It’s this is not true of the 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante, the drop-top version of the English brand’s latest “super tourer.” Aston Martin will show the car in the coming weeks during this year’s Monterey Car Week festivities, and those lucky enough to experience it will be in for the best experience.
Although it’s true that the DB12 Volante shares some bodywork with its predecessor and appears similar on the exterior, it’s a superior car in many ways. It was focused on making the vehicle more rigid all-around, paying particular concentration on achieving significant gains in stiffness in crucial places like the mounting points for suspensions. These adjustments enabled Aston Martin engineers to mount the steering column with more rigidity and, as such, enhance off-center reaction and the feel.
2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante Redesign
The cabin has also been significantly improved over the DB11’s with the most prominent feature being Aston Martin’s new infotainment system, which is a huge improvement over the original Mercedes system that was used in 2011. It also has a new central console with physical buttons, switches, and knobs instead of today’s standard haptic touchpads and displays. It’s The DB12 Volante may not be an entirely new vehicle, but inside it will certainly feel like one.
Engine & Transmissions
Similar to the coupe, the power is derived through an AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, which gains from particular Aston Martin hardware and software. It puts out 600 horsepower, and 590 pounds of torque, compared to the 528 horsepower and 513 pounds of torque that comes from the DB11 Volante. Aston Martin says it’ll run from 60-100 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds and will reach a top speed of 202 miles per hour. Do you need blow-dryers when you could just buy the DB12 Volante?
The transmission is one of the ZF eight-speed automatic that is mounted in the back. It has a lower end-to-end drive ratio than DB11’s gearbox. It distributes the power among the wheels using an electronically controlled limited-slip diff. Regarding suspension, the major distinction between the two models DB12 coupe as well as Volante is the spring rates at the rear, likely higher to accommodate the additional weight of the top mechanism and the adjustable damper adjustment. Like the coupe, the 21-inch wheels made forged are standard and are specifically designed for Aston Martin. Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tires.
The Roof
The roof of the Volante is a layered fabric top that completely hides underneath the rear deck after it has been lowered. The lack of tops makes the DB12 the best, particularly for those who don’t seem to be attracted by the black trim which extends backward from the greenhouse of the coupe. The Volante does away with that and the roof-down design is striking because of its simplicity. Four colors of convertible top fabrics are available blue, black, red, and silver/black. Aston claims that the roof can take fourteen seconds to open, and 16 minutes to shut, and the roof can close at speeds of up to 31 mph.
The Volante will come with an automatic eight-speed and rear-wheel drive. It will have responses sharpened through an electronically controlled locking differential in the rear. The standard dampers are adaptive and claim to offer an increase of 500 percent in “bandwidth of force distribution” as compared to the one employed by the DB11 Volante. The new Volante will be lighter than the coupe, and has different rear springs, and what Aston refers to as a “dedicated damper tune”; it also claims to be 5 percent stronger in rigidity in torsional motion over that of the DB11 Volante.
The most notable modification in Volante is that the most significant change for DB12 Volante is similar to the coupe: the introduction of a brand new, higher-end cabin that features better ergonomics and the introduction of a touchscreen interface, rather than the clunky turn-and-click control that was used in the DB11. Although the structural and mechanical change of DB11 as well as DB12 is essentially a massive facelift, this is the one place where the brand new Volante is expected to appear to be a completely new car.
2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante Pricing
Pricing isn’t yet announced however, for comparison the MSRP of 2023 DB11 Volante is $233,200. Production will start in the coming months and the first deliveries to customers will be made at the closing of this year.