RE: Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante | Driven

[Rod200SX]

Very cool car & I realise I'll be in the minority... I just don't really like the looks.

It looks impressive & special but I just can't get on with the styling!

[HarryD]

That front arch is a nice detail. Reminiscent of a turbo, which is fitting.

[Nerdherder]

Simonium said:

I see the Cackett-syndrome virus is beginning to infect other writers. What a poorly written piece.

Damn, can’t unsee it now. True and not pleasant indeed.

[treeroy]

NFC 85 Vette said:

It has 4 wheels, and an engine up front, with the proportions of a coupe - to a degree most cars like that will have a similar silhouette as a result. That's where the similarities end. I don't know of many F-Types that could keep pace with an 812SF on the road. It's little spoken of, but the usable torque of the DBS is what makes it such a superb GT car, unlike others where the bulk of their power comes in toward the red line.

The handling is also superb; in a similar fashion to the last gen cars, the Vanquish handled more like a Vantage than a DB9, and it's the same this time around. The DBSS handles like a slightly bigger Vantage as opposed to a launch edition DB11. Staggering performance, I didn't want to give the key back.

I didn't mean the silhouette, I meant the rear end and to a bigger extent the front end. from the front it looks like jaguar f type. just look at pictures

[murphyaj]

treeroy said:

JohnnyFive said:

When the traction and stability control systems are disabled by an ape for the purposes of light entertainment, yes. It has over 700 horsepower going to only two very wide tyres, not great in standing water.

iirc they turned the traction control back on and tried again and it still kept losing traction where the other two were fine.

You mean those other two cars, both of which had 4-wheel-drive?

[Gameface]

murphyaj said:

treeroy said:

JohnnyFive said:

When the traction and stability control systems are disabled by an ape for the purposes of light entertainment, yes. It has over 700 horsepower going to only two very wide tyres, not great in standing water.

iirc they turned the traction control back on and tried again and it still kept losing traction where the other two were fine.

You mean those other two cars, both of which had 4-wheel-drive?

And far less power.

[mitch_]

NFC 85 Vette said:

The Conti GT goes head to head with the DB11 AMR. The DBSS goes head to head with the Ferrari 812. Bearing in mind the DBSS coupe with all the toys costs the same as an 812 before any toys are added (about £260k), and given the performance on offer, it's actually quite good value.

Alternatives to the DBSS in the hyper GT sector that are offered as a convertible?

The steering wheel makes sense when you drive it (much like the One-77 derived wheel in my Vanquish that I'm told by everyone who's never driven one, that it's st and from an Austin Allegro).

I don’t want to be a downer, but I find it hard to agree here. £300k isn’t good value and comparing it to a 812 Superfast is optimistic. The financial downside upon ordering one of these is going to be significant. Ferrari’s order book is heavily over-subscribed which helps values. I doubt Aston’s order book will quite so full.

As for the steering wheel, the problem for me is the size of the airbag. All other manufacturers are pushing to make them ever smaller and less intrusive. It feels like Aston is using the biggest airbags in the world. Sadly the interior is uninspiring also. The air vents look budget also.

Exterior design is striking, interior is sleep-inducing. When I look at the interior of the old DBS and compare to this, I wonder what went wrong.

[belleair302]

Beyond CC brakes what on earth are the options on this car to push the price up. Special wheels, leather, ICE (who needs this with that engine) and what else.....paint?

[MDL111]

belleair302 said:

Beyond CC brakes what on earth are the options on this car to push the price up. Special wheels, leather, ICE (who needs this with that engine) and what else.....paint?

without a clue about Aston base spec or options, I'll take a stab
paint
gloss black exterior parts
wheels
interior carbon
stitching colour to sample
extended leather stuff
sound system
brake caliper colour

I'd assume the CC brakes are standard?

54k actually does not sound too bad to me given the options pricing on these cars (mainly familiar with Ferrari pricing).

[B17NNS]

It's got a whiff of the F-Type about it (which is no bad thing).









The exterior is utterly fabulous. The interior not so much. The Allegro steering wheel continues to look ridiculous. The price (£301,760 as tested), well that's just madness isn't it.

[Gameface]

2 articles on British convertibles today.

Both with bloody awful interiors.

[PantsFire]

"Selecting Sport or Sport Plus modes sees the DBS slide off the velvet glove and become mostly fist."

[cerb4.5lee]

Rod200SX said:

Very cool car & I realise I'll be in the minority... I just don't really like the looks.

It looks impressive & special but I just can't get on with the styling!

I'm the same and I've always lusted/adored the way an Aston Martin looks, but the current ones don't seem to have the same effect on me. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't say no to one but they don't get my heart racing like the older models do.

[kilham5]

treeroy said:

300 grand for that... and it doesn't even look like an Aston Martin, it looks like a Jaguar F-Type

Read through the thread to see if I was in a minority of one, but thankfully not.
My exact thought, almost word for word.

No doubt an impressive machine, but no, not for me.

[Rod200SX]

cerb4.5lee said:

Rod200SX said:

Very cool car & I realise I'll be in the minority... I just don't really like the looks.

It looks impressive & special but I just can't get on with the styling!

I'm the same and I've always lusted/adored the way an Aston Martin looks, but the current ones don't seem to have the same effect on me. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't say no to one but they don't get my heart racing like the older models do.

Indeed, part of the appeal was that they didn't need to be garish to look good, which in turn allowed them to (mostly) hide their age very well.

Still, if anyone would like to lend me one for the weekend, I wouldn't say no!