The Aston Martin DB11: A Review of its Unique Features and Capabilities

When driving the new Aston Martin DB11, one can't help but notice how easy it is to slide around with the car. The dynamic stability control system on the vehicle has three settings, including a race mode that allows for more aggressive driving. It's also worth noting that the car comes equipped with various safety features, such as a rear camera and pedestrian alert system.

Inside, the DB11 boasts a beautifully appointed interior with a unique emotion unit - a central infotainment system that serves as the primary control center for the vehicle's functions. The navigation screen is a highlight of this feature, disappearing into the dashboard when not in use. However, the reviewer finds that traditional analog gauges are often more pleasant to look at and don't seem to be a distraction.

The DB11 also features an impressive list of materials throughout the interior, including carbon fiber and polished aluminum. The exterior design is sleek and modern, with a black finish that adds to its overall aesthetic. While some might prefer the classic English Clubhouse look, this car's design is undoubtedly modern and sophisticated.

Under the hood, the DB11 packs 510 horsepower, which may not be the most powerful engine in its class but still delivers impressive acceleration and handling. The lightweight construction of the vehicle, combined with its agility and responsiveness, make it a joy to drive on long road trips or spirited driving excursions.

When put into track mode, the car's stability control system is more aggressive, allowing for faster cornering speeds and more precise handling. This feature adds an extra layer of excitement to the driving experience, making it feel like a proper sports car despite its luxury features and amenities. Overall, the DB11 is an impressive vehicle that excels in both everyday driving and spirited performance.

One notable aspect of the DB11's design is its size, which closely resembles a Mustang but with significantly more power and handling. The exhaust note of the engine is particularly noteworthy, as it provides a unique sound experience that shifts from quiet cruising to thrilling acceleration. Overall, the Aston Martin DB11 is a formidable vehicle that should appeal to those seeking both luxury and performance in their next car.

It's worth noting that the reviewer does mention some potential drawbacks, such as the unusual size of the shift lever and the lack of a traditional steering wheel design. However, these are relatively minor complaints compared to the many strengths and impressive features of this vehicle.

Ultimately, driving an Aston Martin DB11 is an exhilarating experience that's hard to put into words. Whether cruising down the highway or tearing up a track, this car delivers exceptional performance and handling that's sure to leave even the most discerning drivers impressed.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enif you've been on this website before you know I'm a big fan of English sports cars especially lightweight English sports cars these are two Lotus salons uh this ofr the aeriel atom this ACR course the rocket built by Gordon Murray and of course the legendary F1 uh no longer in production but there's still a great English sports car being made uh this is the latest one the Aston Martin DBS uh pretty fantastic car you know I I think this is a car that you sort of first you buy for its look and you realize just how good it is I'm astounded at how much technology there is in this car when I first saw this car I assumed it was about 4,100 lb I just I don't know why I thought that it looked kind of heavy looked big but it's not it's all extruded aluminum it's all bonded together you've got a carbon fiber drive shaft carbon fiber door handles a lot of carbon fiber just for look but actually keep the weight down this car as it sits is 3480 yet it has all the amenities that you would expect of a high-end English sports car uh this particular model has the European seats that are not available in America because uh let's just face it our rear ends are just way too big we're going to take a little trip around the car now it's a V12 362 cubic in 6 L 510 horsepower uh sixspeed it's a proper gear box you know I I get a little annoyed that Ferrari and the 5 99 has given up on the uh the proper six-speed manual gearbox this has a trans axle uh so consequently trans axle means you moved theend move the transmission and gearbox to the rear of the car gives you a little more leg room and plus you're also able to move the engine a bit further back so although this is a front engine car I would say it's closer to a mid-engine car much like the SLR Mercedes uh but the SLR of course is 500,00 and this is about half that price it's still a lot of money but you you're getting uh pretty close to equal performance and plus it's just a drop dead good-look car you know Aston Martins there's just something about them when you get in them you feel like James Bond yeah James Bond right now let's bring in a man who is uh knows a lot more about these cars than I do Julian Jenkins Julian how are you I'm well J now what is your official position you're the vice president general manager vice president general manager so if the president was assassinated you would immediately step forward I would step into those large shoes so you are literally a heartbeat away from being the president of Aston Martin okay take us around this car I'm sure I've left out a lot of details and a lot of facts so uh walk us through it I I must say driving the car very impressed about how light feeling it is at least to me I'm not a race car driver I'm just someone who enjoys a car but I like feeling the road I like getting a bit of Road feel and I like a proper gearbox I know paddle shifter seem to be the way to go these days and is that available also with a paddle shifter no it's not um we have got good thank you thank you thank you it's got a proper gearbox if you don't know how to drive then go get some stupid thing with a paddle shifter if you enjoy being involved with the car and hearing the exhaust node and and and and picking your own gear shift points uh this is the way to go well to take you around the car Jay uh I think you've covered a lot of the points but uh as you say it's uh it's probably about 145 PB lighter than the road car um as you can see particularly in terms of the engine and obviously with the increased horsepower in there um it's very much about sort of cooling we've got the the split of vean the carbon fiber split of vean in here little flip on the on the carbon fiber trunk lid and of course with the diffuser at the end just gives you that stability at at speed and of course I asked the Martin no longer involved with Ford Ford at one time owned ason Martin I think it's safe to say they probably saved it uh so it could move into an independent company all the engines are built in Cologne Germany correct uh that's that's right they they were um and uh the the engines and the cars are all finished I mean I think people thought oh it's some kind of variation of a Ford engine it's not it's not at all no I mean it was dedicated it was unique to ason Martin and there is a signature on each of the the engines when I was a kid there was a guy who used to build all the Aston engines t t America yeah yes yeah I was used to I was used to be impressed when I open an S and see his name on the well he did the 5.3 of course for the the db6 the V8 and this is a 4 cam it's it's a 4 cam overhead um it's a um 5935 Engine CC engine uh 6 L engine um four valve per cylinder four valve um putting out 510 brake horsepower as you say and 420 PB of of feet um I think the other um area on the car just to touch is the Dynamics and certainly the suspension on this car is is pretty impressive iive um independent um double Wishbone at Each corner um anti- dive on the front obviously anti squat anti- lift on the rear um it's got monot tube dampers um bin um and with that of course comes an Adaptive damping um program which allows us to have uh a normal Road setting and of course a track mode as well for the car yeah Aston Martin's done a very good job of branding this automobile this kind of a whole Aston Martin lifestyle thing that I I find kind of cool you have that special key we'll show you that what they call the emotion emotional control unit emotional control unit normally we'd call it a key but it's an emotional control unit and it's goofies time you know it actually works it actually get you sort of involved with the car and there's almost a of you know there is a sense of theater because when you you know the great thing about the F1 McLaren is you sit in the center and you flip up the thing and it's a bit like a fight a plane you press the button I mean to me it driving a car like this should be an experience you know it's something it's like opening a bottle of champagne you know you take it out on the weekend you go for a drive and and you get wonderfully involved involved in the car uh let's take a look at the well let's open the Bonnet first of all I'm sorry the hood for those of you watching in America I must say I missed the stack of Weber carburetors but hey welcome to the things have moved on yeah they have moved on as you see the engine sits a bit further back than you would normally expect and this is obviously here for uh structural Integrity I mean you've got three of them here back in the old days Ford would call these a Monte Colo bar and they used to put it on the uh on the Ford Falcons and the Mustangs for idity uh but it's a very stiff chassis doesn't Flex at all as you can see nice looking motor V12 everything is easily accessible there not much you have to do under here really and then imagine this is what a uh a battery point it is it is here yep as you can see here's MC freem by Mick Freeman so if you have a problem call Mick Freeman in fact I believe they put his home number here call him anytime of the day or night and Mick will fix your car for you not a problem whole part of the service and you have a proper hood scoops and the cly and very functional to is very light this is carbon fiber as well it's carbon fiber and what's interesting is you don't see the weave through it as well part of a a process which uh which is unique to Aston Martin actually gives you that class A finish as well as you can see this one has got the uh lightweight carbon fiber seats you can see a lot of the carbon fiber um touches in inside this is a car very much focused around the the the driver as you can see and little touches as well that come in from the racing program you've got here A Double Split Stitch line on the on the steering wheel just gives you that Center Point very tactile in terms of the the uh the gear shift first for Aston Martin I think are carbon fiber brakes that's right cross drilled um carbon fiber carbon ceramic brakes those 15.7 in six on the front four on the back and actually a weight saving overall of about 25 to uh to 30 um pounds the car and that that adds up to the4 of course like most uh cars of this category we just have a massive massive trunk there you go want to carry three oranges maybe three oranges and an apple you got all kinds of room in here actually you could probably get a set of golf clubs in there you certainly get a set of golf clubs and a weekend luggage but you know if you're playing golf buy something else okay very nice to drive very tractable and geez it it I was amazed how easy it was to slide it and do donuts with it and it's always fun sliding and doing donuts with somebody else's car but uh well the dynamic stability control on the car has has three settings and certainly one of those will you got a race setting you can turn it off and then you've got a proper Road set in correct yeah and of course you have all the usual things that you have in a car this class the little thing that beeps when you back up if there's a pedestrian or something um and it's got all the safety features you can hit people in the front end and they get up laughing well let's take a a ride here's our emotion unit it's a key Stick that in there put the clutch in hold it down sounds good as you can see it's beautifully appointed inside you have your emotion unit which makes me laugh you've got your navigation screen which I like asz I mentioned before which disappears into the dashboard I hate those ones that you constantly have to look at it cuz I find it very distracting nicely light out proper analog gauges thank you for just having a regular clock I hate these stupid digital stop blinking into my face the numbers seem a little small but that might be my 58-year-old eyes speed comes up uh digitally as well um a lot of carbon fiber I love this gloss black finish a lot of polished aluminum um as nice as the uh English Clubhouse look is with the wood doesn't really suit this type of car this is truly a modern modern Aston Martin and you've got enough vintage uh in the terms of a proper gear box although the shift lever is unusually big I don't quite quite get that but that's all right I tend to like a ball at the end of my shift lever but I'm old school steering wheel's just about the right size and it makes terrific noises when you put your foot in it you always find yourself looking for blow field or somebody in the rim of your mirror when you drive this thing you know all Asin should come with a tape of CU you kind of get into that James Bond thing while you're driving on your stability control you have three settings as as Julian said you've got your normal driving setting you got your track mode and of course and you can turn it off completely uh the track mode sort of makes me laugh it doesn't seem like a track car but as I said this is a GT car masquerading as a sports car um it was a true sports car it wouldn't have all these luxuries and amenities to it but it's a wonderful car for in uh great distances you know if you want to drive LA to Vegas you want to drive up to u70 you want to drive to San Francisco boy that's not a nicer enironment it's quick it's fast it handles and it's reasonably lightweight that's what impresses me the most about the car is the reasonably light weight I just assume uh you know being English and S of old school it would be a lot heavier than it is much like no this is uh you got 1,000 lb less weight in this than you do at a comparable ventle very very impressive car no cowl shake you know when you throw it hard in the corners it does you don't see the front end bouncing at all very stiff carbon fiber brakes are wonderful you know the problem with carbon fiber brakes for years they just couldn't get them hot enough to really work properly on the street that was McLaren problem when they developed their car 15 years ago but those problems have been taken care of these are virtually fade free there's no way you could fade these brakes especially on the street I would say this car Dimension wise is about the size of a Mustang but a lot lot more power and a lot more handling and your acceleration PS very strong and we got to pull over and wait for our Chase car that exhaust note is intoxicating you know much like the uh Corvette uh Z06 you've got that solenoid in the exhaust that uh once you get above a certain RPM it opens up and lets it flow a little more freely so you so you can be quiet around town and pulling in the driveways and when you put your foot in it you know you get that nice uh nice exhaust there 510 horsepower is not the end of the world in fact it's not even the most horsepower in this class but it's pretty good and combined with the lightweight and then handling uh makes it a very very desirable car don't let your kid borrow this car okay it' be a huge huge mistake oh\n"