Off to test a DBS and V12VS tomorrow...Any advice?

[CSK1]

cayman-black said:

CSK1 said:

SportshiftIII is a vast improvement over previous Sportshifts but still needs to be driven with the paddles as a manual. Forget the D button, D is for Don't!

This is why i would never get the S . Sometimes if you drive a two pedal car it would be good just to stick it in D.
So if auto, DBS or vanquish.

Come on Cayman-Black, you've got the Range Rover for those moments you don't want to get involved in driving your car!

[bentley01]

Nijius Maximus said:

When I got the Bentley my wife asked: "Where's the fifth seat?".
When I got the Vantage my wife asked: "Where's the other two seats?".
When I got the R8 my wife asked: "Where's the rest of the boot...and where's the rest of the car?"

Ha Ha I love the way we explain our reasons for buying cars to our other halves. I changed my Vantage Roadster because it was not getting used enough only having two seats to a two seat coupe. No wonder she thinks I'm mad.

[Phil74891]

Drive the DBS first, then the V12VS. SSIII is great, enjoy flipping up and down with the paddles, don't use D.

Lightweight seats in the S are a must I believe. At least try them if you can. Looking forward to the report!

[CSK1]

+1

[C997]

Like a lot of others I moved from a V8V which I loved and was perfectly happy with. I test drove a DBS and then a V12V. I remember standing in the showroom thinking which one I should go with, talk about pressure!

DBS is better looking, more comfortable and better in traffic. V12V is nothing like as relaxing to drive, it just feels on it all the time. Then I thought, why am I spending this amount of money and thinking about how good it is in traffic!! Bought the V12V and never regretted it although I would still love a DBS Volante. It helped that the V12V only had 800 miles on it and the DBS was into double figure thousands.

[tonyhall38]

Yes I upgraded...and glad I did...but do I miss the DBS.....no not really , I find the vanquish a lot more comfortable , more responsive , and a real pleasure to drive......but to be honest , as I actually drive my cars it was a financial reason to go from DBS to vanquish.....the DBS had done 57k miles when I sold it.....dealer prices on a high mileage even though it had full service history and was well cared for was going to be a big hit if I went over 60 k miles.....around the 10/12 grand mark for a few thousand miles.....so was time to reinvest so to speak.....and am very glad I did.....you just gotta love that volcano red...

[sukh_m]

Nijius Maximus said:

it felt a bit dull... i.e. like an Audi.

Interesting comment on the R8 V10, I thought it might not be so dull.

BTW - well done on coming to your senses

[steveirl]

sukh_m said:

Interesting comment on the R8 V10, I thought it might not be so dull.

BTW - well done on coming to your senses

I would imagine "dull" is maybe not the most accurate phrase, and he didn't intend to imply the R8 is dull, but "Audi like" at slow speeds and town driving I understand. I have a manual R8 also, and it is a doddle to drive in city traffic, very light clutch and wonderfully precise gearchange, it is just very very easy to manage in traffic, but a really rewarding car to drive quickly, one of the best all round cars I have ever owned in fact.
Interested to hear the follow on opinion on the DBS vs V12V comparison ...I like the DBS a lot, it is about the only Aston that would persuade me after a disastrous experience with the Vanquish.

[CSK1]

And how did your test drives go? Did you end up buying one or the other... or something completely different?

[cayman-black]

CSK1 said:

And how did your test drives go? Did you end up buying one or the other... or something completely different?

My money is on one of those Sevenoaks cars being sold!

[Nijius Maximus]

I'm actually here today. Ended up being busy with work all damn day yesterday. But have the day off today!

At Grange in Brentwood and than hoping to get down to Sevenoaks afterwards.

Ooh, they've just brought the "free" coffee...

[CSK1]

They'll bring the champagne later on when you sign on the dotted line after the test drive! :-) Enjoy the drive!

[cayman-black]

Ha Good luck, keep us posted!

[Nijius Maximus]

Right stopped for lunch before onto Sevenoaks.

Quick sumnary:

DBS
Great shape and road presence
Not as smooth as I thought - quite sporty
Great noise and torque
Feels big - you sit in it rather than be part of it - hard to feel where the front it
Feels relaxed at slow speeds, ie. You don't feel the need to drive it fast.

V12VS
What a noise even when idle!
In sports mode the sound is incredible
Feels so much more compact and nimble
Stiffer ride
Feel part of the car rather simply sitting in it
Great visibility and can really place the front of the car
Surprisingly light steering though? I prefer the heaviness of the DBS and my R8

Off to Sevenoaks to check out the V12V...

Exciting times...

[S1MMA]

Sorry had to EFA

AWV12 said:

If you are a track driver, go for a GT3, if you like driving fast, but also use it in normal traffic, or on longer trips, go for either Aston.

[hornbaek]

With the rear hatch the V12V is much more versatile than the DBS or Vanquish which are simply two big GT cars with some useless seats in the back whereas you can actually use the boot in the V12V.

[Quarterly]

Nijius Maximus said:

At Grange in Brentwood and than hoping to get down to Sevenoaks afterwards.

The Tungsten one looks very tasty.

[mblade123]

What I would say is if you go for the V12v then ask them to instal the rear view camera.
I had one put in at my last service and it makes a massive difference when reversing now.

[Flugplatz]

DBS to look at or V12VS to drive

[Quickmoose]

Oh to have this dilema....
it's win win really isn't it?

I'd have the DBS... I'm sure it drives just fine, and it looks...
...I'm trying to think of something insightful, but I can't.... I think maybe the DBS is to the V12V what Kylie is to Danni...or something...