Aston Martin DB12 vs HSV Colorado

What's the difference?

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…

Tough-looking when standing still and a treat to drive on- or off-road, the HSV SportsCat ticks plenty of ute boxes. Yes, you need to redefine your sense of performance (and there are wet weeks that feel faster), but out-and-out speed is hardly the sole purpose of a dual-cab ute.

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.

HSV has sold around 1200 SportsCats to date, and so they had a sizeable pool of people to chat to when plotting this Series II update. The brand hosted feedback sessions with current owners, potential buyers and those who had already bought a rival ute, asking what they'd like to see HSV do differently this time around. 

The answer? More HSV. 

Which is why this Series II ute is plastered with HSV logos no matter where you look, from the dash trim, floor mats and seat backs, to the giant stickers on the side and rear of the ute. Little chance of mistaking this for a regular Colorado, then. 

Elsewhere, though, the front-end desing is unique to HSV, and the brand has focused on adding black wherever it could to add a sense of tough to the SportsCat. It's why the number plate surround and front skid plate has gone from silver to black, and the wheels are blacked-out, too.

The matte-black Sailplane desing was inspired by wakeboarding boats, and the body-coloured hard tonneau (which lifts like a hatchback’s boot) gives the rear a complete, all-of-a-piece look. 

Inside, the SportsCat Series II harks back to HSVs of old, with big, comfortable seats with side bolstering so high you almost need a ladder to climb over them, branded suede inserts in the dash and a better, sportier steering wheel. Parked side by side, the difference between this and the Colorado on which it is based are noticeable.

Perhaps the most noticeable change between this and the Holden, though, is the ride height. While the Coloardo has a nose-down style, the SportsCat has been raised by 45mm at the front, giving the HSV a flatter, sportier road stance.

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.

The pitch from HSV here is that the SportsCat is a best-of-all-worlds proposition; one that is sportier on the road, but no less capable off it. 

The key specs are on-par for a dual-cab ute, with a braked towing capacity of 3500kg, and a payload (with passengers) of 876kg (auto) and 869kg (manual).

All SportsCats get on-the-fly 4WD with low range, a limited-slip differential and a sump guard, while SV models also get a clever de-coupling anti-roll bar that, when on the road, stiffens the chassis for better handling, but then automatically disconnects when low range is engaged so off-road capability isn’t impacted. 

HSV says there's 251mm of ground clearance, and quotes approach, departure and ramp breakover angles of 32, 24 and 27 degrees.

Having just spend time wrestling with the sliding cover that rolls out over the Ford Ranger's tray, I love the HSV solution, with its hard cover hinged towards the cabin, so it opens upwards like a regular boot. The slow-dropping tailgate is a knee-saving touch, too.

The SportsCat line-up has been condensed and renamed for this Series II release, with the Look Pack and SportsCat+ renamed the SportsCat V and SV.

The SportsCat V wears a $62,490 sticker, while the SV ups the asking price to $66,790. Swapping the standard manual gearbox for a six-speed automatic adds $2200 to the price, but you can also delete some features on the V trim (the hard tonneau and sports bar) to reduce the manual-equipped asking price to $59,990.

To put that into perspective, the Colorado Z71 on which this SportsCat is based wears at $57,190 sticker price.

So what do you get for your extra spend? Toughness.

Outside, you’ll find 18-inch forged alloys (black, of course) wrapped in all-terrain Cooper rubber, as well as a redesigned front fascia and grille, LED fog lamps and the hard tonneau and sports bar. Inside, expect HSV sports seats with mountain-high bolstering, a new leather-wrapped wheel and a new suede dash element. The 8.0-inch touchscreen is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto equipped, and you get a seven-speaker stereo and dual-zone climate control.

All SportsCats get on-the-fly 4WD, a limited-slip differential and a sump guard, while SV models also get a clever de-coupling anti-roll bar. The SV trim also gets better brakes, with HSV fitting AP Racing calipers at the front, along with increasing the size of the rotors and brake master cylinder. 

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.

The SportsCat still serves up the same power as its Colorado sibling, with a 2.8-litre Duramax turbo-diesel engine good offers 147kW and 500Nm (or 440Nm with a manual).

It arrives with a six-speed manual as standard, but can be optioned with a six-speed auto (which also unlocks that extra torque).

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.

HSV says the SportsCat will sip 8.6L/100km on the combined cycle, and emit 228g/km of CO2. Each is fitted with a 76-litre fuel tank.

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.

“We see it as performance, just a different kind of performance.” That's the word from HSV on its updated SportsCat, an obvious nod to the fact that this Colorado-based ute is missing the one key attribute that defined HSVs of old - more power.

Instead, it’s intended to strike a balance between on-road manners and off-road chops, with HSV changing the suspension and brakes to get the best of both those worlds.

It’s easy to write all of that off as marketing guff, but after a day spent putting the HSV through its paces at Holden’s proving ground outside Melbourne, you can’t help but think they’ve somehow managed it. 

One of the Colorado’s best features is its easy-going nature when driven on the road, with Holden’s engineering team tweaking the ride and handling to produce a car-like feeling on Australia’s mostly dodgy road surfaces. 

And the good news here is that HSV hasn't changed that feeling - they have enhanced it.

Pushing the SportsCat to above the legal speed limit on a track designed to mimic a genuine road saw the newest HSV acquit itself surprisingly well. A sports car this ain’t, and yet the ride especially manages to blend comfort with control, sitting mostly flat through bends and leaving you confident you're going to burst out the other side of a corner roughly where you were expecting to. 

The steering still has that vagueness common to off-road-focused vehicles, but Holden’s tuning arm has produced a confident, composed drive experience, which does elevate the base Colorado's sportiness.

Perhaps most impressive, though, is the SportsCat’s ability to switch from road to rough track, pushing through an off-road course every bit as challenging as a car like this will ever get asked to face, without so much as breaking a sweat. From water crossings to wheel-articulating bumps and steep, muddy hill climbs, the SportsCat devoured all with serious ease.

There are some drawbacks, of course. The engine can feel loud and gruff, especially when really pushed, and it produces not much in the way of top-end speed for all its fanfare. The low-end nature of the diesel engine ensures the SportsCat feels punchy enough on take-off, but it quickly runs out of puff, and the climb from around 65km/h to 100km/h does feel like it's taking its sweet time. 

But despite all the HSV stickers, you can't lose sight of the fact that this is still a ute, and one that can carry, tow and tackle an off-road run, and so you still find yourself pleasantly surprised by the performance on offer, rather than disappointed by the lack of speed. 

Like the Colorado, you will find seven airbags, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and front and rear parking sensors with a reversing camera - but no AEB.

The Holden Colorado donor car wears a five-star ANCAP rating, awarded in 2016. The HSV is untested, but you might expect the same result. 

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.

The SportsCat is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and requires servicing every nine months or 12,000kms. HSV does not offer capped-priced servicing.