RE: Aston Martin Vanquish MY15: Review

[Prawnboy]

i find it hard to get excited by astons for the past few years. But i wouldn't say no to a V12 if one was going spare.

[smilo996]

So new ZF box.
Bosch engine management system.
Next up AMG engines.

AML - bashing metal and sewing leather.

AML the company that used to make cars but will be coach building.

[RacerMike]

Dale Lomas said:

I've driven the 8HP box in various sizes and versions, but always in torque-laden, forced-induction cars like the BMW M135i or Jaguar XKR. Putting eight ratios in those cars is superfluous, their torque bands so huge and flat you don't need to shift much anyway.

Considering the XKR never got the 8HP (and even the XKR-S GT got stuck with the 6HP) I'm quite impressed you managed to drive one with 8 ratios.....

[8bit]

smilo996 said:

So new ZF box.
Bosch engine management system.
Next up AMG engines.

AML - bashing metal and sewing leather.

AML the company that used to make cars but will be coach building.

That's just market economics, and it's not just AML that are doing this - they're all at it now. Do you really think every last nut and bolt on a Ferrari is handmade in Italy?

[bakerstreet]

dkatwa said:

When will they introduce cylinder shut-down technology???!!!
I am sure it can run fine as a V6 when at a constant speed....or V4 even....more smiles per gallon

Pointless as the deal has been done for the AMG V8s, so I suspect they will move to the forced induction V8s for the V12 models and naturally aspirated for the V8 vantage. Just a guess obviously.

As for the square steering wheel, I don't like it. They are just trying to hide that ancient steering wheel centre that has been in Astons for years. It looked dated witha round wheel, and not it just looks off with a square wheel!!

[toppstuff]

bakerstreet said:

Pointless as the deal has been done for the AMG V8s, so I suspect they will move to the forced induction V8s for the V12 models and naturally aspirated for the V8 vantage. Just a guess obviously.

As for the square steering wheel, I don't like it. They are just trying to hide that ancient steering wheel centre that has been in Astons for years. It looked dated witha round wheel, and not it just looks off with a square wheel!!

The square wheel is quite nice to hold though. The rack is quite highly geared so you don't have to twirl the steering much. The shape makes more sense when you try it.

[Gorbyrev]

toppstuff said:

Fetchez la vache said:

£200k. So that's why I've never seen one. Any ideas how many they're shifting?

Don't think they sell too many here. US , Middle East and Asia like them a lot I believe.

Neil Peart seems to like his http://www.neilpeart.net/index.php?cID=258 . So to everyone who bought a copy of Clockwork Angels that is where a little of it went! Alternatively drive the M40. Never saw a Rapide outside Graypaul and in one trip to see the rellies in the south clocked 4 in an hour. Come to think of it, clocked 4 Tesla model S's and more DB9s than you could shake a stick at. There was a Vanquish in there too.

[peter450]

Always seemed odd Aston using an older box in such an expensive car.

I'm glad they have seen the light as the new 8 speeder has got very positive reviews in every car its been installed in

[downr]

smilo996 said:

So new ZF box.
Bosch engine management system.
Next up AMG engines.

AML - bashing metal and sewing leather.

AML the company that used to make cars but will be coach building.

Its amazing the number of people who think car manufacturers make their own gearboxes

[Impasse]

downr said:

Its amazing the number of people who think car manufacturers make their own gearboxes

Or switches or headlights or brake components or, alternators or, or, or etc. The list goes on.

[VF7]

smilo996 said:

So new ZF box.
Bosch engine management system.
Next up AMG engines.

AML - bashing metal and sewing leather.

AML the company that used to make cars but will be coach building.

The DB5 used a 5 speed ZF gearbox. (As did the Maserati 3500 GT).
It also used carburettors made by SU or Weber.
The electrics where made by Lucas and so on...
They didn't even do their own spark plugs or the tyres!!! ;-)

But I hear you regarding the engine..

[Dale Lomas]

RacerMike said:

Considering the XKR never got the 8HP (and even the XKR-S GT got stuck with the 6HP) I'm quite impressed you managed to drive one with 8 ratios.....

Yeah. That should probably be saying F-type, XJ or XF smokers... all of which I've driven. The XKR I totally haven't driven with an 8HP... lol!

Edited by Dale Lomas on Wednesday 6th August 15:25

[downr]

Probably for another thread really. But would you actually want a car manufacturer to make its own gearbox, lights etc? I guess it boils down to what you think their core strengths are; if it isn't making gearboxes I would rather they bought a good one from a specialist (ZF) than made their own average-to-bad one.

[SFO]

bakerstreet said:

Pointless as the deal has been done for the AMG V8s, so I suspect they will move to the forced induction V8s for the V12 models and naturally aspirated for the V8 vantage. Just a guess obviously.

As for the square steering wheel, I don't like it. They are just trying to hide that ancient steering wheel centre that has been in Astons for years. It looked dated witha round wheel, and not it just looks off with a square wheel!!

Mercedes produce V12s too ...

[SFO]

downr said:

smilo996 said:

So new ZF box.
Bosch engine management system.
Next up AMG engines.

AML - bashing metal and sewing leather.

AML the company that used to make cars but will be coach building.

Its amazing the number of people who think car manufacturers make their own gearboxes

Mercedes makes its own auto gearboxes

[tank slapper]

Krikkit said:

It is a little baffling! It's a torque converter auto, but it uses a triple clutch pack to help the shifting process be a bit quicker rather than the traditional torque converter box design where it's purely actuated.

Automatic gearboxes use epicyclic gear trains, and the clutch packs and brakes are to engage, disengage, and stop various parts of the gear sets to achieve the different ratios. The clutches are not used to decouple the transmission from the engine as they are in a manual gearbox. Modern torque converters are able to lock up above a certain speed to improve efficiency, so might also include a clutch to do that.

[unsprung]

bakerstreet said:

dkatwa said:

When will they introduce cylinder shut-down technology???!!!
I am sure it can run fine as a V6 when at a constant speed....or V4 even....more smiles per gallon

Pointless as the deal has been done for the AMG V8s, so I suspect they will move to the forced induction V8s for the V12 models and naturally aspirated for the V8 vantage. Just a guess obviously.

The C7 Corvette (2014+) includes "cylinder shut-down technology" on both of the available engines: one is normally aspirated, the other supercharged. These V8 engines run as a V4 when not under significant load.

Of course that has nothing to do with Aston-Martin or the AMG V8. But it's kinda interesting.

[TobesH]

Schermerhorn said:

Armen said:

A good thing that they introduced the 8 gears-ZF but I think it would have been better if they put a double-clutch to get a sportier feeling.

Anyway, Vanquish/S (2001-2007) FOREVER.

The ZF works just as well as a double clutch. Instant up and down shifts.

Agreed, it is very fast when manually changing up or down but unlike a DSG type gearbox the ZF is creamy smooth in auto mode too especially when in town, traffic and at low speed.

[Zod]

They will

SFO said:

downr said:

smilo996 said:

So new ZF box.
Bosch engine management system.
Next up AMG engines.

AML - bashing metal and sewing leather.

AML the company that used to make cars but will be coach building.

Its amazing the number of people who think car manufacturers make their own gearboxes

Mercedes makes its own auto gearboxes

I expect they'll be making them for Aston Martin soon.

[martin elaman]

If these Astons handle and steer better than most AMG's, what will AMG do, expcept give us turbo's and Double Clutch gearboxes? Not much I think, m