autoX Awards 2024: Just look at it. It’s stunning. In purple!
No car has the right to look this good, this special, in a shade referred to as 'Storm Purple'. And yet the Aston Martin DB12 pulls it off with aplomb. Shaken, but not stirred. It really is that suave. I would still have mine in the racing green of Aston’s 1959 Le Mans winner, the DBR1, but I certainly wouldn’t turn down this aubergine either.
This is a car that feels expensive – that feels special. Absolutely everything in the cabin is wrapped in hand-stitched leather. And now, with an all-new cabin, it’s also cutting edge, with touchscreens and a 15-speaker Bowers and Wilkins audio system. Not that you need anything other than the guttural roar from that AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces an almost incomprehensible 671 horsepower. Well, incomprehensible, until you push it on track, and then you soon realise that this isn’t just a pretty face – this is a really serious performance car.
Sure, it's more of a grand tourer rather than a track car, but like all Astons, the chassis balance is perfect. It just feels right when pushed to the limit. The power, of course, is immense, but the handling is neutral so you can put its prodigious punch to good use. And you never really feel the weight – until you hit the brakes that is, because of the sheer momentum you’re able to instantly generate with just a prod of the throttle.
Also Read: Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger Edition Marks the Brand’s 60 Years of Partnership with James Bond
All told, this Aston was just a couple of tenths off the Ferrari, which is pretty impressive. Yes, the Ferrari always felt that little bit racier, but the Aston doesn’t disguise the fact that it’s a bruiser through-and-through. This is the kind of car that makes you want to get in and drive till you run out of road – and then turn around and do it all over again.
It’s a jaw droppingly beautiful machine, and it’s a shame that so few will experience it because of how rare and expensive it is. If you have to ask how much it costs, you simply can’t afford it. It’s ₹4.59 crore starting, by the way. But, again, just look at it – it’s worth every penny!
- Aston Martin DB12 (Lap Time: 1.03.27)
| PARAMETERS | POINTS | SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| QUALITY | 5 | 4 |
| COMFORT / SPACE | 5 | 2.5 |
| REFINEMENT | 5 | 4.5 |
| DESIGN | 5 | 4.5 |
| DRIVETRAIN | 5 | 4.5 |
| RIDE & HANDLING | 5 | 3.5 |
| PRACTICALITY | 5 | 2 |
| X FACTOR | 20 | 17 |
| LAP TIME | 15 | 14.8 |
| VALUE FOR MONEY | 30 | 5 |
| TOTAL | 100 | 62.3 |
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