The 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante is … adequate.

I remember my dad telling me this story. He was reading a car magazine when he was a teenager in the ’70s, and came across a comparison of some of the world’s fastest cars. A Ferrari this, a Lamborghini that, a whale-tail Porsche, and an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The thing that stuck out most to him was that on the performance spec sheet, Aston Martin neglected to provide specs, instead saying it was all adequate. Zero-to-60? Adequate. Top speed? Adequate? Peak power? Adequate.

Here’s the rub: at the time, the V8 Vantage was the fastest car in the world. In typical fashion befitting of the storied car maker, it was simultaneously the most smug and badass thing I could fathom, not unlike a certain fictional spy that’s so closely intertwined with the brand’s identity. [OK, I’ll let that one slide. —Ed.]

The new-for-2024 DB12 represents the latest in a long-running series of gorgeous grand-tourers. At a glance, it looks pretty similar to its DB11 predecessor, almost to a point where it could pass as a mid-cycle refresh, but Aston Martin is convinced there’s enough change under the skin that it merits a new number. I’ll agree; the new changes are adequate enough.

The exterior changes are slight, mostly in the form of a more aggressive front fascia, with a larger grille and headlights, and a more pronounced chin spoiler. A much bigger change takes place inside, where the DB12 gets an entirely dashboard and centre stack, with new ergonomics and infotainment. It’s all designed to make the car easier to use and live with, with an emphasis on physical controls and surprisingly intuitive gesture inputs.

More has transpired that you can’t see, but can definitely feel. The V12 is gone — at least, in this application — and the 4.0-litre V8 sourced from Mercedes-AMG, used in both the V8 Vantage and “base” DB11s has been to the gym. It can now bench 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, which are both rather adequate amounts. The chassis has also been stiffened and the suspension tweaked — erring a smidge on the softer side for this Volante convertible.

This is not to say the DB12 a roly-poly boulevard barge. Aston Martin’s marketing department, which is considerably less subtle than their forebears, say this is “the world’s first Super Tourer” — and while I don’t love how on-the-nose they are, they are on to something. This DB12 is legitimately supercar-sharp in a way that used to be locked behind more focused, track-ready models.

It’s almost alarming, because this DB12 Volante doesn’t look like it should be that fast. Don’t get me wrong, with its sinuous shape, classic grand-tourer proportions indicating a monster of a motor under its massive hood fed by enormous cooling inlets, aggressive 21-inch wheels artfully framing colossal carbon-ceramic brakes, and fat Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires, there are signs this car is fast, for sure.

But on the other hand, it’s gorgeous green-on-green colourway screams genteel. The whole cabin space is a monument to classic English craftsmanship; swathes of intricately hand-stitched leather with subtle brogue inlays are a feast for the eyes. Dark walnut trim, along with polished metal door handles and other accents tie everything together. The carpet is thick, high-pile wool; the folding soft top is even thicker with eight layers, the first of which is fleece. This moody and elegant environment could be a country club cigar lounge.

This cigar lounge sprints from rest to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds — adequate for a modern sports car — but that’s made more impressive by the fact that it struggles to find grip for all the brawn behind its beauty. The traction control subtly tries to maintain order without interrupting the experience, like a team of wait staff at that same country club whisking away a belligerent guest without making a scene. As you progress deeper into “take my license, sir” speeds, it finds more traction and seems to push even harder, giving the sense that its 325 km/h top speed will come up quick if you’re bold enough.

Okay, an Aston Martin with smoldering straight line speed isn’t new. They’ve had that figured out even before the adequate V8 Vantage decades ago. What is kind of new is the level of urgency displayed by the chassis. The DB12 turns in tenaciously and has a direct line to the pilot through a quick, sharp steering rack. An electronic rear differential helps metre out the muscle to effectively explode out of a corner, roaring off into the distance with a sultry exhaust note of harmonized thunder.

Part of me was disappointed to learn of the loss of the naturally aspirated V12 in this DB12, but they’ve done a remarkably good job reproducing some of that musical quality with this AMG V8. It doesn’t have the hard-edged thump that characterizes this engine in AMG’s own cars, and has almost none of the turbo lag you’d expect from a boosted engine. This doesn’t feel like a compromise at all.

It doesn’t feel like there’s much of any compromise to be had anywhere. For all its capability as a tarmac tearing weapon, the DB12 Volante still a lovely cruiser. It makes mincemeat of marred roads, wind turbulence is minimal with the top down, and wind noise is almost zero with the top up. Aston Martin’s new infotainment is built around physical controls and fixed shortcuts, with intuitive gesture controls on the 10.25-inch touchscreen display. It’s easy to learn and live with, and is a marked improvement over the previous car.

Less welcome is the all-digital gauge cluster, which is completely fine, but an intricate set of gauges was an Aston Martin hallmark — and a screen is simply no substitute. Speaking of, the carbon ceramic brakes substituted for conventional steel units deliver unimpeachable stopping power, but are also a little unbecoming in the amount of squealing they do at low speeds. I’m not sure who will take this convertible to such extremes so frequently as to justify the $17,000 outlay for those brakes, but the fact that it’s on the table at all is a hell of a statement.

That’s what this 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante is: a statement. A statement declaring that Aston Martin is ready and willing to hang with the best of the best performance cars in the world, while keeping the charm, theatrics, and superfluous sense of style that have always embodied these cars. It represents more of everything — more power, more driver engagement, more creature comforts, more technology, more usability — all done in a manner tasteful enough that its $373,500 as-tested sticker price doesn’t immediately elicit an eye-roll and cries of “more money than sense.” If you demand a car that’s more than adequate, it almost does make sense.