Aston Martin DB11 review: a proper grand tourer, if Bahrain can support one
motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy the V12 if the budget allows it — it is the version the DB11 was designed around, and the extra weight over the front axle is a fair trade for the soundtrack and the mid-range shove. Insist on a full digital service history from an Aston Martin-approved workshop (Dubai, most likely) before you commit; this is not a car to gamble on with an unknown history in Gulf heat.
Pros
- 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 has real low-rev shove that older naturally aspirated Astons lacked
- Bonded-aluminium platform is noticeably stiffer than the DB9 it replaced
- 2+2 layout and a genuine 265 km/h top end in a hand-built GT
- Mercedes-sourced infotainment and climate control cope well with Gulf summers
Cons
- No factory-authorised dealer in Bahrain; warranty and parts run through Dubai
- Early 2016–2017 cars had documented infotainment and sensor electrical issues
- Tyres, brakes and any bodywork are priced as bespoke, not mainstream
- Front-heavy V12 weight distribution is noticeable if you actually push it
The DB11 was the car that had to work, and mostly it does. Aston Martin's first clean-sheet platform in over a decade replaced the ageing VH architecture under the DB9 with bonded aluminium, and the extra stiffness shows up immediately in how the body controls itself over a mid-corner bump instead of shuddering through it.
The 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 that launched the car makes 600 hp and, more usefully, 700 Nm from 1,500 rpm — a very different character to the naturally aspirated V12s that came before it, with real shove the moment you open the throttle rather than a wait for revs to build. A twin-turbo V8 joined in 2017, lighter over the nose and arguably the better-balanced car, though it never carries the same badge cachet as the twelve-cylinder.
Living with it in Bahrain
There is no factory-authorised Aston Martin dealer in Bahrain. Owners either buy through the UAE network and have the car shipped, or import a UK or European example privately and rely on independent specialists — of which the island has a small handful competent with British V12s. Warranty work, software updates and anything electronic will mean a trip to Dubai or a wait for parts.
The cabin electronics and infotainment, sourced partly from Mercedes-Benz under the technical partnership that started with this generation, are a genuine improvement over the DB9's dated system and hold up reasonably well to Gulf summer use — the climate control in particular copes with 45 °C better than earlier Astons managed.
What actually goes wrong
Early cars (2016–2017) had some well-documented electrical gremlins around the infotainment and parking sensors; a pre-purchase inspection by a marque specialist is not optional. Tyres and brakes are consumables priced like what they are — a 20-inch performance tyre set is not a Camry expense — and budget accordingly for a car that will spend real time in Bahrain's ambient heat rather than a temperate showroom climate.