- French road trip in the Aston Martin DB12 S Volante convertible
- DB12 S builds on the DB12 with more power, sharper response and added focus
- 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is retuned for stronger performance and urgency
- Subtle S styling adds a more aggressive, purposeful road presence
- Still a true Aston GT: refined, fast, and long-distance capable
We took the Aston Martin DB12 S Volante through the winding hill roads of France - and discovered its sharper edge.
When the Aston Martin DB11 arrived in 2016, it marked a turning point for the British marque - a grand tourer that blended old-school elegance with modern performance and genuine everyday usability.
Its successor, the DB12, raised the bar again, ditching the GT compromise in favour of sharper dynamics, more power and a far more focused character.
Now, Aston Martin has gone one step further. By adding the fabled S badge to the DB12, it has taken an already exceptional grand tourer and turned it into something even more desirable: faster, keener and more emotionally charged, without losing the effortless sophistication that defines the DB bloodline.
(Matt with the Aston Martin DB12 S Volante)
What’s unique about the Aston Martin DB12 S?
Under its smoothed but aggressively heightened bodywork, which now features a fixed rear spoiler and a revised front splitter, lies the same twin-turbocharged V8 found in the base car, but it now delivers an additional 19 bhp, with overall power up to 690 bhp. That’s not much of a hike for something dressed in top-spec branded running attire, but power isn’t everything here.
The DB12 was already a grand tourer with a split personality — a relaxed, luggage-lugging cruiser one moment, and a sharp, switchable performer the next, equally at home en route to a Swiss alpine escape as it was carving up the passes. The DB12 S retains that versatility but turns up the intensity. It will still carry you to the Alps in comfort, only now it feels less like a whippet and more like a cheetah — leaner, more poised, and far more predatory when the road opens up.
A more pronounced negative rear camber lends it a subtly more aggressive stance, while also sharpening agility and improving the car’s willingness to change direction. Likewise, Aston’s boffins have played with the toe and caster settings, resulting in house fly cornering while remaining perfectly stable.
Aston Martin DB12 S Volante – our road trip in a bona fide super tourer
Aston Martin couldn’t have chosen a better location to let multiple heavy-footed journalists loose with its new Super Tourer — Marseille. If you’ve ever been to Marseille, you’ll know how busy it can be. Around each corner is an Evel Knievel wanna-be on some Vespa scooter, ready to remove your £200k supercar’s door mirror just to get to a café before closing time. Therefore, Aston’s PR team ensured we were never near the city centre.
The driving route was perfect for a car of this calibre; 155 miles of mountain road bliss, and while there were coupe variants available, I was driving a Volante (convertible) with Aston’s optional titanium exhaust system. With the roof dropped, my pasty Scottish skin took a beating under France’s 26-degree sunshine, but that was a future me problem.
The route took us down a winding backroad called the D8N via a small commune known as Cuges-Les-Pins, a picturesque area nestled in Southern France’s hills. It was a quiet place with the loudest thing being that of a church bell. With GT mode activated, the DB12 S cruised calmly through town, trading aggression for sophistication, the exhaust emitting but a soft rumble.
How fast is the Aston Martin DB12 S Volante?
With the town in the rear-view mirror and a snake’s pass ahead, it was time to stretch the Aston’s legs. With Sport+ engaged, the car’s exhaust emitted a V8 growl, while the steering and suspension tightened. Similarly, this may be a twin-turbocharged brute, but nailing the throttle isn’t a terrifying ordeal; the 3.4-second 0-62mph time is certainly believable, however, you never feel out of control.
Swing it into a bend, and the DB12 S remains balanced with little to no body roll. Its grip levels feed you with confidence to take the next corner even quicker. Crucially, its suspension configuration avoids the brittle edge that can accompany more track-focused set-ups, maintaining a balance between precision and usability that keeps the DB12 S firmly rooted in grand touring territory, albeit a more focused interpretation. Let off the throttle, and the exhaust bangs and burbles. God, it’s good.
As the DB12 S sat cooling in the Mediterranean sun, high above Marseille’s coastline, it felt fitting to pause and reflect over an espresso. I’d spent time with the DBX S recently, which is essentially a lifted variant capable of carrying dogs and children. I’d never driven anything so large and capable of engaging the driver, except from a Caterham, but tasting another S product from the brand confirmed that almost nothing is off-limits for Aston Martin.
That said, the DB12 S’s nearest rival, the Bentley Continental GT S, will need to be revisited soon, given how much has changed since I last drove it. But today, the Aston leaves a strong impression: not just fast or luxurious, but exceptionally well resolved — arguably one of the most balanced grand tourers currently on sale.
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