Aston Martin DB11 V8 reviews: is it better than the V12?

Shortly after Aston Martin revealed its V12-powered DB11 grand tourer at the 2016 Geneva Motor show, speculation mounted that it wouldn’t be long until an eight-cylinder variant joined the line-up.

It turns out those rumours were true, as the British carmaker announced that a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 sourced from its partnership with Mercedes’s performance brand AMG would appear in the luxury GT car a year later.

The same motor can be found in a variety of AMG-badged sports cars, including the GT coupe and the E63 super saloon.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It delivers 503bhp and 498lb-ft of torque to the rear axle, launching the grand tourer from 0-62mph in four seconds flat – and on to a top speed of 187mph.

Meanwhile, the V12 model that sits above it in the range produces 600bhp and 516lb-ft of torque, with a 0-62mph time that’s just 0.1secs faster than the V8.

While the DB11 V8’s “numbers aren’t as bombastic as those of the V12”, says Auto Express, the eight-cylinder model is lighter and therefore has a better “torque to weight” ratio – making “quicker where it really counts”.

Despite being sourced from AMG, Autocar says Aston Martin has placed “its own induction and exhaust systems, its own Bosch ECU programming and a wet sump” - rather than “the dry one that the Mercedes-AMG GT uses”.

However, the magazine says, “there’s certainly a muffled tonelessness to the DB11’s V8” and “it’s a shame that this car doesn’t sound as majestic as last year’s delectable Vantage GT8”.

Nevertheless, Evo says the V8 DB11 “feels taut and controlled over undulating roads” when its in Sport and Sport plus modes. Move the dial into Comfort and the grand tourer “rides for the most part with impressive suppleness”.

When it’s out on the open road, the magazine says “there’s virtually nothing to separate this model from the V12.”

It’s available to order now for £144,900, reports Autocar, making it around £13,000 cheaper than the V12-engined DB11.