Aston Martin DB11 Volante review

In 1885 and a man called Elias J Baldwin entered a horse in the American Derby, which it duly won. Well, it would, because it just so happens that old Elias’s nickname was Lucky, on account of his extraordinary good fortune in life – he avoided death at least twice, both times when a jilted lady tried to shoot him – and also in his business ventures. And this is relevant how, exactly?

The parallel here is that the horse was called Volante, as is this convertible Aston Martin DB11, which Andy Palmer, Aston’s CEO, no doubt hopes will bring a slice of Lucky’s prosperity Aston’s way.

After all, his stated mission is to build Aston into something it has never been: a viable, profit-making business. So far, he’s done rather well, but a smash-hit, top-end convertible would be a welcome boost to the company’s bottom line.

But for Aston’s hopes to become reality, the DB11 Volante needs to prove that it’s a capable open-topped GT car that’s better than rivals such as the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet. The question is: is it?

There’s a rule of thumb that says, dynamically, convertibles sit in the shadow of the coupés on which they’re based. The reason? Simple: chopping off the roof weakens the chassis, so bracing is required to stiffen it again, thus adding weight. And weight is bad; it blunts the performance, ride and handling. Sure enough, the Volante is 110kg heavier than the DB11 coupé and still not as rigid. Yet it hides these flaws well.

For a start, performance remains stupendous. That wonderful Mercedes-AMG-sourced, twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 (unlike the DB11 coupé, you can’t buy a V12 Volante) responds with barely any lag and pulls like whipped Shire horse from low revs. Yet it still gallops enthusiastically round to its redline when asked and sounds simply amazing as it does so. Think Rod Stewart with laryngitis – deep and gravely, but still properly tuneful.

Although the ride is firmer than a Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet’s, it’s still compliant, in part thanks to the switchable dampers that come as standard. In Comfort mode, these ease you smoothly over all but the most rutted roads, but occasionally there’s some slight shimmy through the less ridged body that isn’t in the stiffer coupé.

With the extra weight, the Volante also can’t match the agility of the coupé, but it’s not far off. And it’s certainly a far more rewarding steer than the much heavier S-Class Cabriolet. In fact, switch the dampers to Sport (or stiffest Sport+) and it flows along a carving mountain pass displaying consummate composure while serving up lots of cornering grip. Just be careful on the accelerator as you power out of bends – treat it like an on-off switch and the rear-wheel-drive DB11 Volante will get twitchy very quickly. It demands respect, shall we say.

Where do its faults lie? Well, the eight-speed automatic gearbox is pretty smooth when left to its own devices, but can be slow-witted when the steering wheel-mounted paddles are used to change gear manually; this is a foible rather than an annoyance, though. The grabby brakes are more irksome – they make it hard to slow smoothly in traffic, but they do offer better progression when stopping from higher speeds.

An S-Class convertible is quieter on the motorway, because with the roof up you hear plenty of rumble from the DB11 Volante’s big 20in alloy wheels, plus some wind noise around the side windows. Drop the roof, though – an operation that’s carried out in near-silence in just 14 seconds, at speeds of up to 31mph – and it’s pleasantly bluster-free with the windows up and the wind deflector in place.

All shapes and sizes of driver should find it easy to get comfortable in the DB11 Volante, thanks to the enormous range of movement available via the electrically adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel. In fact, together with the support the seat offers, which includes adjustable lumbar and side bolsters as standard, along with the perfectly aligned controls, the driving position is extremely hard to fault.

This is a cockpit that feels enveloping and sporty, rather than airy like the more open cockpit of the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet. Both styles are fine, and which one you prefer will depend on what you’re looking for.

The only issue with the DB11 Volante is visibility. Because you sit so low in the seat and the dashboard rises relatively high, it can be tricky to see those nasty low kerbs in town. Meanwhile, through tight corners the comparatively thick windscreen pillars can get in the way. And then there’s the tiny rear screen to contend with, making seeing out the rear tricky. But, thankfully, manoeuvring is made less problematic by the standard-fit front and rear parking sensors and 360deg parking camera.

Fit and finish retain the best bits from Astons of old and is generally very good. Soft, hand-stitched leather sits side by side with wood or carbon trim highlights, while any bits that look like metal tend to be metal, such as the heater vents. However, there are some areas where the S-Class convertible feels better-finished and it certainly generates a bit more wow factor.

Unlike Astons of old, however, the craftsmanship is married to modernity. In the DB11 Volante, you get fully digitised instruments dials that prove easy to read, even if there’s not as much information on display as the enormous digital screens in the S-Class Cabriolet.

In essence, you won’t find much difference in the operation of the infotainment in an S-Class or DB11, though, because the latter uses a Mercedes system. Yet, it’s not the most up-to-date hardware by other premium manufacturers’ standards, with a comparatively small and low-resolution 8.0in screen, menus that take some getting used to and laggy commands. It’s far better than the system in Astons back in the day, though, and at least you operate the screen using a rotary controller and shortcut buttons on the centre console. This is far less distracting to use on the move than rivals with touchscreens.

Although the DB11 Volante offers a more intimate, sporty feel than a Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet, there’s still plenty of space in the front; head and leg room are both extremely good, even for very tall adults, and the relatively wide interior gives plenty of elbow room. There’s not much oddment space, though; for example, you don’t get a glovebox and the door bins are shallow. The most usable cubby is the one under the sliding centre armrest.

Then there are the rear seats. Officially, the DB11 Volante has two of them; but before you get excited about cross-country trips with all the family on board, we’ve got some bad news: they’re better suited to a couple of weekend bags than people – even younger teenagers will struggle. If you’re going to be carrying more than one passenger, an S-Class convertible is a much better prospect.

It’s the same situation with boot space, because the S-Class Cabriolet offers a good chunk of added luggage space. With the roof up, the DB11 Volante will fit two carry-on suitcases with maybe a couple of soft bags squeezed on top of them. When the roof is down, the boot gets shallower, so the suitcases will still fit but you can forget about those additional bags.

Let’s not beat around the bush here: a DB11 Volante will cost you a small fortune. Presumably, this won’t be news to you if you’re considering a purchase, but just how much will you be in for?

Well, haggling isn’t likely to be fruitful; dealers don’t give up discounts willingly, so get ready to stump up most of the substantial £150k-plus asking price. Expect that to nudge towards £200k if the bespoke options list excites you.

Then there’s the prospect of day-to-day running costs. Claimed combined fuel consumption is only 28.3mpg, and while CO2 emissions may be comparatively low next to similarly powerful cars, that makes little difference if you’re thinking of running one as a company car - the DB11 Volante still sits in the top bracket for benefit-in-kind tax. Then there are insurance premiums and annual service costs to factor in – especially when you need a new set of rubber. That said, its rivals are no different.

At least the DB11 Volante should depreciate relatively slowly; it’s predicted to hold on to much more of its value after three years than a Mercedes-AMG S63 convertible.

One thing you can get excited about is the extremely long list of standard equipment. This includes 20in alloy wheels, switchable dampers, heated and electrically adjustable leather seats, dual-zone climate control, double-glazed side windows, keyless entry and start, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, a 360deg parking camera, a DAB radio, sat-nav, an 8.0in touchscreen and LED headlights.

The DB11 hasn’t been crash tested by Euro NCAP or security tested by Thatcham Research, but it gets seven airbags, tyre pressure monitoring, an engine immobiliser and an alarm. However, it’s disappointing that it isn’t available with any modern safety aids, such as automatic emergency braking, blindspot monitoring or lane departure warning.

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