Martin somehow accomplished the feat of combining similar power and performance in a much more svelte and attractive package, all while retaining a critical sense of nimble lightness that other makes and models in this segment entirely lack. In that regard most of all, the DB12 manages to hit the new Super Tourer nail squarely on the head.