Test Driving The 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante

Gazing at the stunning Aston Martin DB12 Volante, I find myself wondering what exactly Volante means. A quick internet search confirms it’s Italian for “flying”, though in Aston Martin speak it signifies a convertible body style. But whether in coupe or convertible form, the all-new Aston Martin DB12 looks like a million bucks. Thankfully, the Volante version only costs just over a quarter-million dollars, with a starting price of $265,000.

The test car I’m driving, however, prices out at $331,000. If you’re curious how one adds $65,000 to a DB12 Volante, here are a few of the pricier options. The carbon ceramic brakes cost $14,500. The stunning silver paint is a “Q Color” that adds $11,900, and the Monotone Inspiration interior leather is $10,000. That leather is also a “Q Special” shade, costing an additional $7100. We haven’t even touched on the gloss black lower body treatment that’s $3100, or the “Contemporary” carpet color that’s $2300.

So clearly Aston Martin is happy to let you personalize the DB12, and they’ve got this Q Commission, which sort of sounds like a James Bond department, but it’s their customized/personalized section of the company that will let you personalize these cars to your heart’s desire. And your bank accounts misery. For instance, one of the coolest design elements on the DB12 are its tail lights. They’ve got this great wrap-around shape, and on this particular car they’re smoked. There’s no denying they really cool, and that’s good because in smoked form they cost $1400.

But honestly, do any of these prices matter? No, not for the target customer that Aston Martin has in mind for the DB12. The point of these cars is to provide a unique buying and ownership experience that goes beyond dollar amounts. The coupe version of the DB12 debuted a few months ago, and these Volantes are just starting to hit dealerships now, with plenty of buyers anxiously awaiting their arrival. Now that we’ve driven the DB12 Volante, we can tell you the car is worth the anxiety.

The DB12’s performance pedigree is impressive. It’s got a 4.0-liter twin turbocharged V8 that is largely borrowed from the Mercedes-Benz AMG division. In this car it makes 671 horsepower and 590 pound feet of torque. And it’s got settings for Sport and Sport+ that really live up the exhaust note. All that roaring thunder gets to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. When max power is called on, zero to 60 arrives in 3.5 seconds and the quarter mile passes in the low 11 second range. The DB12 can also sprint to a top speed of 202 mph.

Speaking of tops, the DB12 Volante has a four-layer soft top that creates a very placid cabin when it’s up. If you leave the car in Gran Turismo, or GT, mode, it’s easy to assume it’s simply a luxury car. In fact, Aston Martin calls the DB12 a Super Tourer because it’s designed to go long a distance in pure comfort. However, when you put it in either the Sport or Sport+ modes, its nature substantially shifts. Today’s level of automotive technology means the suspension, the transmission, the steering and throttle response, they can all be altered to deliver aggressive performance in Sport or Sport+ mode, coddling luxury and refinement when in Gran Turismo mode.

Where the DB12 improves the most from the previous- generation DB11 is the interior design and quality. The wood, the leather, the textured control knobs, everything looks and feels amazing. The center stack offers dedicated switchgear for climate control settings rather than diving into the touchscreen and having to go through multiple menus. The touchscreen itself is properly integrated with the rest of the interior, a good thing because you don’t want technology overwhelming what is an otherwise premium cabin in a classic, old world nameplate like Aston Martin.

Of course it has to have some British quirkiness, with some of the touchscreen menus being a bit confusing. But that’s the biggest complaint I can muster for this otherwise stunning and engaging vehicle. Sure, you can find supercars with more performance, and you can go to super luxury brands like Bentley or Rolls-Royce to get approximately the same level of premium interior material quality. But finding both of those in one model? The Aston Martin DB12 Volante is probably your best bet if you’re trying to marry super performance and super luxury in a single vehicle.