‘Glass key’ DB9
Discussion
Hello
I’ve finally got around to asking a question having joined a while ago.
I’m thinking about buying a DB9 coupe. To people who have experience on this model, is the 2009 model year (glass key) car significantly better than earlier cars?
I have the book about the cars, but I would like to hear from others who have experience of the different cars.
Thanks very much.
I’ve finally got around to asking a question having joined a while ago.
I’m thinking about buying a DB9 coupe. To people who have experience on this model, is the 2009 model year (glass key) car significantly better than earlier cars?
I have the book about the cars, but I would like to hear from others who have experience of the different cars.
Thanks very much.
I haven't owned an older DB9, but I test-drove a few before I bought my 2009 model.
I think the interior ambience is a lot nicer with the newer centre console and revised seats. The iPod/iPhone connectivity and bluetooth is great, and the standard stereo is the premium system which is excellent. While the HD-based satnav is faster and easier to update, it is still utterly crap though. However you do apparently get a bit more boot space with the newer models
Also the standard equipment crept up so you won't find cars with no memory seats, for example. I prefer the newer mirrors too.
I can't say I remember the lower power models being appreciably slower, but I do think the revised suspension in the later cars is a huge improvement. Although mine is a Sports Pack car which is even better still.
The only thing the older cars have which later ones don't is the heated screen which was an option only while Ford owned the company. If your car would live outside that might be a good thing to have. I have no idea if it can be retro-fitted.
I think the interior ambience is a lot nicer with the newer centre console and revised seats. The iPod/iPhone connectivity and bluetooth is great, and the standard stereo is the premium system which is excellent. While the HD-based satnav is faster and easier to update, it is still utterly crap though. However you do apparently get a bit more boot space with the newer models
Also the standard equipment crept up so you won't find cars with no memory seats, for example. I prefer the newer mirrors too.
I can't say I remember the lower power models being appreciably slower, but I do think the revised suspension in the later cars is a huge improvement. Although mine is a Sports Pack car which is even better still.
The only thing the older cars have which later ones don't is the heated screen which was an option only while Ford owned the company. If your car would live outside that might be a good thing to have. I have no idea if it can be retro-fitted.
Thanks for this.
Can I ask what you think of the car’s performance?
I had a V8 Vantage S for about a month but then sold it because I didn’t like the car’s performance / engine characteristics. I run a 6.3 C63 and a 340 BMW so I’m more used to low down torque and I had expected more of this, but the Vantage was lacking in low down and mid range torque. What do you think of the DB9’s V12 torque?
Thanks again.
Can I ask what you think of the car’s performance?
I had a V8 Vantage S for about a month but then sold it because I didn’t like the car’s performance / engine characteristics. I run a 6.3 C63 and a 340 BMW so I’m more used to low down torque and I had expected more of this, but the Vantage was lacking in low down and mid range torque. What do you think of the DB9’s V12 torque?
Thanks again.
gs1 said:
Thanks for this.
Can I ask what you think of the car’s performance?
I had a V8 Vantage S for about a month but then sold it because I didn’t like the car’s performance / engine characteristics. I run a 6.3 C63 and a 340 BMW so I’m more used to low down torque and I had expected more of this, but the Vantage was lacking in low down and mid range torque. What do you think of the DB9’s V12 torque?
Thanks again.
It's the first car I have driven that feels motorbike-fast. Before this all cars were disappointingly slow, the fastest I'd driven being the 3.5 litre supercharged V6 Jaguar XE S. No idea whether it compares to a C63 but it should feel a lot faster than a 340.Can I ask what you think of the car’s performance?
I had a V8 Vantage S for about a month but then sold it because I didn’t like the car’s performance / engine characteristics. I run a 6.3 C63 and a 340 BMW so I’m more used to low down torque and I had expected more of this, but the Vantage was lacking in low down and mid range torque. What do you think of the DB9’s V12 torque?
Thanks again.
The V12 Aston always has plenty of power, no matter where you are in the rev range. I was at 165 MPH on the Autobahn and it was still accelerating strongly when the unlimited section ended and I had to slow down. But it's also docile and easy to drive round town.
Its party trick is to get to one of those long steep French hills and you're stuck behind a bunch of Dacias, Renault vans, campers, and trucks, and then you get a second lane, and you pull out and just stick your foot down and power past every one of them while they struggle to get up the hill.
I have a 2006 manual DB9 so “only” 450bhp and have had all sorts of fast cars before this. The low-down torque is amazing, totally different league from the V8 Vantage or my previous V8 M3. The engine is an absolute animal, something you’ll never forget and was the main reason I chose the DB9 over the V8V as I found the V8Vs really had to be revved to get any real performance out of them and I couldn’t justify the price of a manual V12V or DBS.
I have a glass key db9 Volante having come from a mentally modified 996 turbo which was stupid fast.
Whilst its not as quick as that car it is certainly no slouch! There's oodles of torque low down for a NA car. The throttle pedal seems to have an awful lot of travel and if you're just pottering around you forget this because there's enough power. If you plant the pedal and let the engine sing the car picks up speed incredibly quickly and to me feels as fast as a standard 997 turbo. The sound is something else though - I've taken the secondary cats out which has made a big difference.
I've also swapped out the standard roll bars and replaced them with the DBS roll bars which have transformed the handling.
The interior feels really special too. Its much more an event than any BMW or Porsche IMO, but you'd know that already if you've had a Vantage.
Whilst its not as quick as that car it is certainly no slouch! There's oodles of torque low down for a NA car. The throttle pedal seems to have an awful lot of travel and if you're just pottering around you forget this because there's enough power. If you plant the pedal and let the engine sing the car picks up speed incredibly quickly and to me feels as fast as a standard 997 turbo. The sound is something else though - I've taken the secondary cats out which has made a big difference.
I've also swapped out the standard roll bars and replaced them with the DBS roll bars which have transformed the handling.
The interior feels really special too. Its much more an event than any BMW or Porsche IMO, but you'd know that already if you've had a Vantage.
I think you will definately like the engine characteristics. Its a silky beast of a thing and truly great as an effortless GT/road burner.
It has much more low down than the V8 and revs well taboot.
As far as the earlier than 2009 cars they are priced well and offer 95% the same thing. That being said Aston have improved the cars little by little over the years and the slightly larger upgrade years like 2009 are noticeable in a good way and as such whatever the price differential is now is likely to at least in part remain.
That should make it really clear for you
Put simply I think there is no right or wrong model year and its all about budget. Clearer still
You would almost certainly be well pleased with whatever you decide.
It has much more low down than the V8 and revs well taboot.
As far as the earlier than 2009 cars they are priced well and offer 95% the same thing. That being said Aston have improved the cars little by little over the years and the slightly larger upgrade years like 2009 are noticeable in a good way and as such whatever the price differential is now is likely to at least in part remain.
That should make it really clear for you
Put simply I think there is no right or wrong model year and its all about budget. Clearer still
You would almost certainly be well pleased with whatever you decide.
gs1 said:
Thanks for this.
Can I ask what you think of the car’s performance?
I had a V8 Vantage S for about a month but then sold it because I didn’t like the car’s performance / engine characteristics. I run a 6.3 C63 and a 340 BMW so I’m more used to low down torque and I had expected more of this, but the Vantage was lacking in low down and mid range torque. What do you think of the DB9’s V12 torque?
Thanks again.
I came from and E63 amg and RS6 to the db9.2 Can I ask what you think of the car’s performance?
I had a V8 Vantage S for about a month but then sold it because I didn’t like the car’s performance / engine characteristics. I run a 6.3 C63 and a 340 BMW so I’m more used to low down torque and I had expected more of this, but the Vantage was lacking in low down and mid range torque. What do you think of the DB9’s V12 torque?
Thanks again.
I found the engine smooth and nice but its not a racer. Didn't spin up like the E63 Had both the 6.3 non turbo 2wd and also now the 4 twin turbo E63 4wd.
I found the db9 the traction limited in any damp and would spin up/traction control kicks in very readily. Its did not feel very chuckable. Its nice place to be and cruise but not very dynamic in my view.
I went for a Db9 as I wanted a more laid back car knowing it was not as dynamic as the RS6 or E63 but it was too laid back too undynamic and just felt old compared to the Mercs.
You may enjoy it but I sold mine after a year. It was a daily driver and coulntd face another winter in it.
Regarding how chuckable the car is, couldn't agree more. Especially in the Volante.
Its been improved with the glass key cars due to better suspension but its still no 911 etc.
I have to say, upgrading to the DBS anti roll bars made a massive difference to my Volante, to the point where I feel much better pushing on through the twisties. Feels like the car it should have been.
Its been improved with the glass key cars due to better suspension but its still no 911 etc.
I have to say, upgrading to the DBS anti roll bars made a massive difference to my Volante, to the point where I feel much better pushing on through the twisties. Feels like the car it should have been.
OK
Do do people think that the ADS adjustable damping on the 2010 cars is an option worth having over a 2009 model year car?
This is the problem I keep finding myself with with cars. I want a car at a reasonable price, but then decide I want certain things from the car which inevitably results in the price rising significantly!
Does anyone have experience of driving a, say, a 10 year old DBS and a V12 Vantage and how they compare? I presume that they are very different cars? Also, is the difference in size from a DB9 style car noticeably bigger than a Vantage? I think they are a similar width, but the Vantage is about a foot or eighteen inches shorter.
Thanks again.
Do do people think that the ADS adjustable damping on the 2010 cars is an option worth having over a 2009 model year car?
This is the problem I keep finding myself with with cars. I want a car at a reasonable price, but then decide I want certain things from the car which inevitably results in the price rising significantly!
Does anyone have experience of driving a, say, a 10 year old DBS and a V12 Vantage and how they compare? I presume that they are very different cars? Also, is the difference in size from a DB9 style car noticeably bigger than a Vantage? I think they are a similar width, but the Vantage is about a foot or eighteen inches shorter.
Thanks again.
B4rnst4ble said:
magycks said:
generationx said:
Epic lurking
nearly 10 years in the shadows!Jet Harris ?
Or is he a man of mystery?!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Well I hadn’t read it, but I have now, thanks.I tend to agree with you that simplicity is probably the best way to go. I know that there is lots said about the CC brake discs on the DBS as well. I have liked them on cars I have driven, but I wouldn’t like to have to buy replacements.
I’m sure that if I get a DB9 an early 2009 model year car should be the one I go for. I know that the sat nav isn’t very good on these, but apparently the standard music system isn’t too bad. I think the 2009 MY updates included tuning the engine for more low and mid range torque as well as the fitment of better dampers as well.
I had both types. An 05, an 06 and an 09. The 06 had the Sports Pack retro-fitted and the 09 had it from new.
I actually liked both the early and the later ones - they each have their charms. However, given the choice, I'd go for the later car. The extra power and the interior (though not quite as innovative) feels slightly better quality. The power difference makes little difference in the real world. Sports pack is more important in my view.
I actually liked both the early and the later ones - they each have their charms. However, given the choice, I'd go for the later car. The extra power and the interior (though not quite as innovative) feels slightly better quality. The power difference makes little difference in the real world. Sports pack is more important in my view.
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