Despite the auto industry’s march toward electrification and crossovers, Aston Martin is sticking to its tried and true combination of a big combustion engine and a convertible. The British carmaker is releasing the Aston Martin DB12 Volante, a roadster with a high cylinder count and low roofline that retracts.
The DB12 Volante is based on the DB12 Coupe, which is the latest model in the iconic DB line. Aston Martin calls the DB12 Volante the ultimate “Super Tourer” as a nod to the grand touring heritage of the DB lineup, although it says this latest model is the ultimate “open-top” tourer. Even though Aston’s roadsters are famous, enthusiasts have always had a tense relationship with convertibles due to the compromises they require — namely, a loss of rigidity.
But Aston Martin says the DB12 Volante boasts slightly better specs here than past DB models, with five percent greater global torsional stiffness. The British carmaker says the convertible was developed in parallel with the coupe, meaning it carries over the engineering and enhancements of the new DB, including reinforced suspension mounting points and lateral connections. The main difference between the coupe and the convertible seem to be in the rear spring rate, as well as slightly different damper tuning.
The Aston Martin DB12 Volante gets the same engine as the Coupe, a 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 making 671 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Now, that is four cylinders down from the DB line’s V12 engines, but the V8 in the latest model still manages to outdo the V12 in the DB11 by more than a third: Aston says the V8 achieves 34 percent greater output thanks to better compression ratios, bigger turbos and increased cooling.
That all culminates in a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and top speed of 202 mph in the DB12 Volante for those who like to hit warp speed on the road without the benefit of a fixed roof. But Aston Martin knows its buyers, it seems, and CTO Roberto Fedeli had this to say about the new convertible:
Volante possesses all the Super Tourer traits so successfully introduced in the DB12 Coupe. That we have preserved this class-leading performance and handling is testament to the underlying brilliance of the DB12 platform and the work we have done to maintain the advantage of its superb powertrain and chassis in an open-top version. No longer the ‘softer’ option, DB12 Volante offers the stimulation of a true sports car with the unique pleasure and satisfaction that only a convertible Aston Martin can deliver.
The carmaker mentions the Volante no longer being the softer option, but, then again, the Volante seems to be coming to market early next year with a fabric roof and no option for a hard top. That would have likely made the new “K-fold” roof impossible to fit, and Aston makes a big deal about the sleek design of the fabric roof. The roof retracts in just 14 seconds and fully returns in 16. It’ll work at up to 31 mph, even in a headwind. Also, it can be operated via the DB12's key fob within two meters.
Funny how Aston Martin doesn’t highlight any photos of the fancy fabric roof in its promo, but I guess a convertible is only really itself with the top down. Then again, the DB12 Volante does try a little harder than the coupe to convey the luxury that an Aston Martin badge implies: the Volante gets wood veneer or carbon fiber panels on the back of its front seats to “create an extra layer of visual interest.” That’s all well and good, but given Aston’s welcome new emphasis on physical controls combined with unobtrusive screens, extra layers of visual interest seem unnecessary. Which is to say gaudy.
