What will they cost?

Amazingly, in this company, the Aston Martin DB11 looks like fairly good value, costing some £14,000 less to buy than the Bentley Continental GT Speed. Don’t go thinking there’s haggling to be done, though, because neither dealer is likely to knock anything off the list price.

The day-to-day running costs for a car with 12 cylinders are always going to be financially demanding. Despite the DB11’s lower CO2 emissions, both cars are in the top road tax (VED) band, meaning they’ll cost you £515 a year. However, that figure is dwarfed by cost of servicing and annual insurance premiums.

Still, the DB11 will prove cheaper to own over three years largely due to its much higher predicted value retention. It’s expected to be worth 15% more of its original value than the Continental at the end of year three, a difference of around £31,000 in depreciation alone. That means the DB11 will cost a private buyer nearly £33,000 less over three years – a considerable amount, no matter how big your bank balance.

Whichever you choose, you do at least get an extremely long list of equipment in return for your cash. Heated, electrically adjustable leather seats, climate control, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, a DAB radio, sat-nav and a USB connection are standard on both.

On top of this, Aston Martin adds cruise control and fits LED headlights in place of the Continental’s xenon units; the DB11 also gets a 360deg parking camera as opposed to its rival’s rear-facing one. However, Bentley offers 17 free paint colour choices, while Aston gives you only six.

Neither car has been crash tested by Euro NCAP or security tested by Thatcham, but both get seven standard airbags, tyre-pressure monitoring, an engine immobiliser and alarm. It’s disappointing that neither is available with any modern safety aids, such as automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring or lane-departure warning, though