By Jeff Glucker
When Aston Martin slaps the S badge on a model, the result is a sharpened, more fine-tuned iteration of an already entertaining machine. What happens, though, when you start with a grand touring all-star like the DB12? You get a DB12 S that plays the part in a bigger way; just don’t go thinking this beautiful beast is as eager to get rowdy as its Vantage sibling.
To earn the S moniker, the DB12 gets more power. Aston Martin pushed the boost on the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine to arrive at 690 horsepower. That’s up over the standard car’s 671. Torque remains the same at 590 pound-feet, and all the oomph is sent out back via an eight-speed transaxle setup.
The suspension also receives attention by way of a retune and a thicker rear anti-roll bar. And the pieces do indeed add up to a sharper DB12. But this car remains a grand tourer, and that’s quite alright.
Power delivery arrives with a slight lag, but then comes on like a cannon shot. There’s a bit of roll as you set up for corners, but once tucked in, you can rocket through a given corner. Each action item requires a moment of hesitation that’s perfectly fine in a proper grand tourer, but would be a bummer in a true sports car.
The Aston Martin DB12 S is a truly wonderful machine with brilliant styling and a delightful interior space. Just don’t pretend that the S badge has morphed it into a track beast. After all, the drive mode on this one goes up to Sport+, while the Vantage goes a notch further with a true Track mode.