Driven: Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster
Chris-R exits BTaP in more decorous style than most...
Especially when I'm sporting black tie rig (well, it was BTaP night), and the convertible in question is an Aston Martin Vantage V8 Roadster. Unless you're Daniel Craig you don't get closer to living the 007 fantasy, and I wasn't missing the chance to milk it. Even if it meant staying uncharacteristically sober, while all around me succumbed to the lure of the evil drink. (Oh yes they did!)
Even Pussy Galore (a.k.a. 'the missus') seemed taken in by my dashing new style, and was all over me like a rash that weekend. Well, if I'm honest she was all over the car, but that's half the secret isn't it? Either way, I get far less of a look-in when I'm driving the office Clio...
It's not just the car's lines that catch the eye, with elegantly swooping prow and powerful hunkered-down haunches, but the fit and finish of the few external embellishments and the exquisite quality of the paintwork is evident from a mile-off.
And well, it's an Aston Martin, isn't it? And therefore the very essence of English good taste, even if the company boss is a German who sports trainers with a suit at company parties. (Oops, there goes my invitation to the next one...)
On this current (just) production model, 'typical spec' means a lustrous but silkily subdued Tungsten Silver paintjob, a set of the standard issue 20-spoke 19ins alloy wheels, Black fabric hood and Obsidian Black interior. The spec list also includes a 700watt audio set-up, which I forgot to turn on all weekend, cruise control, sat-nav and heated seats. (Without which I wimpishly admit my open-top getaway from BTaP would have been pretty much unendurable.)
The recently enlarged 420bhp, 4735cc V8 (which is 11 percent more powerful than earlier 4.3 litre cars) is hooked up to a manual transmission that has a revised flywheel and clutch for faster engine response and a lighter clutch pedal,
As such, in its latest standard configuration, the Vantage Roadster is a fine driving experience, particularly on a cold winter night when its charms seem at their most visceral.
Astons are supposed to be a 'manly' drive, if it's still OK to say that, and the Vantage definitely feels beefy with the gear change for the rear transaxle requiring deliberate, if not quite ponderous movements. But hey, I've driven so many flappy-paddle shifts recently that I'm feeling a sort of retro-charm.
The steering is decently weighted with proper feedback too, and with excellent brakes the all round sensation of driving the Vantage is one of truly tangible pleasures. The only slight fly in the ointment is that the cockpit is a little cramped, but at 6'4" I've only myself to blame for that - and with the roof down headroom is never an issue.
On the road, the Aston's V8 engine pulls strongly, but never alarmingly so, which is perhaps a tad disappointing at times. You'd think a potential 4.7sec 0-60mph time and 180mph maximum would indicate a bit more drama, but the car's terrifically upmarket demeanour (and a gearshift you have to think twice about) does tend to seduce its driver into a sort of brisk touring mode, rather than encouraging you to wring its neck in every gear. Or perhaps I should have been trying harder.
The ride while firm-ish, is comfortable with it, soaking up imperfections while maintaining decent body control through some challenging country lanes, where the traction control intervenes early to reign-in any hooligan tendencies. Switching it off for a brief responsibility break reveals predictably lurid (or luridly predictable) responses to a welly-full of throttle.
Having got the recipe pretty much spot-on with the changes introduced in 2008, it's no surprise that Aston's designers and engineers are reluctant to meddle with the ingredients. The Vantage is going to be a hard act to follow.
The gearshift is fluid once the transmission warms up.
I so wanted it to be everything it should have been too 
Good points? best looking car in the world, sounded amazing (although lots of noise not much go), ASTON MARTIN on the bonnet and boot, compact size and made £2k over what I paid in Jan 2009, selling in August this year. Do we miss it? Not really but still adore the shape.
My experience though is that the cars are very well built.
I so wanted it to be everything it should have been too Good points? best looking car in the world, sounded amazing (although lots of noise not much go), ASTON MARTIN on the bonnet and boot, compact size and made £2k over what I paid in Jan 2009, selling in August this year. Do we miss it? Not really but still adore the shape.
It does look and sound amazing but all the negatives you mention above are just enough to make it not a good car, plus the dodgy clutch and woeful throttle response (it's a feture Sir - no it's appalling), Ford Ka key, Volvo key fob (why not just have one!) door handles from who knows where and a handbrake that was in completely the wrong place and and and............and don't forget the handbook that did not fit in the glovebox
Walton,
Did you drive a 4.3 or a 4.7? While I don't think the 4.3 is "too slow," it does need to be revved fairly hard to make it really go. If you drove a 4.7, was it a Sports Pack car? I drove the 997 before I bought the Aston and I found the Aston to be every bit as good to drive, as well as a lot more special to be in. At the absolute ragged edge, the 997 may have a slight advantage, but everywhere else I found the Sports Pack 4.7 V8 more involving. The build quality of my car (MY09) is superb, and so far above that of the 997 there is just no comparison. Importantly, I test drove a car that had several thousand miles on it, and its build quality also seemed excellent -- no squeaks, no rattles, nothing to suggest it was anything other than brand new. Were it merely style over substance, I would never have bought the Aston.
G4HKS and uuf361,
If you haven't experienced the 4.7, you don't know how different it is from the 4.3 -- so much more torque, and much stronger at the top end as well. Also, the Sports Pack makes a real difference to the feel of the car -- it gives the car the sharpness and incisiveness that the standard car lacks (and that not everyone wants). I can't say much about the Satnav since I've used it little so far, though the MY09 system seems to be a considerable improvement over the earlier system. The ergonomics don't bother me at all, though perhaps that's partly because I've driven 911s for so long... I agree that the speedo is not easy to read (I think it's because the numbers are too small, which is not the case for the rev counter), but with the digital supplement, this isn't a problem either. The throttle response off idle is poor, but above that it's fine. Also, my car's clutch doesn't stink, so I'm not too worried about its life. Oh, and the MY09 key is a work of art, which also works quite well once you're used to it. Besides, the V8V has a REAL dry sump, not a fake "integrated dry sump" like a 997 (GT3 excepted)
Apart from the looks and sound my old 996 C2 was better and my 997 Turbo Cab miles better, but each to
their own......
I do agree that the 996 is more agile, but it does weigh a lot less than the v8. Likewise my 996 feels lethargic and leaden compared to our screaming 4 pot hatchback!
For proper comparison you'd need to compare the AMV8 interior with the 997.
Some (OK only a few) parts of the AMV8 interior were good (stitching, chrome bits), a lot were not.
All IMO of course.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff