Sexy Brit with Italian name
Damien O’Carroll sets a record by writing an Aston Martin review with no James Bond references. At a glance
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 is it?
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.
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Base price: Powertrain and economy:
$465,000
5.2-litre turbo-petrol V12, 533kW/
900Nm, 8-speed automatic, RWD, combined economy
12.4L/100km, CO2 285g/km (source: RightCar).
4712mm long,
1280mm high, 2805mm wheelbase, luggage capacity
270 litres, 21-inch alloy wheels. Staggering breadth of ability, superbly comfortable, yet brutally fast, it's an Aston . . .
Tiny infotainment screen, very low nose, that's about it really.
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