Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Get the same great Aston Martin DB11 taste, now with more V8

By

Aston Martin DB11 V8
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Aston Martin’s iconic DB9 is a tough act to follow, but the innovative-yet-refined DB11 is doing a fine job of replacing one of the best grand touring cars ever made.

Last year we had a chance to drive the all-new model around the Italian countryside. To say we were impressed would be a severe understatement. If the car’s dashing new exterior design and upscale cabin isn’t enough to wow, its smooth twin-turbocharged V12 engine and sophisticated adaptive suspension will do the trick.

Recommended Videos

To broaden the appeal of its new GT, Aston Martin will offer three unique versions: A V8-powered iteration, a topless (Volante) model, and the original V12 car. While we’ll have to wait until next year to see the DB11 sans roof, V8 performance is available right now. Drawing from its partnership with Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin has configured a version of AMG’s 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 to slot under the clamshell bonnet of the DB11.

Producing 503 horsepower and 513 pound-feet of torque, V8-equipped DB11 sports cars dash to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds (merely a tenth of a second of the V12 car’s pace) and top out at 187 mph (which is a fair ways behind the V12’s 211-mph top end). Aston Martin claims the V8 distinctive power delivery and light weight — 253 pounds less than the 12-cylinder — gives the DB11 a more dynamic edge.

Aston Martin DB11 V8
Image used with permission by copyright holder

“To be able to offer not one, but two exceptional GT cars is terrific for Aston Martin and our customers,” said Aston Martin chief technical officer Max Szwaj. “I’m particularly proud that this car is the first to receive an engine supplied by our technical partner, Mercedes-AMG.”

Having sampled this engine in a number of AMG vehicles (including the C63 S Coupe and AMG GT S), we can attest to its vicious power and accessible performance. However, Aston Martin has adapted the powertrain to the DB11’s grand touring characteristics. The V8 gains a new ECU (engine control unit), distinct throttle mapping, bespoke air intake, exhaust and wet sump lubrication systems.

Styling tweaks for the V8 model are limited to a unique alloy wheel finish, dark headlamp bezels and a pair of hood vents instead of the quartet featured on the V12 car.

“The DB11 is the most complete and sophisticated car Aston Martin has ever made,” president and CEO Andy Palmer noted. “Now, with this new V8 engine option we have broadened its appeal by offering a car that will bring the DB11 to more customers around the world while still blessed with the exceptional performance and memorable character that sets Aston Martin apart from its rivals.”

The V8-powered Aston Martin DB11 is now on sale at a starting price of $198,995 ($17,500 less than the V12 version), with deliveries towards the end of this year.

Topics
Miles Branman
Miles Branman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…
Range Rover’s first electric SUV has 48,000 pre-orders
Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition

Range Rover, the brand made famous for its British-styled, luxury, all-terrain SUVs, is keen to show it means business about going electric.

And, according to the most recent investor presentation by parent company JLR, that’s all because Range Rover fans are showing the way. Not only was demand for Range Rover’s hybrid vehicles up 29% in the last six months, but customers are buying hybrids “as a stepping stone towards battery electric vehicles,” the company says.

Read more
BYD’s cheap EVs might remain out of Canada too
BYD Han

With Chinese-made electric vehicles facing stiff tariffs in both Europe and America, a stirring question for EV drivers has started to arise: Can the race to make EVs more affordable continue if the world leader is kept out of the race?

China’s BYD, recognized as a global leader in terms of affordability, had to backtrack on plans to reach the U.S. market after the Biden administration in May imposed 100% tariffs on EVs made in China.

Read more
Tesla posts exaggerate self-driving capacity, safety regulators say
Beta of Tesla's FSD in a car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is concerned that Tesla’s use of social media and its website makes false promises about the automaker’s full-self driving (FSD) software.
The warning dates back from May, but was made public in an email to Tesla released on November 8.
The NHTSA opened an investigation in October into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the FSD software, following three reported collisions and a fatal crash. The investigation centers on FSD’s ability to perform in “relatively common” reduced visibility conditions, such as sun glare, fog, and airborne dust.
In these instances, it appears that “the driver may not be aware that he or she is responsible” to make appropriate operational selections, or “fully understand” the nuances of the system, NHTSA said.
Meanwhile, “Tesla’s X (Twitter) account has reposted or endorsed postings that exhibit disengaged driver behavior,” Gregory Magno, the NHTSA’s vehicle defects chief investigator, wrote to Tesla in an email.
The postings, which included reposted YouTube videos, may encourage viewers to see FSD-supervised as a “Robotaxi” instead of a partially automated, driver-assist system that requires “persistent attention and intermittent intervention by the driver,” Magno said.
In one of a number of Tesla posts on X, the social media platform owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a driver was seen using FSD to reach a hospital while undergoing a heart attack. In another post, a driver said he had used FSD for a 50-minute ride home. Meanwhile, third-party comments on the posts promoted the advantages of using FSD while under the influence of alcohol or when tired, NHTSA said.
Tesla’s official website also promotes conflicting messaging on the capabilities of the FSD software, the regulator said.
NHTSA has requested that Tesla revisit its communications to ensure its messaging remains consistent with FSD’s approved instructions, namely that the software provides only a driver assist/support system requiring drivers to remain vigilant and maintain constant readiness to intervene in driving.
Tesla last month unveiled the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle has been promoted as a robotaxi, a self-driving vehicle operated as part of a ride-paying service, such as the one already offered by Alphabet-owned Waymo.
But Tesla’s self-driving technology has remained under the scrutiny of regulators. FSD relies on multiple onboard cameras to feed machine-learning models that, in turn, help the car make decisions based on what it sees.
Meanwhile, Waymo’s technology relies on premapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), which might be very costly, but has met the approval of safety regulators.

Read more