American muscle cars pair a big engine with rear-wheel drive and punchy straight-line acceleration. The 2023 Aston Martin DBS follows the same formula, but in true British fashion, it’s far more dignified, with a stately appearance and high-class cabin. It also costs a king’s ransom. Wealthy aristocrats lucky enough to afford one of these beauties will find the 715-hp V-12 engine both refined and mega-powerful, but the DBS isn’t a focused sports car. Similarly pricey machines, such as the McLaren GT and since-departed Ferrari 812 Superfast, are both more rewarding to drive, but the Aston is better than either of them at covering long distances with grace and repose.

All DBS models come with an 8.0-inch infotainment display with navigation, as well as Bluetooth phone and audio streaming connectivity. The infotainment interface itself is a lightly reskinned version of Mercedes-Benz’s COMAND software; a click wheel and touchpad on the center console allow the driver or passenger to navigate menus with relative ease. Overall, it’s a fairly intuitive system. A nine-speaker stereo is standard, but buyers can upgrade to a Bang & Olufsen setup.

Capable of hitting 60 mph in a claimed 3.2 seconds for the coupe, the DBS is a monstrously quick touring car that tops out at 211 mph, regardless of bodystyle. A twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 engine makes 715 horsepower and drives the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic; mash the gas pedal and the DBS takes off like a Saturn V rocket. Encounter some twisty roads and the DBS is rewarding—if challenging—to drive quickly.