DBS vs V12Vantage.
Discussion
bananarob said:
Mako V12V said:
Each of these cars are no better or worse than the other. They both have qualities which will suit different people.
I'm still relatively young and still hanker after a sports car such as the V12V. The DBS is a grand tourer and whilst it looks stunning is much too big for me and wouldnt even fit in my garage it's that long.
The V12V is very similar in size to my previous GT3 although it is wider but looks like a work of art rather than a beetle on steroids.
You just need to work out if the Vantage or DB will suit your needs.
Anyone that thinks he DBS is just a grand tourer is very much mistaken. Agreed it can pose very well as a GT, but spend some time on a race track... Have driven both around a track, there is very little in it. I'm still relatively young and still hanker after a sports car such as the V12V. The DBS is a grand tourer and whilst it looks stunning is much too big for me and wouldnt even fit in my garage it's that long.
The V12V is very similar in size to my previous GT3 although it is wider but looks like a work of art rather than a beetle on steroids.
You just need to work out if the Vantage or DB will suit your needs.
Mako V12V said:
bananarob said:
Mako V12V said:
Each of these cars are no better or worse than the other. They both have qualities which will suit different people.
I'm still relatively young and still hanker after a sports car such as the V12V. The DBS is a grand tourer and whilst it looks stunning is much too big for me and wouldnt even fit in my garage it's that long.
The V12V is very similar in size to my previous GT3 although it is wider but looks like a work of art rather than a beetle on steroids.
You just need to work out if the Vantage or DB will suit your needs.
Anyone that thinks he DBS is just a grand tourer is very much mistaken. Agreed it can pose very well as a GT, but spend some time on a race track... Have driven both around a track, there is very little in it. I'm still relatively young and still hanker after a sports car such as the V12V. The DBS is a grand tourer and whilst it looks stunning is much too big for me and wouldnt even fit in my garage it's that long.
The V12V is very similar in size to my previous GT3 although it is wider but looks like a work of art rather than a beetle on steroids.
You just need to work out if the Vantage or DB will suit your needs.
And if the DBS is "too long" to qualify as a sports car, then the V12V being a foot shorter would also be disqualified on that figure of merit.
I test drove a DBS with a Works driver a couple of weeks ago and with his blessing gave it a bit of beans on the slip roads of the A3.Downshifting the touchtronic a couple of gears below what you would normally do and then feel the back end come out really demonstrated that this car is a lot more sportscar when driven with a bit of attitude than what you would initially believe.
I still like the rawness of my V12V but I do understand where the DBS owners are coming from.
I still like the rawness of my V12V but I do understand where the DBS owners are coming from.
Edited by clorenzen on Monday 9th April 07:50
Before we leave the interior, I suppose we should pause to laugh at the microscopic rear seats, fitted only so the car can be sold in America as a four-seater — it isn’t — but then really we have to get back to the way this thing drives.
What’s most astonishing of all is the way it’s so utterly sublime on a track — both the Stig and Tiff Needell say it’s the best driver’s car of them all — but when you are just driving along, it is so docile and quiet. It really is, then, the absolutely perfect grand tourer.
And yet it’s so much more than that. It’s the absolutely perfect car.
Clarkson's verdict
Jeremy Clarkson Aston Martin DBS Volante review | Driving - Times Online
Any other questions ?
ks, but I guess I should expect that from Top Gear nowadays.IMO they have different briefs - the V12V is a beast of drivers car that makes your palms sweat 
and the DBS is a super GT for crossing continents in a day. Most DBS' are Touchtronic, there is no auto option on the V12V, that rather says it all! I must confess that I love the DBS' styling it looks more the grown up supercar and has a higher status, but ultimately it is all down to what you want from the car.
and the DBS is a super GT for crossing continents in a day. Most DBS' are Touchtronic, there is no auto option on the V12V, that rather says it all! I must confess that I love the DBS' styling it looks more the grown up supercar and has a higher status, but ultimately it is all down to what you want from the car.Clarkson said the V12V is "wonderful, wonderful, wonderful" on Top Gear.
As I noted in another thread a while back, Clarkson also said in one of his videos in relation to the V12V:
"The DBS is very possibly the best grand tourer in the world. No, no, I’m sorry, that’s ridiculous. It is the best grand tourer in the world. Certainly it’s aimed at the older gentleman. Some who’s perhaps a bit fat, maybe a bit bald. This is different. This is more of a sports car . . . you are in a scalpel world of pure, razor-edged perfection. It is extraordinary how this has the same engine, the same diff, the same drivetrain as the DBS and yet it’s so incredibly different to drive. Must be because this has a shorter wheelbase. It’s so much more edgy, more nervy, more precise. This really is not a car that you take liberties with. You concentrate. You really, really concentrate. There’s more too. It accelerates faster than a DBS and turns more sharply as well. It’s just more vivid, and that’s mainly because it’s lighter."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XhMDwSlfyo&fea...
As I noted in another thread a while back, Clarkson also said in one of his videos in relation to the V12V:
"The DBS is very possibly the best grand tourer in the world. No, no, I’m sorry, that’s ridiculous. It is the best grand tourer in the world. Certainly it’s aimed at the older gentleman. Some who’s perhaps a bit fat, maybe a bit bald. This is different. This is more of a sports car . . . you are in a scalpel world of pure, razor-edged perfection. It is extraordinary how this has the same engine, the same diff, the same drivetrain as the DBS and yet it’s so incredibly different to drive. Must be because this has a shorter wheelbase. It’s so much more edgy, more nervy, more precise. This really is not a car that you take liberties with. You concentrate. You really, really concentrate. There’s more too. It accelerates faster than a DBS and turns more sharply as well. It’s just more vivid, and that’s mainly because it’s lighter."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XhMDwSlfyo&fea...
Edited by Rex Racer on Monday 9th April 13:14
Lunablack said:
Quite surprised that anyone would care one way or the other what Clarkson thinks about anything
Laughable, isn't it?
He gets slated (often rightly) for talking nonsense and then, suddenly, when it suits a particular argument, his judgement is final.
Edited by whoami on Monday 9th April 14:44
No one is saying that Clarkson's judgment is "final." However, at least his comments reflect a direct comparison of the two cars. To date, I haven't found any other direct comparison by anyone in automotive journalism.
What I take away from Clarkson is that which of the two cars is "best" depends upon what you want in a car. If you lean toward the grand touring end of the spectrum, DBS is probably the better choice. If you lean toward the sports car end of the spectrum, V12V is probably the better choice.
Personally, I don't care what others think. For me, it's the V12V. It suits my needs best.
What I take away from Clarkson is that which of the two cars is "best" depends upon what you want in a car. If you lean toward the grand touring end of the spectrum, DBS is probably the better choice. If you lean toward the sports car end of the spectrum, V12V is probably the better choice.
Personally, I don't care what others think. For me, it's the V12V. It suits my needs best.
whoami said:
Laughable, isn't it?
He gets slated (often rightly) for talking nonsense and then, suddenly, when it suits a particular argument, his judgement is final.
Edited by whoami on Monday 9th April 14:44
Whilst bored watching the Masters I thought I would throw something in to get everyone ranting. It worked
Both cars are of course stunning. Go drive both then take your pick.
Rex Racer said:
No one is saying that Clarkson's judgment is "final." However, at least his comments reflect a direct comparison of the two cars. To date, I haven't found any other direct comparison by anyone in automotive journalism.
What I take away from Clarkson is that which of the two cars is "best" depends upon what you want in a car. If you lean toward the grand touring end of the spectrum, DBS is probably the better choice. If you lean toward the sports car end of the spectrum, V12V is probably the better choice.
Personally, I don't care what others think. For me, it's the V12V. It suits my needs best.
Very well said!What I take away from Clarkson is that which of the two cars is "best" depends upon what you want in a car. If you lean toward the grand touring end of the spectrum, DBS is probably the better choice. If you lean toward the sports car end of the spectrum, V12V is probably the better choice.
Personally, I don't care what others think. For me, it's the V12V. It suits my needs best.
Mako V12V said:
Rex Racer said:
No one is saying that Clarkson's judgment is "final." However, at least his comments reflect a direct comparison of the two cars. To date, I haven't found any other direct comparison by anyone in automotive journalism.
What I take away from Clarkson is that which of the two cars is "best" depends upon what you want in a car. If you lean toward the grand touring end of the spectrum, DBS is probably the better choice. If you lean toward the sports car end of the spectrum, V12V is probably the better choice.
Personally, I don't care what others think. For me, it's the V12V. It suits my needs best.
Very well said!What I take away from Clarkson is that which of the two cars is "best" depends upon what you want in a car. If you lean toward the grand touring end of the spectrum, DBS is probably the better choice. If you lean toward the sports car end of the spectrum, V12V is probably the better choice.
Personally, I don't care what others think. For me, it's the V12V. It suits my needs best.
Lunablack said:
Quite surprised that anyone would care one way or the other what Clarkson thinks about anything
I'll stick up for Clarkson. If you take his comparisons and comments literally you will misunderstand. Other motoring journalists adopt the technical approach (and often get it very wrong and are just as subjective). The value of Clarkson is to provide an alternative, pragmatic, mood-driven viewpoint. Seems to me that is precisely the way to view cars. I love 911s and then I bought a couple of Astons and a couple of Ferraris, which I love. But some days, I feel like a blast in a Porsche again. Mood changes are important and therefore direct comparison is often irrelevant.
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