Jump LinksInfotainment: Something SpecialRide and HandlingPerformance ImpressionsFuel EconomyThe Aston Martin DB12 is a lavish grand touring sports car that blends the classic British tradition of speed, luxury, proportional beauty, and high-end craftsmanship, for the modern world. That's the precise description, because it's also a drop-dead gorgeous coupe that's versatile enough to swiftly cross a continent for the sheer hell of it, roll up with swaggering style to a red carpet event, or simply blast the cobwebs away on a back road with brute force and unswerving cornering confidence. And now, Aston Martin has created a high-performance DB12 S version, designed to add even more power and prowess to an already over-powered grand tourer.Aston Martin describes the DB12 S as a "Super Tourer," and it's not wrong. The 4.0-liter Twin-Turbo V8 under that long hood makes 690 horsepower, all going to the rear wheels, maxes out at 202 mph, and comes with carbon ceramic brakes because it's a corner-seeking-missile of a car. The upgrades run deep, but start at the surface with an aerodynamics package and then go deep with an extensive package of chassis changes, and then get granular with changes to the throttle tuning and wheel geometry. With all this in mind, Aston let us loose in the canyons of Malibu, California, to take it all in.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S- Exterior Looks: A Modern Classic The DB12 is already a beautiful car, but now it has subtle additions like gloss black sills and more obvious additions like the new dual-element front splitter and new bonnet louvers. The new splitter generates downforce while guiding air in and around the front wheel arches to reduce lift, while the louvers help extract hot air from the engine bay. The fixed rear spoiler aids stability at high speed, while the new rear diffuser reduces lift.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5860Below the diffuser is what Aston describes as "DB12 S signature stacked pairs of exhaust tailpipes." As standard, the exhaust system is stainless steel and tuned accentuate the existing engine frequencies throughout the rev range, particularly the mids and highs. An optional titanium exhaust system boosts the bass, mid, and treble frequencies while dropping almost 26 pounds from the car's overall weight. The carbon ceramic brakes also save weight, almost 60 pounds of unsprung weight, over the DB12's steel discs while also being able to handle longer periods of abuse. Interior & On-Board Technology: Gorgeous Gauges Inside the DB12 there's plenty of room for the driver and passenger, but, in true modern luxury 2+2 grand-touring style, the back seats are not in any way practical for passengers. Instead, they are a luxurious place for a purse, briefcase, gym bag, or a couple of extra bags on a trip. The S is just as comfortable and luxurious as the regular DB12, but with Alcantara and leather with exquisite detail in the patterns and stitching. We warn about color choices, but our tester has a blue and black interior, and blue is a tough color to pull off inside a car, but it absolutely works, particularly matched with the blue paint.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5890As for layout, it's pretty much a copy and paste for Aston Martin, which is far from a bad thing. There are plenty of physical controls, including beautifully knurled metal roller dials. The interior is engineered to be a tactile experience, and manages to bring a classic sports car feel to a comfort and technology masterclass. The seats feel infinitely adjustable, but also to a granular degree. Overall, the cabin is substantial and beautifully crafted, down to the detail of over-the-shoulder visibility when it's time to change lanes. Infotainment: Something Special Aston Martin uses its 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster with a 10.25-inch touchscreen in DB12. Like all new Aston Martins, they can be unified using Apple Carplay Ultra to change displays and access to car settings without leaving CarPlay. If you're using Android Auto, it still works but limits things a little. Without using CarPlay Ultra, Aston's new in-house developed system is up there with the best in terms of displays and software responsiveness.Again, after driving the Vantage S, the thing that struck me is that while the digital display reflects that you're driving an Aston Martin, it now suffers the same issue all ultra-luxury vehicles do – digital displays simply aren't special anymore. Some of the most decidedly average cars on the market have lovely digital displays. What would suit an Aston Martin now is some well-crafted analogue gauges.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5887However, few cars have the option of a Bowers & Wilkins Audio system of the caliber on the DB12 S - albeit at a $10,000 price. It's truly top-tier, and its tuning embarrasses a few high-end home systems I've heard recently, which is amazing in a car. It's a system that deserves to be fed better quality audio files than Spotify delivers. It's an audio system that deserves Apple Music or a Tidal account for streaming, or even going old-school with a dedicated music player.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5914 Performance: Aggressively Aggressive The DB12 S fires up in GT mode, which would be a Sport mode for most automakers. But the suspension isn't in its harder mode, and the engine is at its quietest – which isn't very quiet, although the suspension is compliant around town and a pleasure on the freeway. In general, it feels like a tauter DB12 for cruising around, which is a good sign for when you get out of town and onto a nice free-flowing and curvy road. The comfort is still there when opening up the pace, but larger bumps can jolt through the car, as if the suspension is already compressed and there's little travel left.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5928 Ride and Handling Avoid a big bump, however, and the DB12 S flows through curves with an excess of grip and a smirking amount of confidence when the pace is picked up. While the engine and throttle response are perfectly suitable for around town and cruising in GT mode, the underlying aggression becomes quickly apparent when the road opens up. Aston talks at length about the new programming for the throttle and transmission, and the upward curve from swift driving into outright attack mode feels steeper than the graphs show. Performance Impressions For fun on a back road, GT mode is plenty. Just remember to press the button and open up the exhaust sound. In GT mode, the DB12 S welcomes trail braking into a corner, the precision of the chassis is a delight mid-corner, then the exit is a joyous shove, then a cacophony of noise and speed. It's already a beast of a car, but Sport mode is there to be activated. Sport+ mode is also there to be used - but needs to be treated with absolute respect.Sport mode hypes everything up, and the DB12 S becomes unhinged, but in the best possible way. The suspension toughens up, the throttle response increases, the electronic rear limited slip differential adjusts its parameters, and trail braking into a corner shows itself as a secret weapon. But, it's not a blunt weapon, and throttle control is everything to keep things smooth and planted. There are five modes in total; Wet, GT, Sport, Sports + and Individual, and this is a car where finding the sweet spot in the Individual setting is worthwhile. We didn't get an opportunity to try the Wet setting, but our experience with the throttle and power of the DB12 S strongly suggests that it's there for good reason.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5882 Fuel Economy If you're thinking of spending over $300,000 on an Aston Martin tuned to be a road-munching monster, fuel economy isn't going to be an issue. Not until you've had way too much fun and forgotten to check the gauge, so we'll add them once the testing is complete and the numbers released. We expect it to be close to the regular DB12's 15/22/17 MPG city/highway/combined numbers. Verdict & Pricing: Not For Everyone, In More Than One Way The DB12 S can enter a corner far faster than it should on a public road, hold on for grip like a supercar, then roar off into the distance with a brief wriggle from the rear to let you know that corner is dispensed with. The DB12 S smiles and gives a nod to a Porsche 911 GT-whatever the latest media darling is, but it has its own rules to play by - and they don't include Nürburgring times. That crazy mix of style, luxury, and outright performance comes at one hell of a price, though. It's a price you need to "inquire" for, and you'll want more than $300,000 spare as its MSRP is $272,000, and you'll want that Bowers & Wilkins system.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5825The level of brute force the DB12 S brings onto the road could be overstated, but I would have to work hard to manage it. It's the clenched fist in a velvet glove, except the glove is hiding a set of knuckle dusters. If it was a drink, it would be a pan-galactic gargle blaster. If the DB12 was a hat, it would be a Thomas Farthing-made Baker Boy Cap with a razor blade in the peak. If it was a spy, it would be, well, James Bond, obviously.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5923It's always worth reading to the last paragraphs, because there's a big "but" here. The DB12 S is a hardcore flavor of DB12, and the DB12 is already everything an Aston Martin grand tourer should be, and a bit more. It's already fast, sophisticated, luxurious, and loud when it wants to be. It certainly already over-delivers in grip, power, and handling, which means the DB12 S is not necessarily the best DB12.The word aggressive has been used repeatedly in this review for good reason, and the DB12 S shouldn't be bought because it's the most expensive version. It should be bought because the owner is going to drive the hell out of it, including track days, so they can get it to its extreme limits.2026 Aston Martin DB12 S-5847