RE: Driven: Aston Martin Virage

[MrTappets]

Nice car but why exactly do we still have the DB9? And surely just whacking the untouched DBS engine in there and calling it DB9 mk2 would have been no more expensive. I mean imagine if Ford were still selling the Escort in their lineup (if that's not too crude an analogy).

If they can up the game with their basic car like this, why cant the DBS also benefit from a freshen up? With Jag now offering 540bhp at £100k the Astons are starting to look a bit weak. I'm just going to pretend that this Virage is a DB9 mk2 and that the DBS makes 580bhp instead.

[Adam B]

very nice like all AM cars but I would really struggle to differentiate that from a DB9 unless they were parked next to each other

[FishFace]

Manual V12 Vantage please

Is the industry routinely going to break embargoes from now on? The new McLaren was similar. Or is this nothing new?

[SonnyM]

I can confirm that this is NOT the car Bond will be driving in the 23rd installment.

[clorenzen]

Gorgeous car and i believe the DB9 will be phased out soon.

[franki68]

dele said:

When you say a detuned version of the DBS Engine, is it just electronically limited? or more mechanical differences than ECU?

Because if it just ECU limited, id be pretty miffed off if i owned a DBS and all it took was a remap for this to match (if not better) the more expensive car

Also, i wish they just called it a variant of the DB9 instead of trying to give it a whole new model name

You mean like the gallardo lp560 and the Audi v10 r8? Or like the Mercedes amg models?

[suffolk009]

Boring, dull, dull, seen-it-before

Who actually buys these cars? Is there anyone on PH that has actually ordered one, and if so why?

[UH-Matt]

scampbird said:

Why does "AM need a new design" when the one they've got is unspeakably gorgeous?

Other car makers have multiple versions of the same model, why shouldn't Aston? If they can sell them they should make them and its nothing but positive feedback in this thread.

[anonymous-user]

I wonder what would happen if Jaguar Landrover bought Aston?

[carbearnets]

Been driving a 2011 DB9 for 4 momths only to find that all my criticisms are answered by the Virage. ie. a throttle like blancmange. a pedestrian gearchange. no choice of traction control regime despite the handbook saying that theere is one! I don't care if Aston keep making the V12 car better. hey - porsche have been doing this for over 50yrs. I want a Virage - badly!!

[sparks_E39]

SonnyM said:

I can confirm that this is NOT the car Bond will be driving in the 23rd installment.

Oh, what will it be? It's probably gonna be the DBS again if it's an Aston at all.

[vintageracer01]

suffolk009 said:

Boring, dull, dull, seen-it-before

Who actually buys these cars? Is there anyone on PH that has actually ordered one, and if so why?

Because it is the most beautiful and cultivated car on earth.
It is THE car closest to perfection.

Why always new and different just for the sake of it. Where is the point?

That's why.

[TheOrangePeril]

A fantastic car I'm sure. Is this a subtle way of raising the DB9 successor's pricepoint? Considering that Aston must lose some poser trade to higher priced Ferraris etc., bumping in an extra model to set a lower benchmark for their GT range so that the next offering can be priced higher again -allowing them to expand their headroom for a new hardcore model (DBS replacement?) with more competitive oily bits (perhaps One-77 sourced) and a £200k+ pricetag.

[TomM]

Shows as an Orange 2011 DB9 on My Car Check..........

[AB]

TomM said:

Shows as an Orange 2011 DB9 on My Car Check..........

I think the plate is just a press/show plate.

[yeti]

TheOrangePeril said:

A fantastic car I'm sure. Is this a subtle way of raising the DB9 successor's pricepoint? Considering that Aston must lose some poser trade to higher priced Ferraris etc., bumping in an extra model to set a lower benchmark for their GT range so that the next offering can be priced higher again -allowing them to expand their headroom for a new hardcore model (DBS replacement?) with more competitive oily bits (perhaps One-77 sourced) and a £200k+ pricetag.

This makes a lot of sense. Virage replaces the DB9 (seems it has the smoothness to do this) and Aston probably move aways from DB names again. Then the DBS sucessor comes in at higher value and looking more One-77 like.

And DBS values come down, and I get a manual Volante

[diehardbenzfan]

for god sake aston martin! change your style! move on, this is a lovely car but its just the saem stuff everytime, everyone has moved on apart from them! the makers cant think of any other look for it, they just make minor ajustments, put crappy lexus lights on them. bigger exhaust and a black grill, everythings the same, i love astons but it annoys me how they all look the same, mercedes, ferrari, lamborghini, audi, porsche, all of them moved on, apart from crappy aston martin

[Lancs Jag Boy]

For £150k that interior is starting to look at tad dated

[keeplftxcpt2pass]

vintageracer01 said:

Because it is the most beautiful and cultivated car on earth.
It is THE car closest to perfection.

Why always new and different just for the sake of it. Where is the point?

That's why.

[P4ROT]

W00DY said:

The headlights were definitely a weak point of the DB9/S design. The Virage is properly good lookig in this picture:



Nice wheel design too, especially when compared to some recent Aston offerings.

Agree with the fact that aston wheel designs are ste lol (ie v12 vantage)...But I think these 'new' headlights are more aggressive but not as good looking.