At the launch of the Aston Martin DBX 707 in 2022, a heavily revised version of the DBX, we had the obligatory demonstration of the car. Everything was going well until we got inside and touched the screen on the dashboard. “Yeah… it’s still not a touchscreen,” came the awkward reply.
As spectacular as Aston Martins look, sound and perform, nothing screams “old tech” more these days than a big screen in the middle of a dashboard that you can’t operate by touch (whether touchscreens are a good thing is another debate, but you understand what I mean…). For a car like the DBX 707 launched in 2022, built by a car manufacturer that positions itself at the top of the industry, as fantastic as the rest of the car was, it wasn’t really good enough.
Luckily, the Aston Martin DB12 has a touchscreen. The software it runs isn’t perfect, the fonts are a bit small, and some menus are too well hidden. But of far greater importance is the fact that the screen exists at all; that you can poke it with your fingers; and that the software was developed entirely by Aston itself and was not taken over by Mercedes.
You can tell this is Aston’s first real attempt at designing its own modern touchscreen interface, as it takes a few rookie mistakes into account. For example, some of the menu icons are too small to be easily touched with an outstretched arm. There’s no physical cursor controller on either the steering wheel or the center console, so there’s no choice but to reach for these fiddly icons; the software is somewhat buggy and prone to crashes; and the navigation is missing a few display modes. Oh, and the screen overall gets pretty hot when left on for about an hour – making it a little uncomfortable to hold your fingertip on it to move the map or scroll down a menu.
Still, these are all things that can be fixed with updated software (what an old chestnut that will be), and this Aston Martin wouldn’t feel like a new Aston Martin if it wasn’t launched with some “areas for improvement”. would have been.
After a day of getting used to it, not all of the controls were easy to use. But to Aston’s credit, he didn’t put all the controls on the touchscreen. The mix of physical and digital controls makes it look like a first-generation layout. However, there are still further improvements in user-friendliness to come: the DB12 is to be followed by seven other front-engined sports cars, including derivatives, over the next two years.
The interior’s other main advance is undoubtedly its material quality, which in places is now on par with Bentley’s and well above that of a Ferrari. There’s a chunky engine start button with a rotating collar around it for juggling driving modes, both of which feel expensive – as do the knurled metal roller switches for the heater temperature and volume controls. The DB12’s cabin now has the look and feel of a high-end military-chic wristwatch in places.
There is plenty of space in the car, plenty of storage space and occasionally usable rear seats. The DB12 isn’t quite as big as some two-plus-two luxury coupes, and its interior isn’t quite as spacious either – although there’s plenty of room up front, so you don’t feel too familiar with your passenger, and not quite him find so spacious. You won’t be able to bump your elbows over the center console, while children up to about 12 years old can travel comfortably in the rear seats.