RE: Pain before gain at Aston Martin

[lamboman100]

Astons are too slow, too unreliable and not all that pretty. Too many look like downmarket Mondeos and Jags. They really need a new CEO to grab the company by the scruff of the neck and give it a good shakeup. Build a 2-seconds-0-to-60 flagship model at the premium end, and improve the Vantage quality and acceleration at the lower end. Aston right now is trapped, because it is not as pretty or fast as Ferrari or Lambo, not as well engineered as Porsche, and not as cheap as Jaguar.

[Al 450]

lamboman100 said:

not as well engineered as Porsche

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...

[Zod]

Al 450 said:

lamboman100 said:

not as well engineered as Porsche

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...

I knew somebody would raise Porsche while neglecting the minor matter of the 991 GT3 debacle.

As for "not as pretty as Ferrari or Lambo", beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but Ferrari's current range is not pretty at all. THe California pretty? Really?

[deltashad]

They need to invest in a rr evoke sized luxury suv.
make some bread and butter money like everyone else is doing. And try not to make it look like a Ford.

[lamboman100]

Zod said:

Al 450 said:

lamboman100 said:

not as well engineered as Porsche

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...

I knew somebody would raise Porsche while neglecting the minor matter of the 991 GT3 debacle.

As for "not as pretty as Ferrari or Lambo", beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but Ferrari's current range is not pretty at all. THe California pretty? Really?

Porsche, rightly or wrongly, are still widely perceived to have good engineering. And superior engineering to Aston (e.g. precise steering).

Ferraris are indeed getting uglier by the day, but they still make some pretty cars in the present and recent past. The dark blue California in one of the PH supercar threads recently is a beaut.

[AndyBrew]

I bought one, no it isn't the most technologically advanced vehicle on the planet but it really doesn't matter, it receives universal approval wherever it goes, it sounds like nothing else and looks absolutely beautiful from every angle and it's an Aston Martin for god sake!!

[Zod]

lamboman100 said:

Zod said:

Al 450 said:

lamboman100 said:

not as well engineered as Porsche

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...

I knew somebody would raise Porsche while neglecting the minor matter of the 991 GT3 debacle.

As for "not as pretty as Ferrari or Lambo", beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but Ferrari's current range is not pretty at all. THe California pretty? Really?

Porsche, rightly or wrongly, are still widely perceived to have good engineering. And superior engineering to Aston (e.g. precise steering).

Ferraris are indeed getting uglier by the day, but they still make some pretty cars in the present and recent past. The dark blue California in one of the PH supercar threads recently is a beaut.

Have you actually driven a recent Aston? There is nothing wrong with the steering of my car. It is direct and precise. Reviewers agree.

Ask the 991 GT3 "owners" their view of Porsche engineering (and customer service). I respect Porsche engineering, but the company has a less than brilliant track record from 996 onwards, particularly with its engines.

The California remains to my eyes a pig of a car (and I see them pretty much daily).

[AndyBrew]

Zod said:

Have you actually driven a recent Aston? There is nothing wrong with the steering of my car. It is direct and precise. Reviewers agree.

I would be inclined to agree my car is a tremendous drive and has very 'sharp' handling, and best of all it rides beautifully on our stty UK roads absorbing bumps with aplomb I would never consider going back to a 997 GT3 the Aston knocks spots off it as a road car.

[toppstuff]

I really feel that recent directors of Aston have been pretty useless. They have achieved little of significance for quite a long time now.

Aston desperately needs to partner with a bigger parent so that it can make a large, upmarket saloon and an SUV. They MUST resurrect the Lagonda brand to do this. They missed out massively on the forthcoming 100th anniversary of Lagonda by not being able to tell the market about new models to be launched.

You can't survive in a global market making nothing but 2 seaters and 2+2's if you want to be a volume player. It is as simple as that.

[leedsutd1]

Neil1300r said:

leedsutd1 said:

That's what I was going to write, I cant tell one Aston from another, so would you buy the most expensive model when it looks like the cheapest model , Because they use a lot of parts on the range of cars I really don't know how they don't make a big profit. The works department is always busy and not cheap ?
I am not having a go at the car itself ,I would buy one if I could afford it !

If you can't tell a Vanquish from a Vantage you need to go to Specsavers.
Works is a separate company. No longer fully owned by the factory.

I have just looked at some Astons together ,I would not know which model was Vantage or Vanquish if they drove past without stopping.

[chelme]

leedsutd1 said:

I have just looked at some Astons together ,I would not know which model was Vantage or Vanquish if they drove past without stopping.

Err, maybe you are not supposed to be here then. The one at the front is a V8 Vantage, the one in the middle is a Vanquish, and the one at the back is a DB9...and no, Im not a huge fan of the brand (I would love to have a V12 Vantage though!!)

[leedsutd1]

chelme said:

leedsutd1 said:

I have just looked at some Astons together ,I would not know which model was Vantage or Vanquish if they drove past without stopping.

Err, maybe you are not supposed to be here then. The one at the front is a V8 Vantage, the one in the middle is a Vanquish, and the one at the back is a DB9...and no, Im not a huge fan of the brand (I would love to have a V12 Vantage though!!)

might be just me that cant tell the difference ,like I stated earlier I like the cars, its just my opinion they are too similar

[carl_w]

leedsutd1 said:

I have just looked at some Astons together ,I would not know which model was Vantage or Vanquish if they drove past without stopping.

Middle one is a Jaguar, right?

[Axionknight]

carl_w said:

iddle one is a Jaguar, right?

[johnnnnnnyy]

leedsutd1 said:

Neil1300r said:

leedsutd1 said:

That's what I was going to write, I cant tell one Aston from another, so would you buy the most expensive model when it looks like the cheapest model , Because they use a lot of parts on the range of cars I really don't know how they don't make a big profit. The works department is always busy and not cheap ?
I am not having a go at the car itself ,I would buy one if I could afford it !

If you can't tell a Vanquish from a Vantage you need to go to Specsavers.
Works is a separate company. No longer fully owned by the factory.

I have just looked at some Astons together ,I would not know which model was Vantage or Vanquish if they drove past without stopping.

Thats why they write the model name on the front of the number plates

[Neil1300r]

leedsutd1 said:

I have just looked at some Astons together ,I would not know which model was Vantage or Vanquish if they drove past without stopping.

None of those is the latest Vanquish.

[Jon1967x]

leedsutd1 said:

chelme said:

leedsutd1 said:

I have just looked at some Astons together ,I would not know which model was Vantage or Vanquish if they drove past without stopping.

Err, maybe you are not supposed to be here then. The one at the front is a V8 Vantage, the one in the middle is a Vanquish, and the one at the back is a DB9...and no, Im not a huge fan of the brand (I would love to have a V12 Vantage though!!)

might be just me that cant tell the difference ,like I stated earlier I like the cars, its just my opinion they are too similar

And all BMWs look the same. And all Audis look the same. I really couldn't tell you the difference between any of the Toyotas you can buy. Seems you've no interest in the brand/DNA so why post?

And to the poster who said they should develop a car with a 0-60 in 2s.. Well not quite 2s but have you heard of the one-77?

[Pickled]

AndyBrew said:

I bought one, no it isn't the most technologically advanced vehicle on the planet but it really doesn't matter, it receives universal approval wherever it goes, it sounds like nothing else and looks absolutely beautiful from every angle and it's an Aston Martin for god sake!!

Couldn't agree more! Just need some more pennies so I can buy one.

[MichaelV8V]

They may look similar, but if you're an Aston enthusiast you know the differences.

Its not really any different from 911s, that seem to come in 993, 996, 997, err, what else? They all look like 911s to me, but I couldn't tell you which is which, nor even when they were built to within 5 years.

Is that a criticism of Porsche, well no, it just an observation. But that ugly Panamera and disgusting looking Cayenne, they really deserve criticism. The most unattractive Aston is probably the Rapide, and that is beautiful

[2manycars]

Of all the cars i've had the Astons have been the ones that have drawn the most attention and praise.

Most people don't know which model it is (AMV8) or how much they cost, and they don't care. They just love how it looks.

It doesn't matter if all the current Ferraris, Porsches or Lambos are quicker or handle better. An Aston is an Aston, and they'll always be beautiful.

Off to search the classifieds for an AMV12 now, let the man maths commence