Sexy Brit with Italian name
Damien O’Carroll sets a record by writing an Aston Martin review with no James Bond references.
The equation is simple: a big, brawny V12 up front driving the rear wheels + a luxurious cabin + superb ride quality = a proper Grand Tourer.
It’s something that Aston Martin has known – and done well – for years. But the company’s latest range-topper (for now, at least), the DBS Superleggera, takes all of that and multiplies it with its incredibly broad range of talents.
That means its superbly luxurious and eye-wideningly fast.
Superleggera. Doesn’t that mean ‘superlight’ in Italian?
Yeah, let’s get that out of the way first – something that weighs 1800kg certainly isn’t particularly leggera, certainly not superleggera.
But while the DBS Superleggera has lots of superlight carbon fibre parts and weighs around 75 kilograms less than a DB11, that’s not what it is named for – rather it is a ‘‘tribute’’ to Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, the Italian coachbuilder that created the superleggera tube frame construction method that Aston used to create the bodies for the DB4 and DB5.
What the DSB Superleggera is, however, is super fast. And because Ferrari nicked that particular name for its 812 Superfast, it only seems right that the British company use an Italian name in return.
Super fast? Exactly how fast?
The DBS Superlegera has an official 0 to 100kmh time of 3.4 seconds, which is shatteringly fast in its own right, but it is how it delivers all of its power that is the truly breathtaking thing.
Take a look at those specs above, there are some pretty big numbers there: 5.2 litres, 12 cylinders,
533 kilowatts. But it is the last one – the real big one – that defines the DBS Superleggera – the monstrous 900Nm of torque hits its peak at just 1800rpm and hangs around right up to 5000rpm.
Something electric like a Tesla with Ludicrous mode may be faster to 100kmh, but the way the DBS simply keeps piling on the power and speed is literally eye-widening in its ferocity and is something electricity can’t match after that initial awesome off-the-line punch.
The big torque thumps you back in your seat every time you nail the throttle – at any speed – and relentlessly propels the DBS forward until you lose your nerve. And you will, because it never blinks first.
So more than a small degree of self-control is necessary then?
Absolutely – this is not a car for the weak-willed.
The DBS’s 5.2-litre V12 is a thing of majestic beauty, right from its striking and distinctive starter motor buzz that puts you in mind of a Supermarine Spitfire winding up. But where the Spitfire’s RollsRoyce Merlin V12 would explode into life – literally spitting fire – and settle into a loud, lumpy idle, the Aston gives a woofly bark and settles into a silky smooth, almost imperceptible idle.
Nail the throttle though and it rises from a deeply resonant V12 growl to a ferocious shrieking bellow that sounds like a choir made up of Welsh baritones, angry Vikings and, I dunno, wolves?
And while it is making this fantastic (yet slightly muted to be appropriately decorous) noise it is belting towards the horizon at a rate that is purely antisocial: if a car could ever be described as ‘‘too fast’’ or ‘‘too powerful’’ then the DBS Superleggera is it.
However, it has a remarkably broad range of talents in other areas that make that incredible straight line performance just one weapon in its armoury and, therefore, not the only thing that matters about it, which is what makes it truly great.
So what else can it do then?
For a start it is remarkably docile and willing at low speeds, and is surprisingly easy to live with as a daily commuter.
In fact, apart from the low nose that you have to be very careful about near speed bumps and driveways, there is little that makes the DBS impractical in any way.
Sure, the cabin is a bit snug for the car’s overall size, the Mercedes-Benz-tech is a little too obvious (although functionally WAY better than anything Aston has done itself in the past) and the chunky, thick-bezelled infotainment screen looks like a PDA (remember those?) from 1999, but it all works faultlessly and the cabin is superbly comfortable.
Then there is its deeply impressive combination of a comfortable ride and razor sharp handling.
The steering is perfectly weighted and insanely accurate, and tipping the DBS into a corner at speed is a deeply satisfying experience in accuracy and feedback. The car is always ready and eager to change direction, despite its size and feels delightfully sharp and athletic on the road.
But none of this sharp accuracy compromises ride comfort in any way and, while the DBS is firm, it is never anything less than superbly composed and comfortable. You know, like a proper Grand Tourer should be.
Any other cars I should consider?
There is a surprising number of cars that fit into the premium-price GT category, but the most obvious direct competitor to the DBS is the Bentley Continental GT, with its intoxicatingly superb W12 engine – it is slightly cheaper and AWD, but less engaging and exciting than the Aston.
McLaren has its GT, but it is still essentially a mid-engined supercar with a bit more space and slightly softer suspension.
Ferrari slips one either side of the DBS, with the slightly faster, but more uncompromisingly aggressive 812 Superfast being somewhat comparable to it (V12, rear drive), while the GTC4 Lusso offers similar performance, but is AWD.
Both are also excitingly more expensive than the DBS as well.