Doing an Eleven with Eight

What we like:

Engine is a gem of a 4.0 and the car is more nimble than the V12

Lovely sculpting

GT-styled car

with GT comfort.

What we dislike:

Engine burble may be nice

but the V12’s note is always better. That earworm in my head of the James Bond guitar riff playing over and over.

On the outside, the car blends distinctive Aston Martin styling with the right amount of understatement; with the design of its drag-inducing air channels, ensuring that the purity of its coupe styling is retained; without the need for a wing at the rear.

Its large clamshell bonnet, one of the largest singular-piece pressed units in the world, ensures that the smooth styling is not broken up by any shutlines, normally found between the hood and the front fenders.

One of the many positives we find in Aston Martin’s design of their cars, is that their cars are always pretty in most angles, and the DB11 is no exception. Flared arches are well sculpted, and from the side, the car displays a visually balanced silhouette, with rather short overhangs.

Slip yourself behind the wheel, and luxury aside, the DB11 makes it evident that you are in a driver’s car. A customisable full digital instrument binnacle with three displays ensures that you can monitor the car’s stats, while suspension and drive mode settings are clearly displayed. Switching these modes is just a slight stretch of the thumb to reach the toggles on either top side of the wheel spokes.

Acceleration is swift, with 100km/h done in four seconds. The V8 delivers 503bhp with the help of the car’s twin turbochargers. Maximum available torque of 675Nm from just 2,000rpm, does not just flow at full tap all of a sudden, but there is a gradual enough introduction of shove. Three drive modes, GT, Sport and Sport+ allows the car to react differently, while suspension settings too can be toggled.

Aim the GT-style coupe towards a bend, and work those slotted disk brakes, and you will be amazed at how much stopping power the DB11 has. Around the corners, the car expectedly feels planted, and communication to the steering is very good. The quality of the ride too, is something enjoyable, since the DB11 is built to be quite the rapid gentleman’s transport.

While gone are the days when the brand hand-built their cars with actual craftsmen beating the panels into shape, and their engines carted across a road to complete the assembly process, Aston Martins still have a sort of mystique compared to similar cars.

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