One month into ownership...
Discussion
Since my original post I've been able to reflect on the addition of a V8 to the family.
After much deliberation between the various V8 and V12 models I decided that the V8VS would be the way to go, and so far (280 miles) I'm very happy with the decision. The longer term plan is to maybe pair it with a Rapide and/or try a V12V...
The car is a late 2013 manual with about 2000 miles. The interior is black with grey stitching and grey Alcantara roof lining. The exterior is Tungsten which I didn't expect to like but is really growing on me.
So, the things I like:
- The look of the thing, the Vantage was already a pretty car but with the later side skirts and duck-tail I think it looks fantastic. One of those cars that you turn back to look at as you walk away. Lovely!
- The sound, hard to describe, clearly a V8 but somehow more exotic and refined than my old TVR.
- The chassis is immense, it rides well and corners well. Just a shame about the quality of our roads. I really need to get onto a track to explore further.
- The materials and design of the interior make it a really nice place to sit.
I'm not so sure on..
- The sound deadening, I'm not sure enough of the exhaust note comes through to the interior. I need to try pulling the fuse and I think I saw mention of removing the parcel shelf so I might give that a go.
- Ergonomics of the interior. It doesn't bother me, but things like the sport and fog light buttons being obscured by the gear-stick and the tiny, tiny buttons for the infotainment system can be a fiddle.
- Long throttle travel makes heel and toe tricky, just a matter of practice I guess.
- For some reason I find reversing difficult and prone to stalling. I wonder if the LSD is a factor here. Again, more practice required!
Questions..
- The boot lid seems to be rubbing the top of the bumper very slightly. Is there a fix for this?
- The case for the ECU is a little bulky, is there an alternative?
So overall I'm really happy with the car. I just need to get more miles on it. I already have plans to head into Scotland as well as some other trips.
After much deliberation between the various V8 and V12 models I decided that the V8VS would be the way to go, and so far (280 miles) I'm very happy with the decision. The longer term plan is to maybe pair it with a Rapide and/or try a V12V...
The car is a late 2013 manual with about 2000 miles. The interior is black with grey stitching and grey Alcantara roof lining. The exterior is Tungsten which I didn't expect to like but is really growing on me.
So, the things I like:
- The look of the thing, the Vantage was already a pretty car but with the later side skirts and duck-tail I think it looks fantastic. One of those cars that you turn back to look at as you walk away. Lovely!
- The sound, hard to describe, clearly a V8 but somehow more exotic and refined than my old TVR.
- The chassis is immense, it rides well and corners well. Just a shame about the quality of our roads. I really need to get onto a track to explore further.
- The materials and design of the interior make it a really nice place to sit.
I'm not so sure on..
- The sound deadening, I'm not sure enough of the exhaust note comes through to the interior. I need to try pulling the fuse and I think I saw mention of removing the parcel shelf so I might give that a go.
- Ergonomics of the interior. It doesn't bother me, but things like the sport and fog light buttons being obscured by the gear-stick and the tiny, tiny buttons for the infotainment system can be a fiddle.
- Long throttle travel makes heel and toe tricky, just a matter of practice I guess.
- For some reason I find reversing difficult and prone to stalling. I wonder if the LSD is a factor here. Again, more practice required!
Questions..
- The boot lid seems to be rubbing the top of the bumper very slightly. Is there a fix for this?
- The case for the ECU is a little bulky, is there an alternative?
So overall I'm really happy with the car. I just need to get more miles on it. I already have plans to head into Scotland as well as some other trips.
Edited by theaxe on Saturday 25th April 07:26
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