For Aston Martin, the DB11 has ushered in an all-new era for the legendary British luxury automaker. Not only because the DB11's design is a move in a vastly different direction but also because, well, the company is now receiving powerplants from Mercedes-AMG.
We're only talking about the V8 engines.
Thankfully, Aston is still working on its 12-cylinder motors. For me, it's tough to find something greater than a V12-powered Aston. They sound great, they drive even better and, boy, do they have character.
So, now that the marque has debuted a V8 DB11 using a 4.0-liter V8 borrowed from the three-pointed star, what's the end result?
Aston has injected the V8 variant with a more sporting feel but does the math add up to an, overall, better DB11? Let's find out via Autocar's latest review, shall we?
Thanks to a corporate tie-up with shareholder Daimler, the Aston Martin DB11 can now be had with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine made by Mercedes-AMG.
The slightly cheaper alternative to the DB11 V12 produces 503bhp and costs £13,000 less than its sibling in the UK, but it's also been developed to appeal to more sporting tastes than the twelve-cylinder model, having stiffer suspension settings, stiffer mountings, retuned steering - and weighing 115kg less than its sister model.
Aston Martin claims that only a tenth of a second separates the V8 from the V12 on 0-62mph acceleration, and also says the new 'budget/economy' version is still good for 187mph. Matt Saunders got our first taste of it on the road, and took a view on the age-old 'less is more' dilemma.
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