An astonishing Aston
ASTOn Martin’s new 211mph flagship DBS Superleggera costs £225,000. But it’s arguably the best all-round Aston Martin ever. It’s a worthy successor to generations of beefy long-distance cruisers which, over nearly 50 years, have been used in James Bond films.
Driving it in Germany, I came across a long straight stretch of beautifully smooth road — and opened up. Pressing hard down on the accelerator, I felt a surge of jet-like G-force push me back into the sportily supportive seat with a sharp intake of breath.
I’d been expecting some excitement. But, bless me, this was fast.
you have to treat this car with respect — or it can quickly turn into a beast. Clever stability and safety features go a long way towards saving you from yourself. But don’t push it.
It accelerates from rest to 62mph in a staggering 3.4 seconds. But no stopwatch can come close to translating how nerve-tinglingly exciting this feels behind the wheel. It’s powered by a mighty 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 725 hp petrol engine — equivalent to seven Ford Fiestas — linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
From rest to 100 mph takes just 6.4 seconds and it covers the stretch from 50mph to 100mph in fourth gear in 4.2 seconds.
It’s beautifully balanced, taking corners on tight and twisting alpine roads with ease. The fun starts when you use the fulllength paddle-shifters on the steering wheel manually to override the automatic gearbox.
The Sports Plus seats are firm and comfortable, but the rear ones are cramped. Superleggera is Italian for ‘super-light’, and at just over 1.6 tons, it’s 72 kg lighter than the Aston Martin DB11. Its drop-dead gorgeous aerodynamic styling generates 180 kg of down-force to help keep the car glued to the road with exceptional stability at speed.
But with fuel economy averaging 22.9mpg and CO2 emissions at 285g/km, you’ll need deep pockets to keep it fuelled and taxed.