The Aston Martin DB12 S makes 690 horsepower and can go from zero to 60 mph (96.6 km/hr) in 3.4 seconds

Aston Martin‘s DB12 grand tourer just got even more powerful.

Aston recently unveiled the DB12 S, announcing that it makes 690 horsepower and can go from zero to 60 mph (96.6 km/hr) in just 3.4 seconds, both improvements on the older DB12’s marks of 671 horsepower and 3.5 seconds. The brakes are upgraded, too, with carbon ceramic brakes delivering a decrease in weight and better stopping power. Aston says it was able to reduce gearshift speeds, too, which helps reduce the zero-to-60 time and makes the car more responsive. Quad exhaust pipes make things more stylish in the rear, and options on the inside that include two-tone and three-tone interiors will shout that your DB12 is an S.

The DB12 S joins the DBX S and the Vantage S as the automaker’s range-topping models in each class, the cars that are supposed to represent the very best of what Aston Martin does. The “S,” in fact, harkens back to the DB3S, a car that debuted in 1953 and raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Inside the DB12 S is a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 engine that Aston Martin has tuned for increased power, though the top speed of 202 mph remains unchanged. The automaker paid special attention to the exhaust, which has four stainless steel tailpipes and has been tuned for sound, “to accentuate the engine frequencies throughout the rev range for added depth and potency,” Aston said in a press release. There is also a titanium exhaust option that is even louder and lighter.

Engineers have further futzed with the chassis and brakes to give drivers more confidence while slowing down into corners and accelerating out of them.

“Having added this greater dynamic and performance bandwidth to DB12 S, we believe this elevates the Super Tourer ethos to a thrilling new level,” Simon Hughes, Aston Martin’s director of vehicle performance, said in the release.

The DB12 S is part of Aston Martin’s current strategy of refining its lineup instead of remaking it, after a flurry of new cars in the past few years under a prior CEO. It will come in both coupe and volante, or convertible, forms. Deliveries to customers will begin in the first three months of 2026.

This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Featured photo by PHILIPPRUPPRECHT