Aston Martin DB12 vs Toyota Yaris

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…

The Yaris ZR hybrid is a very impressive little hatch. Small, agile, fuel efficient, nice-to-drive and safe, it's certainly set the bar to beat in the small car segment. The trouble is, all of this costs money, placing this particular version outside the budgets of many would-be small car buyers.

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.

It's instantly identifiable as a Yaris, despite getting a significant design overhaul with the last generation. Toyotas don't have a unifying design language, but they do have key elements which tie them together, allowing each model to stand apart, but be recognisable as part of the greater Toyota portfolio, regardless.

This Yaris is much better looking than the generation which came before it, with lots of little detail points which make it an attractive small car to look at.

From the outside this includes curvy panel work which works its way from the button-nose and Toyota logo, all the way down the side of the car and to the boot lid in the rear.

There's big attention to detail in even the plastic fill panels, which carry a patterned texture to stop them from looking boring up-close, and our ZR is finished with a healthy serve of contrast black across its roof, in its alloy wheels, and on the integrated spoiler it wears on its tailgate.

It's a cool little car, a little bit cute, and a little bit sporty. It certainly needs to be at the asking price.

Inside sports Toyota's typical approach to interior design with some interesting touches. The Yaris gets some common themes, like the little cut-outs in the dash, the multimedia screen perched atop, and thankfully physical controls for the climate functions.

The seats follow the bucket-like theme of other ZRs, although, in this case they are finished in a light-patterned premium cloth trim, as opposed to the suede and leather ones in its larger Corolla sibling.

The three-spoke steering wheel is cool, as are the funky dot-matrix style dash elements, but the strange felt-like door trim, which also lacks padding for your elbow, is a bit odd. Still, it's an upgrade on the rough scratchy material used in lesser variants.

In typical Toyota fashion, there are quite a few hard plastic materials mixed in with the inclusion of a soft dash-topper, but the Yaris is a supposedly affordable small car after all.

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 Yaris is small on the outside and small on the inside, too.

This means two things: Firstly this car is a breeze to park and it fits in lots of places, making it ideal to drive around the confines of a city.

On the other hand, there's been a clear design choice here to make the Yaris far from as boxy as it could be, focusing on the curvy looks at the cost of interior volume.

The Kia Rio, for example, does a great job of hitting both tight exterior dimensions with big interior ones, making it perhaps a better choice for those with families, although the Rio is set for the great scrapyard in the sky before long.

The inside of the Yaris adds up to a space which is clearly primarily constructed for the space and comfort of front occupants.

Adjustability is good, with telescopic and height adjust for the steering, relatively large comfortable seats, and a set of two surprisingly decent bottle holders in the doors with two more running down the centre console.

There's no armrest box, as it would impede the function of the centre airbag, so there's nowhere to rest your elbow, and the rare inclusion of a manual handbrake lever precludes the addition of further storage between the seats.

The dial-based climate control panel is welcome, and there's a small bay underneath for the storage of your phone, although, like every other storage nook in the cabin, the base is not rubberised, so objects will simply slide around when you're cornering.

The back seat feels very closed-in, especially in the ZR grade, which makes things worse with its dark headlining and heavy window tint, and while I still like the seat trim and large bottle holders in the doors, it's not hard to feel forgotten.

My knees have just a tiny amount of room from the driver's seat set to my own driving position (I'm 182cm tall), and even the so-so door trim is instead replaced by a plain plastic panel. There is also no centre drop-down armrest, nor is there a power outlet.

A caution for those with kids: The rear door doesn't even open very far, so it strikes me as being difficult to work with for the placement of child seats.

The boot also offers a tiny 270 litres, just big enough for our largest CarsGuide demo case but not the other two in the set, which is actually only 124 litres once you include the thickness of the case itself and the wheels.

The ZR Hybrid version we're reviewing here is the ultimate version of the standard Yaris range - excluding the unhinged, rally-bred GR Yaris which only shares a handful of body panels with this car, anyway.

Costing from a frankly wild $33,100, before on-road costs, it's a far cry from the once sub-$20K car the Yaris used to be. It wasn't even that long ago (2020) you could pick up the previous-generation Yaris SX in automatic guise for just $19,610, before on-roads.

This new Yaris is truly 'new' though, built entirely from the ground up to suit Toyota's TNGA platform philosophy, and it's also the first time you can buy a hybrid one.

The result is one of the most recently engineered small cars you can buy in Australia, a far cry from the ancient MG3 or ageing Mazda2.

Is this worth a lot of extra money? To many buyers in this small car segment the answer is probably not, judging by the fact the MG3 is now outselling the Yaris at an insane ratio of 8:1. But standard equipment is impressive regardless, especially at this ZR grade.

Included are 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, built-in sat-nav, a 4.2-inch multifunction display and dot-matrix-style dash cluster elements, a head-up display, a leather-accented steering wheel, sports seats with cloth upholstery, single-zone climate control, alongside one of the most comprehensive safety suites in the small car segment.

The unique selling point is the hybrid system, though. It makes the Yaris one of the most fuel efficient cars without a plug in Australia - but perhaps by far the biggest issue facing this car is an equivalent ZR Hybrid Corolla costs just $5020 more.

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 Yaris ZR hybrid pairs a 1.5-litre three-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine with an electric motor set-p on the front axle.

The engine on its own produces 67kW/120Nm, but is assisted by an additional 59kW/141Nm from the motor.

Combined, they are capable of producing a peak 85kW. It's about right for the segment the Yaris plays in, and of course there are advantages of the electrified set-up when it comes to acceleration, smoothness and fuel consumption.

The forces of both drive the front wheels via a silky smooth continuously variable transmission, which makes the switch between the two power sources seamless to the driver.

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.

Fuel consumption sits at 3.3L/100km for the ADR combined cycle, which is one of the best fuel consumption figures for any car without a plug.

This figure will depend a bit on how you drive it, though, with my consumption for the week hitting a more reasonable 3.8L/100km in largely urban testing, which are ideal conditions for this configuration.

I am curious to know what conditions make the 3.3L/100km achievable (it certainly seems achievable), but the figure I scored is immensely impressive regardless.

You can even fill the Yaris with entry-level 91RON unleaded, and the 36-litre fuel tank makes for over 1000km of range if you can score closer to the official fuel consumption.

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 Yaris shines when you hop behind the wheel. This car is not just great to drive, it is benchmark setting for the whole segment.

Toyota's TNGA chassis philosophy is on full show, with the components here combining for a nice ride, gentle but meaningful steering feel, and smooth, quiet acceleration.

It feels like a car with the ride and feedback characteristics of something much more expensive, which speaks to its new-from-the-ground-up formula.

Older cars in the segment can't hold a torch, while even the better-to-drive examples like the Suzuki Swift and Kia Rio lack the poise or polish of the Yaris, not to mention the hybrid system.

The system itself makes the fuel sipping tech addictive to use, with the drive indicator dial in the dash cluster making it obvious where the engine will turn on.

This helps you tailor your driving style to maximise your time using the electric motor only, boosting fuel efficiency.

Even the execution of this system is at its best here in the Yaris, which is light enough that significant amounts of acceleration time can be spent in pure EV mode.

It's not rapid, however. Yes, there's sufficient go from the combined 85kW to get the Yaris moving off the lights, but this drivetrain isn't engaging, making it tough to match the great handling characteristics on offer here.

The Yaris eats up corners in its stride, but really misses the turbo surge or engaging gear shifts of some of its rivals.

Like all hybrid Toyotas, this particular combination is a little unpleasant to drive more aggressively, as the little three-cylinder Atkinson-cycle unit gruffly revs its heart out, breaking the EV-veneer and eating into the otherwise impressive cabin ambiance.

If you're looking for a safe small car, the Yaris, particularly in ZR spec, is about as good as it gets.

While it also accounts for the high cost-of-entry for this model, you could argue the inclusion of comparatively high-end features like freeway-speed auto emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and even eight airbags, including a centre airbag, is worth it.

The Yaris range (excluding the GR version) scored a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2020, a particular achievement, as it is to a much more difficult rating criteria compared to the Swift and Rio which were both rated five stars in 2017.

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.

Like all Toyotas you can expect a five year, unlimited kilometre warranty with the Yaris, which is extendable to seven years if you stick to the official service schedule.

We recommend you do, not just because you keep your warranty, but because it's so affordable, you might as well.

The first five years of servicing for the Yaris hybrid is capped to just $245 a year. It needs to see the workshop once every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

Combine this with the low fuel consumption, and the total cost of ownership here is impressive.