Sleek and graceful

Aston Martin DB11 Coupe (2017-2023) Models Covered: 2-door Coupe [4.0 V8/5.2 V12] Introduction

THE DB11 is the Aston Martin of choice for those craving something sleek and graceful rather than overtly aggressive from the 20172023 era. This, arguably the classiest car in the Aston range from that period, is in Coupe form primarily a consummate sporting luxury GT, but can also be dynamically rewarding whenever you need it to be. It’s very desirable indeed.

The History

The DB11 was, according to its makers at least, the most important car in Aston Martin’s history. At its launch in 2017, it took the brand into new territory. And set out to be completely different from any Aston before it. At the same time as being a comfortingly familiar evolution of the brand.

Back then, we’d heard exaggerated claims of model significance before from this British maker – most notably with the launch of this car’s DB9 predecessor back in 2003 – but this time, things really seemed different. Take the engine – which in the DB9 and mostly also in its predecessor, the DB7 was always Aston’s own V12. With the DB11, you could choose a V8 too – and almost all customers did, the 4.0litre unit sourced from MercedesAMG

and a product of this British maker’s technical partnership with Daimler.

The stiffer, more sophisticated aluminium platform this DB11 sat upon also reflects this car’s completely fresh approach. As did the inclusion of technology previously foreign to the brand – things like electromechanical power steering, multi-link rear suspension and torque vectoring. In over 100 years of Aston Martin history, it was difficult to think of a more radically-orientated engineering step forward than this.

All of that promised much in terms of driving dynamics, though Aston Martin still didn’t position this DB11 as the kind of out-and-out sportscar its slightly more affordable Vantage model could be. But that was perhaps appropriate. Right from the moment that British businessman David Brown first bought this brand back in 1947 (hence the DB model naming), there was also a need to produce powerful Grand Touring GTs and we’ve seen plenty of those over the last seventy years. The DB11 answered that call better than any model before it, whether you choose the coupe body style we look at primarily here, or the gorgeous Volante convertible. Let’s check out the used proposition offered by Coupe versions of this car, which sold until mid-2023, when they were replaced by the DB12.

What You Get

Prior to the DB11, modern era

Astons, though sleek and elegant, had all tended to look rather similar. Here too, you get the usual long bonnet, sweeping roof line and short rear overhangs, but this time round, stylist Marek Reichman and his team wanted to build on these established design cues to create a car with a bit more of its own identity. Distinctive touches are plentiful, starting with a sharplysculpted clamshell bonnet that features twin cooling vents. In profile, possibly the first thing you’ll notice is the dramatic roof strake, which comes either in a silver polished finish or in Gloss Black and flows in an unbroken arc from A-pillar to C-pillar.

And inside? Well it’s a big improvement from what was served up by previous Aston models. Exquisitely-stitched leather combines with intricatelyfashioned design highlights to attract your attention and the different construction of the aluminium monocoque has freed up more interior space too. As usual Aston has borrowed parts from another brand – in this case its technical partner Mercedes; the stalk off the steering wheel and the 8.0-inch centre dash infotainment screen for example. There’s also a digital instrument binnacle screen to replace the usual dials, with a central virtual rev counter that changes its graphics to suit the particular driving mode you’ve chosen from two steering wheel buttons.

What To Look For

This DB11 was much better built than its predecessors, but you still need to be careful – and insist on a fully stamped-up service history. You don’t expect a hand-crafted car of this kind to be faultless as it ages – and the DB11 very definitely isn’t.

Based on our ownership survey, here’s some things to look out for when perusing used examples. Examine the electrics carefully, especially on earlier models. We heard of a passenger window failure from one owner, requiring a new module. And the same owner had a ‘bonnet open’ warning light come on during a journey, which was traced to a faulty bonnet latch, plus there were several random alarm malfunctions. We’ve heard of various starting difficulties, usually caused by dead batteries, either the main one or the one in the key fob. Often, the spare key doesn’t work, so make sure you check it.

On The Road

On the move, first impressions are encouraging. Almost all DB11s were sold with a Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-litre V8 twin turbo up-front. If that’s a disappointment for you, the rich booming engine note won’t be, painstakingly tuned by Aston Martin for a unique sonic signature. This engine’s properly potent too, developing 503hp and a thumping 685Nm of torque, developed from just 2,000rpm. That’s enough to hurl coupe or

Volante convertible versions of this car to 62mph from rest in no more than around four seconds, on the way to a top speed that Aston has decided to limit to 187mph. That’s to leave room for the alternative 5.2litre V12 AMR coupe DB11 model that sits at the top of the range.

So, this DB11 is quick and aurally magnificent, just as Astons have always been. Can this one though, walk the walk as well as talking the torque? The answer’s yes. Multilink rear suspension, near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution, the adoption of torque vectoring and a far stiffer chassis than the previous DB9 certainly all bode well for this DB11’s prowess in twistier tarmac territory. And, sure enough, it handles better though the turns than any GT sportscar weighing the best part of two tonnes has any right to.

Overall

True, in certain areas, the brand’s limited resources show; the relative lack of sophisticated safety kit; the absence of autonomous driving tech; the need to borrow Mercedessourced cabin parts. But none of this will really matter once you’ve fired that glorious engine and heard the inimitable Aston growl. And in summary? Well as a GT sportscar with classic brand heritage for someone who wants a junior supercar but couldn’t quite live with one, from its period, the DB11 is difficult to better.