A work of art on wheels

Aston Martin’s new DB12 Volante convertible has the power and the looks

“Don’t think of the Aston Martin DB12 Volante as the softer, squishier option,” says Alan Taylor-Jones for Car magazine, because the droptop is every bit the equal of the hard-top DB12 coupe that was launched last year. They were developed side by side and share the same design, engineering and technology advances. That makes this “the most dynamic” Volante since the first was introduced in 1965 and “possibly one of the best sports cars out there”. Aston Martin calls it “the ultimate open-top super tourer” and “it lives up to the billing”, says Ray Massey on This is Money. It’s “a delight to drive with the added bonus of wind-in-the-hair motoring”.

Under the bonnet there is a “feisty” 680-horsepower, four-litre V8 twin turbo petrol engine linked to an eightspeed automatic gearbox. The Volante “accelerates with gusto” from standstill to 62mph in 3.7 seconds, which makes overtaking “effortless”. “But what I really enjoyed was the chance to chill – just because the power may be there in spades, it doesn’t mean you have to use it… This is a super-hot super cruiser in which to be super cool.”

Looking the part

“Indeed… the Volante [looks] so arresting that you might buy it on that basis alone,” says Tim Pitt in City AM. It resembles its predecessor, the DB11 – only “bulked up on gym sessions and protein shakes. From its hungry grille to its kicked-up belt line and muscular haunches, it’s surely a strong candidate for the best-looking car on sale”.

The interior is “almost as alluring” and sitting in the driver’s seat feels “snug but comfortable”. There is also a “nice mix” of touchscreen and physical controls. As for the 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio set-up, you could make yourself heard in the neighbouring county with the volume up and the top down. But “who needs music when you’ve got a four-litre V8”?

“It’s so potent that you don’t often use full throttle for anything longer than momentary blasts,” says Steve Sutcliffe in Auto Express. It’s hard not to “just fall head over heels in love” with the DB12 Volante. This is “a fearsomely magnificent car… It is more than a job well done. It’s a work of art, one that drives every bit as good as it looks. And in this instance, that really does mean something”.

“This is a super-hot super cruiser in which to be super cool”