The first tangible result of the deal between Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG has arrived. Meet the AMG-powered Aston Martin DB11!

The new engine in the spotlight is the 4.0-litre twin turbocharged V8, which does duty in a number of AMG products such as the C63 and AMG GT sportscar. While it's mechanically strong enough to have its outputs substantially hiked like that of the E63 and AMG GT-R, in the Aston Martin DB11 V8 application, it produces a modest 373 kW and 675 Nm of torque.

Those figures are enough to see the Aston Martin DB11 power to 100 kph in just 4 seconds. In comparison, the twin-turbocharged V12 is only a fraction faster, which we'll put down to its weight. The real benefit of this smaller engine is economy and efficiency, which are rated at230g/km of CO2 and it has an EU combined fuel economy figure of 9.9 L/100 km. This is important for markets that penalise engine capacity, such as China.

As great-sounding as the AMG engines are, Aston Martin has tweaked this V8 engine for the DB11. A custom air intake, revised exhaust and wet sump lubrication system is fitted. A remap of the engine's electronic control unit as well as tweaks to the engine and throttle mapping has resulted in that Aston Martin feel and sound that customers are after.Mechanically, the new V8-engined DB11 has seen revisions to the suspension bushing, geometry, anti-roll bars, springs, dampers and ESP software.

Visually, you will be able to differentiate between the two DB11's, as there areunique alloy wheel finishes, dark headlamp bezels and a pair of bonnet vents instead of the four vents on the V12. These vents come in a choice of black or titanium-finish mesh, again different from that fitted to the twelve-cylinder variant.

Watch the new V8 Aston Martin DB11

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