Alpine A110 vs Aston Martin DB12

What's the difference?

Don't let the overall score fool you. The Alpine A110 is an instant classic. While practicality, safety and ownership costs don't set the world on fire, it delivers a driving experience that makes everything right with the world every time you get behind the wheel.

Typically when a car company makes a bold claim in their press release it's hyperbole designed simply to grab attention. But in the case of the DB12, Aston Martin truly has built something different than before, elevating it beyond its previous ‘Grand Tourer’ status.

While ‘Super Tourer’ may be a bit dramatic in name, this is a very impressive car across the board. It’s fast, fun, luxurious, comfortable, opulent, stylish and liveable, so while it may require a heavy financial investment, you are duly rewarded.

Plus you also get to pretend to be James Bond…

The final example of the original Alpine A110 rolled out of the Dieppe plant in 1977, and despite more than four decades separating it from this newcomer, the 2019 A110 is effectively a new-generation version.

Much more than a tip of the hat to a special predecessor, the new A110 perfectly updates the distinctive, purposeful look of its not-so-ancient ancestor.

In fact, head of the A110 design team, Antony Villain says, "We wondered; if the A110 never went away, if this new car was the sixth or seventh generation A110, what would it look like?"

Appropriately finished in a very French shade of 'Alpine Blue', our test example was one of 60 'Australian Premiere Edition' cars, and the design is full of intriguing details.

At just under 4.2m long, 1.8m wide, and only a touch over 1.2m high the two-seat A110 is compact to say the least.

It's raked LED headlights and round fog lights are recessed into the markedly curved nose in a complete and unabashed reload, with circular LED DRLs accentuating the throwback effect.

The overall look of the carefully scalloped bonnet is also familiar, with a huge under-bumper grille and side ducts creating an air curtain along the front wheel wells to finish off the treatment with a focused, technical touch.

A steeply raked windscreen runs up to a small turret with a broad channel running down its entre, and the flanks are narrowed by a lengthy, aero-influenced indent.

A case study in tightly wrapped surfacing, the rear-end is equally taut, with elements like 'X-shaped' LED tail-lights, tightly curved rear screen, single central exhaust outlet and aggressive diffuser continuing the expressive design theme.

Aero efficiency is a major influence, and as well as the diffuser careful inspection of the rear side window reveals a neat duct at its trailing-edge funnelling air to the mid/rear-mounted engine, and the underbody is smoothed near flat. An overall drag co-efficient of 0.32 is impressive for such a small car.

The A110 also proudly wears its French heart on its sleeve, with an enamel version of Le Tricolore attached to the C-pillar (and various points around the interior).

Eighteen-inch Otto Fuchs forged alloy rims fit the car's style and proportions perfectly with body-colour matching blue brake calipers poking through the delicate split-spoke design.

The interior is all business with racy Sabelt one-piece bucket seats setting the tone. Trimmed in a combination of quilted leather and microfibre (which extends to the doors) they are separated by a floating, flying buttress-style console housing key controls above and a storage tray (including multi-media inputs) below.

Highlights include cool body-colour panels in the doors, a Ferrari-like push-button gear selection set-up, slender alloy manual shift paddles attached to the steering column (not the wheel), matt carbon-fibre accents on the console and around the circular air vents, and a 10.0-inch TFT digital instrument cluster (which morphs to suit Normal, Sport or Track modes).

The A110's chassis and body are made from aluminium, with a brushed form of that material adorning everything from the pedals and perforated passenger footrest to multiple dash trim pieces.

Quality and attention to detail is outstanding to the point that just getting in the car feels like a special occasion. Every time.

Personally, I felt like Aston Martin peaked with its ‘DB’ design nearly two decades ago with the DB9. It was a masterpiece of simplicity, elegance and heritage and the subsequent DB11 just looked more fussy and complicated for the sake of being different.

The DB12 manages to correct that mis-step from the designers, getting back to the classic silhouette of an Aston Martin, maintaining the trademark elements (specifically the unique grille shape) and the elegance of simplicity.

Aston Martins don’t need to be attention-grabbing like a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Instead, they attract attention with an understated but unmissable presence that just attracts eyeballs. You don’t need to know anything about cars to know that the DB12 is a very expensive, luxury sports coupe - it says all that the second you get a look at it.

The interior of DB12 looks and feels every bit as prestigious as the exterior does. High-quality materials have been used throughout and there is a level of fit and finish that elevates beyond most other cars on the market. It feels like a hand-made car, built with patience and detail, rather than something rushed down a production line.

The cabin design itself manages to feel both classical and modern, in the same way the exterior takes inspiration from Aston Martins of previous years but gives them a 21st century update.

Practicality is the oil to a two-seat sports car's water. If you want day-to-day functionality, look elsewhere. Quite rightly, the Alpine A110 puts driver engagement at the top of the priority list.

That said, with limited real estate to work with the car's development team has made it liveable, with a surprising amount of boot space included, and modest storage options snuck in around the cabin.

The heavily-bolstered, high-sided sports seats, necessitate use of the 'one hand on the A-pillar and swing in/out' technique for entry and exit, which won't suit everyone. And once inside several things are missing.

Glove box? No. If you need to refer to the owner's manual or grab the service book, they're housed in a small satchel attached to the bulkhead behind the driver's seat.

Door pockets? Forget it. Cupholders? Well, there's one, it's tiny, and located between the seats where only a double-joined circus contortionist could reach it.

There is a long storage bin under the centre console, which is helpful, although it's hard to reach in and actually extract things placed in it. Media inputs run to two USBs, an 'aux-in' and an SD card slot, but their location at the front of that lower storage area is tricky, and there's a 12-volt outlet just in front of the unreachable cupholder.

However, if you and a passenger want to head off on a weekend road trip, amazingly, you can take some luggage with you. With the engine located between the axles there's room for a 96-litre boot at the front and a 100-litre boot at the rear.

We managed to fit the middle (68-litre) hard suitcase from our three-piece set (35, 68 and 105 litres) in the broad but relatively shallow front boot, while the wider, deeper, but shorter rear boot is best for soft bags.

Another missing item is a spare tyre, with a neatly packaged repair/inflator kit your only option in the case of a puncture.

Inside Aston Martin’s designers have understood the typical customer isn’t a Gen Alpha who does everything on their smartphone, so there’s a neat array of proper buttons, switches and dials to take care of all the functions without taking your eyes off the road. If you are into technology you may be disappointed by the relatively small infotainment screen, but from a usability perspective it does the job well.

As you’d expect the level of fit and finish is impressive and the diamond quilting on the leather seats looks exceptional. The seats themselves are comfortable and supportive, with generous cushioning rather than the sportier, less comfortable seats found in purebred sports cars.

The DB12 is a 2+2, with a pair of seats in the rear, but to be frank you’d need to be desperate to use them. They are ‘emergency use only’ seats that will deeply compromise the front seat occupants just to squeeze anyone in the back.

Value is relative at this point in the market, as the DB12 is priced from $455,000 before on-road costs and any personalisation. For that price you do get a lengthy list of standard features you’d expect on a premium vehicle, including 21-inch forged alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and tail-lights, keyless entry and ignition, 12-way electronically adjustable front seats, wireless phone charging, navigation, Apple CarPlay and a 390-watt 11-speaker Aston Martin sound system.

Of course, that’s what you should probably expect of much cheaper luxury cars. So on top of that there’s the high level of presentation, including both externally and in the cabin, with high-quality materials used across the entire vehicle.

Then there’s the ‘badge value’ that having an Aston Martin brings to the equation, which helps to play a part.

Finally, there’s how it compares when lined up against its competitors and on that front the DB12 looks well placed. The similarly powered Mercedes-AMG GT starts at $366,500, while V6-powered Maserati GranTurismo begins at $375,000 but the outgoing Ferrari 812 Superfast is priced at more than $600,000.

All things considered, the DB12 feels competitively priced and good value for this upper echelon of the new-car market.

The Alpine A110's (M5P) all-alloy 1.8-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine is closely related to the unit found under the bonnet of the Renault Megane R.S.

Alpine has modified the intake manifold, exhaust and overall calibration, but the big difference here is that although it's still transversely mounted, in the Alpine the engine sits in a mid/rear position and drives the rear wheels (rather than in the R.S.'s nose driving the fronts).

Featuring direct injection and a single turbo it produces 185kW at 6000rpm, and 320Nm of torque from 2000-5000rpm, compared to 205kW/390Nm in the Megane R.S. But the Alpine's 356kg weight advantage means it boasts a 169kW/tonne power-to-weight ratio, while the Megane sits at 141kW/tonne.

Drive goes to a Getrag-sourced seven-speed (wet) dual-clutch auto transmission, with Alpine-specific ratios inside.

Aston Martin was once famous for its V12 engines, but with the brand changing hands so many times over the years and the pressure to develop increasingly expensive powerful, yet fuel-efficient engines means the brand now outsources some of its powertrains. So while the brand is developing a new V12 engine, the DB12 is powered by the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 built by Mercedes-AMG.

While Aston Martin fans may bemoan the use of a German engine in this British car, the truth is it’s a much better engine than the previous V12 used in the DB11, Vantage and other models. It offers up 500kW/800Nm and delivers all that performance in a broad spread across the rev range (unlike the old V12).

It gives the DB12 a sportier, more urgent and responsive driving character than its predecessors and helps to explain the new ‘Super Tourer’ name. Aston Martin claims it can run 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds and has a top speed of 325km/h.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 6.2L/100km, the 1.8-litre four emitting 137g/km of CO2 in the process.

Over close to 400km worth of often 'enthusiastic' driving, taking in city, suburban and freeway running we recorded an average of 9.6L/100km.

Definitely a miss, but not bad when you consider we hit the off switch for the standard stop-start system on a consistent basis and regularly took advantage of the accelerator pedal's ability to move towards the floor.

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded, and you'll need just 45 litres of it to fill the tank.

Aston Martin claims a combined fuel cycle return of 12.2 litres per 100km, which is not what you would call sipping the unleaded, but given this is a large, grand tourer (sorry, Aston Martin, Super Tourer) it’s actually a solid return. If you’re in the market for a car like this, anything sub 15L/100km should be considered acceptable; if you’re worrying about emissions or the cost of petrol you probably shouldn’t be buying a $455k sports car.

Unfortunately we didn’t have the DB12 long enough to get a real-world fuel economy figure, so we’ll just have to take Aston Martin’s word for it.

With its 78-litre tank the DB12 does have a theoretical driving range of approximately 630km.

Weighing at just 1094kg (target weight was 1100kg), with a 44:56 front-to-rear weight distribution, the all-aluminium A110 is every millimetre the mini-supercar you'd hope it to be.

It only takes two to three rotations of the Alpine's wheels to realise it's exceptional. The Sabelt seat is superb, the chunky steering wheel perfect, and the engine instantly eager to get on with it.

The electro-mechanical power-assisted steering feels just right from the first corner. The rack is quick and road feel is intimate without the crashy feedback penalty paid by the Alfa 4C.

Engage launch control and you're blasting from 0-100km/h 4.5sec, with the engine adding a suitably raucous backing track, a full charge of air rasping through the inlet manifold just behind your ears. Spinning up to the close to 7000rpm rev ceiling is pure pleasure, with peak torque available from just 2000rpm all the way to five grand.

Pressing the wheel-mounted 'Sport' button sharpens gearshifts and holds low ratios for longer, with the already slick dual-clutch really getting its race face on. Hold in the down lever in manual mode and the transmission will instantly shift through to the lowest gear engine revs will allow, the Active-valve sports exhaust chipping in with rude pops and bangs on the over-run. 'Track' mode is even more hardcore, allowing a greater element of slip in cornering. Brilliant.

The engine's mid/rear location delivers a low roll-centre and the double wishbone suspension set-up (front and rear) manages to combine super-sharp dynamic response with a surprisingly civilised ride.

Alpine says the A110's light weight and ultra-rigid chassis mean its coil springs can be reasonably soft and anti-roll bars light so even our truly ordinary urban blacktop doesn't cause too much distress.

The A110 is beautifully balanced, amazingly agile, and satisfyingly precise. Weight transfer in quick cornering is managed to perfection, the car remaining stable, predictable and hugely entertaining.

Grip from the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber (205/40 fr - 235/40 rr) is tenacious, and the torque vectoring system (by braking) quietly keeps things pointing in the right direction if an over-zealous pilot begins to overstep the mark.

Despite the A110's modest kerb weight braking is professional grade. Brembo provides ventilated 320mm rotors (front and rear) with four-piston alloy calipers at the front and single-piston floating calipers at the rear. They're progressive, powerful and consistent.

The only downsides are a clumsy multimedia interface, and the annoying lack of a reversing camera. But who cares, this car is amazing.

The defining characteristic of a ‘Grand Tourer’ is that while fast, they aren’t typically agile and as responsive as a sports car. In other words, a grand tourer is best suited to a long, cross-country trip on faster, flowing roads, rather than a winding mountain pass or twisty switchbacks.

So, in keeping with the ‘Super Tourer’ theme that the brand is selling, the DB12 is notably more responsive and therefore more engaging to drive across any condition. It still has the comfortable, laid-back nature of a ‘GT’ but when you want to have some fun it’s capable of hiding its size and feeling very sporty.

The handling is highlighted by how quickly the front end of the car reacts. Typically with this front-engined 'GT' cars you feel like you're sitting at the very back of the car, so it feels slow to respond to inputs and that can create a feeling of laziness. But not in the DB12. The front end feels sharp and responsive, making you feel like you are right at the centre of the action.

It's helped by the engine that feels lighter than the old V12s but more urgent with its power delivery, too. It adds to that feeling of a more sporty and focused driver's car, rather than a 'GT' for just soaking up the kays. It shouldn't be surprising though, AMG doesn't really build relaxed, laid-back engines, rather ones designed for maximum excitement - and that's what the DB12 delivers when you bury your right foot.

Remarkably, it also plays the role of ‘daily driver’ well too. Which is an unusual way to think of a car like this, but for those fortunate enough to have the means to afford it, the DB12 could ferry you from home to work and back again in luxury and comfort.

The DB12 comes equipped with a lengthy list of active safety features as part of its Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). These include adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, lane change assist, front and rear cross traffic assist, driver drowsiness detection and hands-off detection.

There’s no ANCAP rating or equivalent, as crash testing these kinds of low-volume sports cars is unheard of from the safety authorities.

The Alpine A10 is covered by a three-year/100,000km warranty with a twist. According to Alpine, the first two years are covered for unlimited kilometres. And if at the end of the second year total kilometres remain less than 100,000, the warranty continues into a third year (still to an overall cap of 100,000km).

So, you can sail over the 100,000km mark in the warranty's first two years, but that means you won't get a third.

Complimentary roadside-assist is provided for 12 months, continuing for up to four years if your Alpine is regularly serviced at an authorised dealer.

There are currently three dealers only – one each in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane – and service is recommended every 12 months/20,000km, with the first two costing $530 each, and the third ramping up to $1280.

You'll also need to factor in a pollen filter ($89) at two years/20,000km and accessory belt replacement ($319) at four years/60,000km.

The standard Aston Martin warranty covers three years/unlimited kilometres, which is unusually short by current industry standards; a curious case of the top end of the market lagging behind the mainstream brands.

Servicing is handled by individual dealers, so there’s no set cost structure, but the intervals are every 12 months/16,000km. Instead you’ll need to discuss what sort of costs are involved with keeping your DB12 running smoothly when you speak to a salesperson.