Automotive

This message has been edited by India Whiskey Charlie on 2023-05-24 23:32:22

671 horsepower DB12 improves a winning formula....

www.autoblog.com

This one is definitely more of a facelift than a new model.  Looks like Aston Martin is going the McLaren route, new nomenclature for every facelift.  12C and 650S were very much the same cars, the 650S being a facelift version of the 12C; but the 720S was a mostly-new model.  Is the new DB12 dry sump?  Probably doesn't have to be since it's being billed as a grand tourer and not as a sports car.  

They are claiming 80% of the vehicle components are brand new. I do think that the front of the car, and especially the interior look considerably better than the DB11. The only substantial visual carryover is the rear end which I was hoping they would make further improvements on as well.... (was never much of a fan of those slightly fussy rear light covers....). I don't think it's a dry sump either. Let's wait and hear what the first reviews say........

Aston Martin may just be the one.

Cheers, Filip

You get all the Italian emotion, plus the German technical expertise. And here's the kicker, for an exotic brand sporty car, it's actually VERY RELIABLE. Remember, 18-20% of it is basically AUDI; people say that this is a bad thing - but it's really a good thing! Mass market brands are much more reliable than small niche brands. Much of the components in the Lamborghini Huracan come from the Audi R8, many with almost no modifications! The Ferrari is a bigger, more comfortable car, and has a much better trunk. But I care a lot about reliability, so give me the Lamborghini! Plus the Lamborghini sounds better and has a more emotional experience! Yes, the Aston Martin is a great machine - haven't driven the DB11, but the DB9 is more emotion (looks, sounds, smell of leather) than actual technical superlatives (the steering, suspension, brakes of the DB9 aren't especially great considering the type of car).

Depends on what any one person is predominantly looking for....

Most DB12 buyers are looking for a classy car that's comfortable and projects an image of elegance. Lamborghini isn't exactly that - not exactly elegant, definitely more sharp edged. But all I can say is that the Lamborghini Huracan is one amazing sports car to drive. Never had I felt so much ease with 600 horsepower and that much emotion at the same time. Porsches can be easy to drive, but they're not emotional. And in the past, these sports cars used to be quite difficult to drive - they were raw, not very refined, not "easy" to drive. So, almost as easy to drive as a BMW 3 series (just terrible rearward visibility), reliability akin to an Audi R8, and emotion like a true Italian... It hits all the senses!

I'd love to test drive one myself, it's just not a car I'd consider getting as a daily driver, as opposed to most Astons which fill that multipurpose role effortlessly since they're not outright sportscars.... Everything you mention rings true for me as well ....

Sure, Geely might own a big percentage of Aston Martin and Mercedes is a technical partner (Geely also owns a big percentage of Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes)... But other than the V8 engine, infotainment, some software, and a few other parts (a differential maybe), the Aston Martin is relatively not a Mercedes. Aston Martin uses an 8 speed transmission not supplied by Mercedes, the technology and process for building the car is not a Mercedes, chassis tuning and parts aren't really Mercedes parts. So; a Lamborghini is 18-20% an Audi. But Aston Martin is probably even less a Mercedes. In other words, I'd say the Lamborghini uses more Audi parts (or modified Audi parts) than Aston Martin uses Mercedes parts.

But my impression was that he was making a tongue-in-cheek jab from a puritanical standpoint of those engines/drivetrains simply no longer being custom-made specifically for Aston Martin, but being versions of pre-existing engines and drivetrains no matter how extensively re-worked.... He is welcome to chime in as opposed to me making educated guesses .... Mr. Gelato?? 

Agreed. However, I just wanted to put my thoughts in the record in case other readers assumed that the partnership between Aston Martin and Mercedes was at the same extensiveness as the partnership between Audi and Lamborghini. It's definitely not the case. In fact, the Aston Martin engines from Mercedes aren't even the dry sump versions of those AMG engines. The AMG GT gets the dry sump version; all the other AMGs get the normal AMG V8. The Aston Martins basically get the normal AMG V8. I would've hoped that the Vantage had gotten the dry sump version. Sadly it does not.
I could say tongue in cheek that the Aston Martin Vantage gets the same engine as the AMG GT, and for the most part that'd be true. Identical engine block. And if I said that online too many times, without anybody reminding me there's actually a tiny difference, it would build the perception that this is 100% true and universal knowledge. But to a race car driver who critically needs a dry sump, this would not be accurate at all.

discount it at all as a future option, just like they did with the DB11! As a matter of fact, I am personally confident it will happen, and I don't have any 'inside' sources to corroborate this for me....

JWW is a really detailed guy. Yes, he's probably annoying to most people (I bet I am too, when I get all detailed), but really subtle things like transmission programming, an engine torque curve for each gear in each driving mode, etc., and coaxing these little details out of the Product Manager is super important as it really makes a big difference. Good stuff.  Wing mirror details contribute to the artistic sculptural quality of the car.  Just amazing.  Brilliant.  Brilliantly executed.  Wonderful details.  This car has got the details better than the Lamborghini.  

It's just a matter of time . I am going to attend one of the first presentations of it in L.A., so I will follow up with actual first impressions on the design, and perhaps even driveability, depending on what the factory and dealers decide to put together.... I have to say that I love the front and interior design, it is my personal favorite all the way since the second generation DBS! I am still not entirely convinced about the rear, I thought it was a bit too convoluted on the DB11, and this seems like more of the same, but I will reserve final judgment until I examine it in person ........

I thought you meant the last generation of cars with the stuck-on screens and Mercedes parts ....