Review 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante opens an inspiring muse

The clouds were thickening and the air carried a deep, damp chill. I put on my hat, zipped up the collar of my jacket, and headed back to the road along the canyons of Southern California. It was about to pour, and I chuckled to myself that this beast, a 2024 Aston Martin DB12, carried the British weather in the guise of a drop-top Volante on a sunny day.

Like a strange late February day with temperatures in the low 50s, the occasional sprinkle of rain, and low-hanging clouds, the 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante is a refreshing anomaly, a departure from the increasingly soulless norms of 2020s performance cars.

Admittedly, the world may still be unfamiliar with the idea of an Aston Martin SUV, or even a Lucid-powered electric car. But this latest convertible embodies the duality of Aston as a luxury carmaker that is both a luxurious luxury car and a quintessentially British sports car.

I was acutely aware from the start that the DB12 was powered by a German engine. Like its predecessor, the Aston Martin DB11, the Aston Martin DB12 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, individually assembled by Mercedes-AMG at its own manufacturing center. The larger turbo and more aggressive cam profile deliver a maximum output of 671 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. And its personality includes a bark that was once reserved for Lamborghinis and the edgiest muscle cars.

My knowledge of Astons goes back to the DB9 and Rapide S sedan, as I have been confined to the world of EV presentations for the past few years and have not driven a DB11. So this was the first time I had driven an Aston Martin with an Affalterbach V8 engine.

That's shocking. In its latest iteration, this engine is far more powerful than any V-12 Aston, and all it potentially lacks is its song and bragging rights. Neither will be missed.

The Aston boasts a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds, and a quick run on the driest roads I could find suggested not only an EV-like standing start, but a propulsion that would hold you in your seat at any speed. This is made possible by the lightning-quick downshift of the rear-mounted ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, which stays in a lower gear when Sport or Sport+ mode is selected with the twist dial around the engine start button. Full-throttle driving is limited by the traction of custom Michelin Pilot S 5 tires.

The drive mode dial is wonderfully tactile and has all the necessary functions to change the behavior of the DB12 Volante. It is located on the center console, which also has real push-button switches for switching between stability, exhaust, and adjustable damper settings (color-coded orange and red for increasing levels of sportiness). There is also a thumbwheel for temperature settings and volume control. Just in front of it, just below the screen, are the hard buttons for the climate control function and door locks. It's a bit old-fashioned, but it's also modern, precise, and refreshing. I sincerely hope that Aston does not try to display everything on the screen in the future.

Returning to the sound of the V-8, it is addictive, encouraging, and perfectly suited to the car. around 4,100 rpm, the DB12 accelerates further. around 4,100 rpm, the DB12 gains more power, and when you rev up further and let off the gas pedal quickly, you can hear a moderate overshoot. A quick release produces a moderate overrun. In its loudest mode, it sounds brutal but not savage, singing through the shifts and especially enjoyable with the top down. As long as the curvy roads and hairpins continued, it was difficult to dial down the settings or my driving.

The engine has a duality in its character that matches the way the car freely moves between luxury coupe and edgy supercar signals. When sitting still, the V-8 engine idles super-smooth, and when lightly accelerated in comfort-oriented GT mode, it has a silky texture and a distant purr.

While the engine gives the car a distinct character, the steering makes this car tick. It is a very wide car, but even on narrow canyon roads I had no problem keeping the car precisely in its lane and, at times, avoiding road debris. The quick ratios never caught me off guard, and the chunky steering wheel loaded nicely off-center.

Unlike other performance and prestige luxury models today, the DB12's instrument cluster is as simple as one could hope for. With customizable left and right modules, you can place as much information there as you want, or you can do as I did and keep it to a more traditional instrument cluster with a high-contrast twist.

After looking over the delicately textured cabin and the special material choices that cost over $20,000, I didn't want to test it in the pouring rain. The cabin's very plush leather had none of the plasticky feel found in less upscale luxury cars. This is part of the "Inspire Monotone Leather Interior" option, which offers contrast stitching and custom colors for the leather and carpeting.

My DB12 Volante, in Magneto Bronze, came in at $327,100, well above the base price of $265,000, including a $3,400 destination fee; options at nearly $60,000 included carbon ceramic brakes, bronze calipers and smoked taillight lenses, a gloss black lower body package, a special convertible top color, and 21-inch forged wheels with a satin platinum finish were also included.

The DB12 looked slightly different from the DB11, with a slightly sharper front, a more technical look with new headlight designs, and more swagger with a larger grille. It will not be mistaken for its predecessor, though it does inherit the excellent bonded aluminum body structure that is the secret to this soft-top convertible's solid, rigid feel and lack of wild vibrations. According to Aston, several key underbody structural elements have been improved, plus cross bracing in the engine bay helps increase torsional rigidity, and the Volante has its own springs and damper rates.

The interior has been more radically redesigned, with many of the infotainment systems, displays, and switches thoroughly redesigned. The infotainment system now supports a vibrant 10.3-inch screen with an interface developed in-house by Aston Martin and beautifully integrated with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto VW should take note.

The Bowers & Wilkins sound system outputs 1,170 watts of surround sound from 15 speakers.

The DB12's seats are widely adjustable, wonderfully supportive, and soft. However, the DB12 inherits some odd characteristics from generations of Aston Martins before it. I'm 5'6" and had no problem sliding in and finding enough headroom, but I felt that an inch or two shorter would have meant driving with the car's roll center instead of riding on top of it. Aston pointed out to me that the available carbon fiber performance seats would essentially provide that.

Just as I was gaining confidence in the car's dynamics, a light rain fell in large droplets on the windshield and I looked at the fine leather with growing alarm. At the next opportunity, I pulled over and raised the top to find that I still had decent rear visibility.

The DB12 Volante's convertible top is upholstered in luxurious material, which keeps the Volante hardtop quiet on the highway, even in the rain. Under the hard tonneau, it powers down in seconds (16 seconds to close, 14 seconds to open). According to Aston, it can drive up to 31 mph and into a 31 mph headwind. There are a few shapeless spaces in the rear that could be used for additional passengers, but it is hard to imagine how they would fit.

Then the skies opened up and the rain began to fall. More torrential rain, which had already made my drive a mess, and there were some gravelly hazards along the way. I was reminded once again that this was no fair-weather supercar.

Down the strange banking of Encinal Canyon Road, which would have been a good road test if it were dry, the tail loosened slightly due to light water on the road and a small mudslide from a steep slope, making us momentarily vulnerable.

But when we activated the Volante's wet mode, with its softer throttle and stricter stability program, everything felt reassuring.

The DB12 is a bit understated for an exotic car and a bit ostentatious for an everyday luxury touring coupe. Take your pick. Either way, it reminds us that while there are still brilliant, luxurious sports cars with charisma, they remain on the fringes in today's screen-focused world. And sometimes it's being off the screen that brings us the most exciting days.