I remember when photos of the Aston Martin DBS first hit the car sites in 2018. It stood out amongst the constant stream of new six-figure machines as a perfectly proportioned sporty but elegant grand tourer. Five years later, its styling is still contemporary. It’s as pretty as a $406,086 Aston should be. It’s an object you can obsess over, something you sometimes want to admire more than drive.
Its 715-horsepower twin-turbo adds to its appeal, delivering supercar-level power that’s still smooth and refined for long drives. Approach its limits, and the DBS bites back with a playful rear axle that loves getting sideways. It’s surprisingly aggressive for a big GT.
The last five years haven’t been kind to its interior, however. Although it’s covered in excellent materials, its tech is dated, placing the DBS far behind competitors from Ferrari and Bentley. So it’s beautiful and fast, but for $406,086, is that enough?
| Engine: | 5.2-Liter Twin-Turbocharged V12 |
| Output: | 715 Horsepower / 663 Pound-Feet |
| 0-60: | 3.4 Seconds |
| Base Price: | $333,686 |
| As-Tested Price: | $406,086 |
Styling is subjective, and while I may have fallen head over heels for this big GT, I can understand that not everyone may feel the same. But they’re wrong. The DBS is a masterclass in proportions. With its long hood, seats just ahead of the rear axle, and flowing roofline, it’s instantly recognizable as something expensive but elegant.
Being a flagship and the sportiest GT the British carmaker currently makes, the DBS gets carbon-fiber body panels such as its roof, clamshell-style hood, splitter, and rear spoiler. These aim to help the big Aston lose a few, but it still weighs nearly 4,000 pounds. Mainly they exist to give the high-power cruiser a sportier look.
The DBS’ aero is surprisingly subtle, such as the air exits behind its front wheels, also made of carbon fiber, or the double-diffuser out back. None of these are overly flashy, but together they give the DBS its distinct look.
A car with such elegant lines wears bright colors well. If it were my money, I’d forgo my tester’s China Grey exterior and embrace this GT’s elegance with colors like Royal Indigo or Liquid Crimson and even brighten it up with Cosmos Orange or Kermit Green. This isn’t the car to play it safe by sticking to executive-friendly shades. If you’re spending $406,086, why not really go for it?
Judging by stats alone, it’s easy to mistake the DBS as more of a supercar than a big GT. Its twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 produces 715 hp and 663 pound-feet, considerably more than the 611-hp Ferrari Roma and 650-hp Bentley Continental GT Speed but less than the 789-hp Ferrari 812 Superfast. The Aston sends power to the rear via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, sprinting to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and topping out at 211 mph.
Its stats are impressive, even for its high price point, but they only tell half the story. The thing with the DBS is that although it’s quick, it lacks the immediacy of its competitors. It behaves like a big muscle car, happy to rumble along at low revs on long highway stints or deliver explosive power for straight-line runs. In the bends, however, it’s not quite as responsive due to turbo lag, but when it wakes up, it does so violently.
At low revs, the DBS is a joy to cruise along in. Its transmission shifts smoothly and seamlessly while its titanium exhaust crackles and pops, adding to the experience. Approach its 7,000-rpm redline, and the instant rush of power following the lag immediately overwhelms the rear. With its safety systems disengaged, the DBS is a proper handful and far more aggressive than you’d expect a big GT to be.
A dual personality can be fun, but its transmission can’t quite keep up while moving very quickly. Both manual up and downshifts often hesitate while its steering lacks feedback but remains pretty heavy, requiring plenty of effort with little reward. Thankfully, its carbon-ceramic brakes offer plenty of bite, easily keeping the DBS in check, although they can be challenging to modulate around town.
Suspension-wise, the DBS gets double wishbones up front, a multi-link rear, and adaptive dampers. On a twisty road, the DBS’ curb weight becomes immediately apparent. It leans on tight bends and defaults to understeer without hesitation.
Where it shines is on open highways and city streets. The DBS is outrageously comfortable for longer drives. In its softest setting, it soaks up bumps effortlessly, and few road imperfections are felt through the cabin. This big Aston may not be as agile as its competitors, but it’s my pick for cruising and covering tons of miles.
Hours behind the wheel are easy thanks to its comfortable and well-appointed cabin. Its front seats are sporty enough to hold you in place on a back road but plush enough for long stints. They also win from a material standpoint, combining black leather and Alcantara with contrasting red stitching. The same goes for the rest of the cabin, combining those two materials with a heavy dose of carbon fiber.
At 5’10, the DBS’ seating position and visibility are spot on for me. There’s plenty of headroom, and since this Aston is pretty large, its interior feels cavernous, especially with two small seats in its second row. Even its oddly shaped steering wheel redeems itself with excellent button placement and, crucially, column-mounted shift paddles. From an ergonomics standpoint, the DBS is a winner.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about its interior tech, which is multiple generations behind competitors. The DBS relies on an ancient Mercedes-Benz COMAND system, which is neither nice to look at nor interact with. Its graphics are low-res and offers no smartphone integration besides Bluetooth audio streaming.
The touchpad required to navigate it, and the haptic feedback buttons just above it are tough to use, especially on the move. Some of the controls require multiple presses to get working and attempting to swipe through various menus to input directions will require you to pull over.
In a car costing $406,086, this system will undoubtedly be a deal-breaker for some. Aston Martin has begun to address this with the recent release of its DB12, which features a massively improved cabin that should make its future products far more competitive. We’ll have to wait until the DBS sees its facelift.
Speaking of price, the 2023 Aston Martin DBS starts at $333,686, including a $3,086 destination fee. However, my tester with extras, such as its Bang & Olufsen stereo, titanium sport exhaust, and carbon ceramic brakes, to name a few, comes in at $406,086.
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Aston Martin’s current flagship is beautiful, expensive, and flawed. In the five years since its release, I’ve gotten to drive all of its competitors, yet the DBS still ranks highly on my list. Sure, it’s not the sharpest drive on a back road, and its interior tech comes from an old Benz, but the big Aston has so much personality that I’m willing to look past its blemishes.
The DBS is more than just fast and pretty. It has a sleekness that competitors don’t, an elegance that hasn’t faded in the last half-decade. It’s a charming cruiser that reveals a hidden temper when pushed. At $406,086, it’s pricy, even amongst six-figure machines, but as an experience, the Aston is captivating, and that’s enough for me.
