2017 Aston Martin DB11 First Look Review

"The most beautiful DB car in the history of Aston Martin." That's a bold call in the context of legendary Aston Gran Turismos designed by Zagato and Callum, but design chief Marek Reichman has reason to feel proud of the all-new 2017 Aston Martin DB11. It's a looker, all right, extravagantly proportioned and carefully tailored. "Every millimeter of this car is where we wanted it," he says.

All-new. Reichman and his colleagues at Aston Martin savor the phrase, rolling it around their palates as if they were gargling Cristal. And with good reason: The launch of an all-new Aston Martin is a rare occurrence. The car the DB11 replaces, the DB9, first appeared in 2004. And even then, the V-12 engine under the hood was a reworked version of a powerplant that debuted in the 1999 DB7 V12 Vantage.

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"It's not very often in your career someone says, 'Here's a blank sheet of paper,' " Aston Martin engineering boss Ian Minards says. "That's a great moment." And Minards' team has made the most of the opportunity. Like the DB9's, the DB11's core structure is a bonded aluminum monocoque, but every pressing, every extrusion, every cast node is brand-new. The result is a claimed curb weight just under 3,900 pounds, or nearly the same weight as the last DB9 we tested.

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Welded aluminum subframes support a new unequal-length control-arm suspension setup up front and a multilink rear axle. Shocks are the latest-generation DampTronic "skyhook" units from Bilstein, the steel brakes are from Brembo, the steering assist is ZF's newest electric system, and Bridgestone has supplied a bespoke tire called—wait for it—the S007. "It's their formulation, their carcass design, their tread pattern," Minards says, "but our compound."

The DB11 chassis has been tuned by Matt Becker, who joined Aston Martin in late 2014 as chief vehicle attribute engineer after a 26-year career at Lotus, where his development credits include every Lotus road car since the 2001 Elise S2. With Becker's input, expect the DB11 to be more agile and more nimble than its predecessor.

Under the DB11's hood—a clamshell unit made from a single aluminum pressing that Minards says is the largest in the industry—is a brand-new V-12 engine. Although it shares the same basic architecture as the current 6.0-liter V-12, right down to the bore center spacing, and is built in the same facility at Ford's Niehl engine plant in Cologne, Germany, it's been downsized to 5.2 liters and given a couple of twin-scroll turbochargers. In DB11-spec the engine delivers 600 hp and 516 lb/ft of torque, grunt enough, Minards says, to deliver a 0-60-mph acceleration time under 4.0 seconds and a top speed close to 200 mph, slight improvements each over the DB9.

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The new V-12 is more powerful but also a lot more efficient. A deactivation system shuts down a bank of cylinders at cruising speeds, effectively turning it into a 2.6-liter straight-six. The clever bit is that the system automatically switches between deactivating the left and right side banks at 20- to 30-second intervals to prevent the catalytic converters from cooling too much and causing a spike in emissions when all cylinders fire up. Minards says the system, which is modulated by torque demand, cannot be detected by the driver and delivers double-digit improvements in fuel economy.

Also helping fuel economy is ZF's excellent eight-speed automatic transmission, transaxle-mounted and connected to the engine by a torque tube as in all current Astons. Other changes include a slightly taller final drive ratio and automatic stop-start functionality, a byproduct of the DB11's adoption of the Daimler-sourced electrical architecture that also allows for three-way adjustable damping, and three engine and three transmission calibration modes, all accessed by thumb buttons on the steering wheel.

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The DB11's body design is notable for its lack of obvious aerodynamic aids. High-pressure air at the front is bled out through the rear of the front wheelwell, exiting via the vents on either side of the car. The underside of the strake that bisects each vent features ridges that cause the outrushing air to roll along the DB11's shapely flanks, an effect the Aston guys call "the curlicue."

Things get even more interesting at the rear, where air drawn in through vents at the base of the C-pillars is ducted through the body before being turned 90 degrees to exit vertically through a slot across the trunklid, creating a wall of fast-moving air that acts as a virtual spoiler at speed. Called the Aston Martin Aeroblade, the patented system also includes a small mechanical Gurney flap that will extend an inch or so above the body surface above 90 mph to improve the virtual spoiler's effectiveness at high speed.

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The DB11's interior is roomier and more lavishly finished than that of the DB9. The general topography with the large waterfall center console dominating the cabin is similar to current Astons, but there's much more technology embedded throughout, from the obvious stuff such as the new infotainment screen and fully digital instrument panel to niceties such as the electric e-brake, the powered center armrest, and seats that motor forward to improve access to the rear. The Mercedes-Benz touchpad on the center console is the only visible clue to the Daimler electrical architecture underneath that's made it all possible.

The DB11, which goes on sale in the U.S. in November at about $215,000, is a hugely significant car for the tiny independent British automaker. It debuts an engine, a body structure, and an electrical architecture that will appear in a whole new generation of Aston Martin cars to be rolled out over the next six years as part of CEO Andy Palmer's "second century plan."

Ever since the launch of the DB2 in 1950, Aston Martin has been largely defined by the sporty, elegant DB Gran Turismos. More than six decades later, the DB11 carries on the tradition.