Discussion
Well I thought I would give my appraisal of the V12V-S after a week of ownership and my inability to leave the bloody thing in the garage which says it all I guess!
Visually the car is stunning a shape that has been beautiful for years and will continue to be beautiful for years to come a true design classic in my eyes. The car has met with universal approval from everybody, the chap from down the road said and I quote "I have never been envious of any of the cars you have owned, but you can now f
k right off" I think he likes it!!!
The noise, now what can I say to express my delight at the noise, the best thing about the noise is that it makes such a wonderful noise whilst tootling about, you don't need to be putting in a qualifying lap to attain the aural pleasure that the delightful V12 provides and thus is enjoyable more of the time than anything I have owned before.
Performance, difficult one this as I am still learning the car and getting to grips with it dynamically however all I can say is that the car feels like it has the power on the tin, I have not as yet felt a need to press the loud pedal all the way to the floor. I have pushed on and you can feel the rear starting to squirm a little as the tyres struggle to keep traction and because of the amazing feel you get through the chassis you can adjust the throttle accordingly without any dramas and I intend to keep it that way for the time being!
Handling, somebody on the Porsche forum said the handling was crap, well I'm not sure where that comes from as the car feels taught and direct when making steering inputs, the beautifully weighted steering with so much feel and feedback making modern electric systems feel outdated, price of progress I guess
Practicality, the car is fantastic, it has a boot, not the biggest but I have done a trip to Costco and been to the gym with my kit bag and it obviously does the job. Best of all speed bumps are no problem for this car I have one little pesky speed bump on the way into my estate (housing not country lol!) and the vantage just goes straight over with no dramas, perfect! I must mention the little slot made up of two leather folds allowing you to pop in a car park ticket or other small piece of paper for easy access and I love that little touch it's awesome!
Comfort, this is the Astons strength it is utterly perfect for a car of this type, the ride quality is amazing my little B Road blast into work had my 997 GT3 bouncing and skipping towards ditches the V12V-S simply takes these type of roads in its stride. I drove 250 miles last weekend and felt no ill effects to my back which is unheard of the car is utterly brilliant in this regard.
The elephant in the room is that Gearbox, would I have chosen the manual given the choice, yes I probably would of, BUT... after learning how to drive the car and smooth out the shifts with the slightest of a lift off the throttle on an up-change there is real pleasure to be had in using the gearbox in manual mode I can only draw a comparison with perfecting heel and toe with a proper manual box, I haven't driven the car at all in full auto to comment!
Bad bits, well yes the worst is an annoying vibration when on certain road surfaces not sure whether this is a common fault or something specific to my car but I was going to raise it with the dealership. The boot is a pig to shut, I seem to have to take at least two attempts before it closes! The iPod integration sucks the LCD display whilst looking classy is way too small for modern needs.
All in all the car is a revelation, I would go as far to say that for what I need my sunny day car to do this car is absolutely perfect, so much so I am concerned how much use the C63 AMG is going to get, I thought the C63 made the best noise in the world however I was so wrong, so unless I need to transport more than two people the V12V-S has it licked!!
Off to North Wales tomorrow and I am so looking forward to it, the worst part of my day at the moment is getting out of the Aston, and I spend nearly all day at work looking out of the window at it a view I simply can't see myself getting tired of anytime soon
Visually the car is stunning a shape that has been beautiful for years and will continue to be beautiful for years to come a true design classic in my eyes. The car has met with universal approval from everybody, the chap from down the road said and I quote "I have never been envious of any of the cars you have owned, but you can now f
k right off" I think he likes it!!!The noise, now what can I say to express my delight at the noise, the best thing about the noise is that it makes such a wonderful noise whilst tootling about, you don't need to be putting in a qualifying lap to attain the aural pleasure that the delightful V12 provides and thus is enjoyable more of the time than anything I have owned before.
Performance, difficult one this as I am still learning the car and getting to grips with it dynamically however all I can say is that the car feels like it has the power on the tin, I have not as yet felt a need to press the loud pedal all the way to the floor. I have pushed on and you can feel the rear starting to squirm a little as the tyres struggle to keep traction and because of the amazing feel you get through the chassis you can adjust the throttle accordingly without any dramas and I intend to keep it that way for the time being!
Handling, somebody on the Porsche forum said the handling was crap, well I'm not sure where that comes from as the car feels taught and direct when making steering inputs, the beautifully weighted steering with so much feel and feedback making modern electric systems feel outdated, price of progress I guess
Practicality, the car is fantastic, it has a boot, not the biggest but I have done a trip to Costco and been to the gym with my kit bag and it obviously does the job. Best of all speed bumps are no problem for this car I have one little pesky speed bump on the way into my estate (housing not country lol!) and the vantage just goes straight over with no dramas, perfect! I must mention the little slot made up of two leather folds allowing you to pop in a car park ticket or other small piece of paper for easy access and I love that little touch it's awesome!
Comfort, this is the Astons strength it is utterly perfect for a car of this type, the ride quality is amazing my little B Road blast into work had my 997 GT3 bouncing and skipping towards ditches the V12V-S simply takes these type of roads in its stride. I drove 250 miles last weekend and felt no ill effects to my back which is unheard of the car is utterly brilliant in this regard.
The elephant in the room is that Gearbox, would I have chosen the manual given the choice, yes I probably would of, BUT... after learning how to drive the car and smooth out the shifts with the slightest of a lift off the throttle on an up-change there is real pleasure to be had in using the gearbox in manual mode I can only draw a comparison with perfecting heel and toe with a proper manual box, I haven't driven the car at all in full auto to comment!
Bad bits, well yes the worst is an annoying vibration when on certain road surfaces not sure whether this is a common fault or something specific to my car but I was going to raise it with the dealership. The boot is a pig to shut, I seem to have to take at least two attempts before it closes! The iPod integration sucks the LCD display whilst looking classy is way too small for modern needs.
All in all the car is a revelation, I would go as far to say that for what I need my sunny day car to do this car is absolutely perfect, so much so I am concerned how much use the C63 AMG is going to get, I thought the C63 made the best noise in the world however I was so wrong, so unless I need to transport more than two people the V12V-S has it licked!!
Off to North Wales tomorrow and I am so looking forward to it, the worst part of my day at the moment is getting out of the Aston, and I spend nearly all day at work looking out of the window at it a view I simply can't see myself getting tired of anytime soon
Edited by AndyBrew on Thursday 17th April 19:24
Edited by AndyBrew on Thursday 17th April 19:29
Hi Andy,
I thought that you would be pleased. The V12S is one hell of a car! Forget the D drive button your car is a manual that you operate with the paddles. It will become second nature to lift as you change up. Have you tried or had demonstrated to you the car changing itself down perfectly matching the engine speeds whilst you hold the left paddle up and your foot hard on the brakes? Awesome!
Don't worry about the infotainment system, 3 years on and I am still learning. Our cars have so much soul the pleasure comes with the driving nothing else really matters.
Hope the Sun shines for you this weekend and you can do some more bonding. The Guy down the road, take him out for a spin! It would be a nice gesture.
I thought that you would be pleased. The V12S is one hell of a car! Forget the D drive button your car is a manual that you operate with the paddles. It will become second nature to lift as you change up. Have you tried or had demonstrated to you the car changing itself down perfectly matching the engine speeds whilst you hold the left paddle up and your foot hard on the brakes? Awesome!
Don't worry about the infotainment system, 3 years on and I am still learning. Our cars have so much soul the pleasure comes with the driving nothing else really matters.
Hope the Sun shines for you this weekend and you can do some more bonding. The Guy down the road, take him out for a spin! It would be a nice gesture.
Yep the guys booked in and his son
My car blips the throttle on every downshift I don't think I have needed to hold the paddle or be in the brakes??
But yes a well timed 3rd to 2nd in a built up area with the windows down, goose pimply good, and what is also weird is that people seem to love it never had a car that commands such positive reactions, getting out of junctions is no longer an issue, even had a bus driver flash me out today!!!
Young lads behind me at some lights started revving their engine of the limiter, I took this mean they wanted to hear the Aston so I gave it a little tickle and they nearly wet their pants it was just brilliant!
Porsche's loss has definately been my gain
My car blips the throttle on every downshift I don't think I have needed to hold the paddle or be in the brakes??
But yes a well timed 3rd to 2nd in a built up area with the windows down, goose pimply good, and what is also weird is that people seem to love it never had a car that commands such positive reactions, getting out of junctions is no longer an issue, even had a bus driver flash me out today!!!
Young lads behind me at some lights started revving their engine of the limiter, I took this mean they wanted to hear the Aston so I gave it a little tickle and they nearly wet their pants it was just brilliant!
Porsche's loss has definately been my gain
mikees said:
I've had my V8V for a week and it's amazing. Drinks fuel, handling sublime, engine note fantastic.
Well done on the V12 must be even better!
Mike
They are all great cars, I'm not sure why I over looked them for so long!Well done on the V12 must be even better!
Mike
C63 will definately be staying, it's on lease for a start LOL!!
Andy, beleive me - when you hit the twisty bits with a bit of a lick on you'll be pleased that you have a paddle shift. Being able to keep both hands on the wheel is exactly what you want when there's so much going on.
Yup, the iPod integration isn't great. Just save a few playlists to good old fashioned CD's and in the meantime, just enjoy the best soundtrack of all - the one coming out the back!
Yup, the iPod integration isn't great. Just save a few playlists to good old fashioned CD's and in the meantime, just enjoy the best soundtrack of all - the one coming out the back!
[quote=AndyBrew]Yep the guys booked in and his son
My car blips the throttle on every downshift I don't think I have needed to hold the paddle or be in the brakes??[quote=AndyBrew]
Andy when I was with an instructor in a V12S we approached a roundabout at about 130.He told me not to brake until the very last minute then hold the left paddle hard up. The result is amazing as the gear box shifts down whilst perfectly matching the engine revs. Try it!
My car blips the throttle on every downshift I don't think I have needed to hold the paddle or be in the brakes??[quote=AndyBrew]
Andy when I was with an instructor in a V12S we approached a roundabout at about 130.He told me not to brake until the very last minute then hold the left paddle hard up. The result is amazing as the gear box shifts down whilst perfectly matching the engine revs. Try it!
Edited by robgt on Friday 18th April 07:47
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