2017 Aston Martin Db11

Spatial Awareness With the DB11, Aston Martin creates a GT worthy of its past that points the way toward its future

- Mac Morrison

It’s starting to look like I’ll be spending a fair portion of this day peering into my lap rather than gazing outward at the Italian countryside. That’s the first thought when an Aston Martin representative hands over a route book laced with incremental way points: Turn left after 2.5 kilometers, carry on straight at 27.9, pull over for lunch at 185.6, ad nauseam. This test-drive fare is usually handled by a navigation system, but this is an Aston, so of course there must be something preventing the nav’s use here in Tuscany. Sigh. Why in the world …

A face appears in the left-hand window, points inward toward the center stack, issues quick instructions to my co-driver, and boom: Our route appears in digital form on the 8.0-inch LCD screen. The printed map, it turns out, is merely an old-world backup. Smirks all around then.

Mentioning the new DB11’s Daimler-sourced navigation/ infotainment prowess right off the bat might seem a little odd—and “prowess” here simply means it all works as such 2016 technology should. Far more important than infotainment, the Daimler deal will see Mercedes-AMG engines powering future Aston creations. But the former is perhaps the most elementary example of how Aston Martin is different these days.

The change starts at the top with CEO Andy Palmer, who two years ago joined the marque from Nissan. And from Palmer to design boss Marek   Reichman to product development director Ian Minards to vehicle attribute chief Matt