[SOUND] This is the Aston Martin DB9 and in 2003, it revolutionized Aston Martin.
This would define the look and the platform for every Aston Martin to come.
But that was 13 years ago.
It's time for something new.
This is it.
This is the brand new, Aston Martin DB11.
It is all new, from front to rear.
New engine, new look, new technology, on the inside.
If you're a regular viewer of Road Show, and I hope you are.
You know that I've already spent a lot of time on the track, with an early version of one of these cars.
But now we're going to take it out into the real world.
Well, as real world as you can get.
In Tuscany, anyway.
[MUSIC]
So what's the Aston Martin DB11 like to drive on these amazing Italian roads?
Well, a lot of that depends on what driving mode you're in.
I've got two separate toggles here on from the steering wheel.
On the left, I can control the suspension through three separate modes, right now I'm in normal, which is at it's softest, and even though the car is quite firm, it's actually a very comfortable three compliant ride, as you'd expect from a big grand tour like this.
Press this button once, you go into sport mode, things get a little bit more responsive, a little bit more stiff.
Press it a second time and you go into sport plus.
At this point, things become Actually pretty aggressive.
You can feel every little crease in the road and frankly I'd go ahead and save that mode for the track.
Stick to normal and to sport for your everyday driving needs.
The second toggle on the right controls a bunch of different features within the car it'll make The engine more responsive, make the transmission a little bit more aggressive, and it'll open up the manifolds in the exhaust to give you more than B-12 exhaust [UNKNOWN] right now in Grand Turing mode which is the most comfortable, most relaxed.
One press takes us into Sport mode, and again, a third press now takes us into Sport Plus.
And now.
[SOUND] You can really Really hear that exhaust.
Now, this is a twin turbocharged V12, which means we're gonna lose a little bit of the engine note.
[NOISE] But it sounds pretty good to me, despite those turbos.
I know, maybe not quite as good as a plain Jane V12, but frankly, I don't think you're gonna be wanting much for sound in this car.
[MUSIC]
There are lots of big changes in the DB11 but one of the biggest attributes is found right here in the dashboard.
An all new entertainment system that comes curtsey of Mercedes bendz is basically a reskinned version of Of the command system.
So rather than seeing an E class on the screen here, we're gonna see a DB11 of course.
But this is a little bit dated, a little bit ugly compared to some other systems out there.
But it is a huge improvement over what Aston Martin has had before.
And while unfortunately there's neither Android auto nor CarPlay On the dashboard here.
Aston Martin has said that car play is coming soon so that's good news and hopefully Android Auto won't be far behind.
[NOISE]
So my overall impressions of the DB11.
I'm really impressed I've got to say.
I've had a lot of fun on the track with this car.
And on the road, it does even better.
It can be soft and gentle when you want it to be.
It's very quiet in here, with dual pane glass all around.
But with a couple of taps to these buttons, this thing really does come alive.
It's very lively on the road, very engaging to drive.
Much more so than the BB9 was before.
And frankly, I kind of love this thing.
It is a great car, it's a fantastic ride.
If you got the money and if you can come and drive over here in Italy, I would recommend it.
So how is the new DB11 to drive on the road?
Pretty great I gotta say.
The new electronics package is a quantum leap forward over the old one.
The new engine has plenty of power and it sound great to boot.
And the suspension is an amazing blend of comfort and pretty hard edge handling.
It's not as sharp as a Ferrari or Ferocious as a Lamborghini.
This is very much an Aston Martin, a car that is beautiful, and beautiful to drive.
[MUSIC]
