2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante First Drive: Roof Down, Price Up

Last year, Aston Martin debuted the new DB12 with a big step up in horsepower, despite the fact that this newest generation of the iconic DB actually drops the V12 engine option. Even if that makes the generationally requisite "DB12" moniker something of a bummer, Aston's recently updated design language still managed to capture minds and break hearts almost immediately, steadily stepping further into the stylistic future while harkening back to historical models of days long past.

Now, for 2024, the DB12 receives a Volante variant, which once again in historical Aston parlance translates to a soft convertible top. Selecting the Volante adds 244 pounds to the DB12 coupe's curb weight, and the softtop can retract and close–at the touch of a button–in only 14 or 16 seconds respectively, and at speeds of up to 31 miles per hour.

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For most buyers, throwing in a quick and painless convertible option will likely only enhance the DB12's overall appeal, though with a bit of trunk space sacrificed—and hilariously tiny rear seats already—the soft-top somehow seems to reduce the potential for the Volante to inhabit a new "Super Tourer" category that Aston intends the DB12 to introduce.

A rainy day in the hills of Malibu, California, proved sub-optimal for enjoying a top-down cruise in Aston's latest and greatest. Damp and dirty roads also required restraint from pushing the DB12 chassis anywhere near the edge, leaving the new twin-turbocharged V8 constantly begging for more opportunities to let loose. And what a tragedy, to say the least: without the need to play second fiddle to a V12 engine in this generation, the new 4.0-liter engine borrowed from AMG can puff its lungs out to an absurd 671 horsepower. For context, that's 150 more ponies than the DB11's V8 produced, and even 41 more versus the outgoing V12.

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A tried-and-true ZF eight-speed automatic sends that grunt to the rear wheels only, and the variable conditions revealed how well the DB12's electronically controlled limited-slip differential handles power delivery. 

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On days such as this that dictate discretion rather than overpowered valor, the DB12 features one of the most enjoyable traction control programs of any high-performance car, with further adjustability within the five drive modes—admittedly, via a button-knob system that's difficult to decipher at first, but surprisingly simple after discovering the right combo of button mashing and fiddling. No reductive on-off or on-sport-off settings here, not even the five settings of a Ferrari Manettino dial, instead far more discrete control dependent on driver intent and the road ahead.

Surprisingly light steering belies the DB12's sportiest aspirations, though. The electronically assisted rack provides plenty of precision, but the minimal amount of muscle required to physically turn the wheel leans nearer to grand tourer than supercar. That sensation manages to help mask the Volante's overall weight, which with the convertible components added on now creeps up to tip the scales at 3,960 pounds.

Finding the right line, even on a rainy day, therefore becomes an exercise in sussing out weight transfer. Selecting Sport mode firms up the shock dampers enough to reduce body roll, but the new Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tires—making their debut on the DB12 Volante—measure a significant 275 millimeters wide at the front and 325mm at the rear. Brake hard enough to load the nose, and turn-in approaches a level of confidence more typically reserved for mid-engined cars. 

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Do so on a safer day or drier roads, with traction control intervention turned further down, and applying enough throttle will likely then coax out easy oversteer. (More testing required, clearly, if anyone at Aston Martin happens to read this.)

Throughout, the V8 engine provides a perfect accompanying soundtrack, even with the convertible top in place. At lower RPMs, the boost builds progressively and predictably. Unlike so many smaller displacement turbocharged engines, this AMG mill actually celebrates the growing rush of forced induction. Doing so might well sacrifice 0-60 times but instead, amplifies the sensation of prodigious power welling deep from within the lengthy chassis. 

Higher up in the rev range, even with the pedal nowhere near the metal, liftoff then prompts burbles and barks from the exhaust that only enhance the enticement to pull and pull again in a semi-ecstatic state of sublime shenanigans. Luckily, the Michelin PS5S tires live up to their PS4S forebears and displace water with just enough effectiveness to allow for such behavior without risking too much slip and slide.

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Light steering, a spectacular twin-turbo V8, carbon-ceramic brakes—the latter never pushed near their limit on this day, sadly—and the rush of wind in more agreeable weather all combine to make the DB12 Volante quite an enjoyable way to play in the canyons. Then, when the sun started peeking through on the drive back down the Pacific Coast Highway, the grand-tourer aspirations shone through, as well. With the top laid back and windows left up against a chill, very little noise or buffeting enters the DB12's serene cockpit to ruin the opulent experience.

Instead, luxurious leather upholstery graces nearly every surface, complemented by dark walnut open pore wood trim and tactile metals at most frequent touchpoints. Disappointing piano black pastic surround on the center console breaks the reverie just a bit, even if the sun visor vanity mirror covers feature just about the most enjoyable single detail imaginable on a motor vehicle: a fingertip-sized imprint in leather for sliding the mirror open and closed.

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Other fun details include nifty side rearview mirrors that lose any bevel or surrounding trim (a design that admittedly does make the prospect of replacing a mirror knocked off by texting drivers somewhat concerning). And, surprisingly, the entire exterior lacks even a single DB12 badge. Apparently, other drivers should just know what they're looking at.

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The DB12 Volante also marks Aston's first foray into the wild world of in-house UI programming, which replaces the balky outgoing UI on previous models. The system will proliferate throughout the lineup, but all indications so far point to a relatively intuitive series of menus and pages on the DB12's 10.25-inch touchscreen—plus by-now de rigueur wireless Apple CarPlay capability. Plenty of buttons and switchgear point to the fact that Aston likely listened to customers (and maybe even journalists) while deciding which systems to bury deeper and deeper into electronic controls.

Altogether, does a luxurious interior combine with a sporty chassis and potent powertrain to produce a Super Tourer? Well, the wide stance of a muscular yet flowing design definitely nails the brief. The nose design, an obvious nod to James Bond's DB5, transitions to spectacular front fenders and a sumptuously long hood. Svelte doors and clean lines then give way to muscular haunches, before a horizontal boattail edges out horizontally to create the most aggressive aesthetic viewing angle on the car. And a line of chrome around the cockpit helps the Volante look streamlined with the top either up or down, a critical detail that so many convertible designs fail to manage.

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This press car's spec certainly helps. Magneto Bronze paint subtly enhances the DB12's form in diffuse lighting, while the sun reveals a hint of flake on closer inspection. The interior finished in Copper Tan Metallic also perfectly enhances the spirit of British grand touring. (For those keeping track of details as gauche as pricing, options on this DB12 Volante ramp the sticker shock up to $323,700 from a starting MSRP of $265,000.)

As an introduction to the entire concept of a Super Tourer, that pricing helps to differentiate the DB12 Volante from cars that might otherwise appear likely to compete. The sporty side departs radically from the stately substantiality of a Bentley Continental GTC Azure, for example. And a Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo, at just over $200,000 to start, can't match the joys of a burly V8, coming only equipped with the twin-turbo V6 and all-wheel drive (or as a full EV). 

Perhaps the distant cousins of Mercedes-AMG's SL or GT will most nearly match the DB12 in terms of all-round applications, and yet still the Aston rides simultaneously lighter and lower, with more opulence on the interior to match a more appealing exterior, as well. A Porsche 911 Turbo might take the speed cake, but then more serious sporting applications come into play.

Buyers in this category are truly spoiled for choice, since any of the above cars rightfully appear in the lusty fever dreams of automotive enthusiasts and laypeople aspiring toward luxury alike. But all can—and should—appreciate that Aston decided to create a car with such a unique combination of attributes, a sensuous and subtle balance of style and substance. This DB12 with a drop top, especially, appears to embody the future of Aston Martin's more attainable models just about perfectly.