V12 advice

[PauloV12V]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2553...

Right then, Manual is the keeper.

[Flugplatz]

But the "S" is the better car even if the journos all jumped on the same band wagon moaning about the gearbox which is now my favourite part of ownership and I came from the worlds best double clutch gbox in the 991GT3.

I think its weird to ignore the progress of the "s" for the romance of a manual.
I never even considered one.

[roughrider]

Flugplatz said:

But the "S" is the better car even if the journos all jumped on the same band wagon moaning about the gearbox which is now my favourite part of ownership and I came from the worlds best double clutch gbox in the 991GT3.

I think its weird to ignore the progress of the "s" for the romance of a manual.
I never even considered one.

Take this review for example,,,, tell me otherwise, but i'm sure the V12S is NOT in Sport mode [see onboard footage], and Owen seems unaware of "full throttle shifts" [flatshift]. When not in Sport mode, the hydraulic pressure to the clutch/gearchange actuators is reduced, hence a slower shift. The flatshift feature in Sport mode, gives incredibly fast gearshifts above 5500rpm. Journalists need a proper handover by somebody that knows the Aston Martin features!!!!

https://youtu.be/BU_qEHpRiCo

[GT Two]

I could of bought the S and preferred the look of the S, some nicer details and wheels. I chose the earlier car because I wanted a manual. I then changed some bits to later S items.

Shocker that people defend their own choice of car!….

Both great, choose what you prefer.

[cayman-black]

Flugplatz said:

But the "S" is the better car even if the journos all jumped on the same band wagon moaning about the gearbox which is now my favourite part of ownership and I came from the worlds best double clutch gbox in the 991GT3.

I think its weird to ignore the progress of the "s" for the romance of a manual.
I never even considered one.

Right, and the new GT3 is better than the old one.
Its the old one that has the following though.

[andy_mc]

PauloV12V said:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2553...

Right then, Manual is the keeper.

Awesome article - and I just love the quote from Adrian Newey about the V12V: "... that is simply the greatest road car ever made. "

[Flugplatz]

cayman-black said:

Right, and the new GT3 is better than the old one.
Its the old one that has the following though.

My post was not having a go at manual owners!!!
(although reading it back a few hours later I can see it could look that way)

My emotion was aimed at the journos who have done sloppy reviews on the "S".

I really disliked the 997 is better than the 991 sound bite that you live with as a GT3 owner
and certainly would not want to split sides here with fellow Gentleman V12V owners.

[cayman-black]

Flugplatz i did not think that for one minute. There all great cars and some will prefer one model to another.
As to the V12V if you own a manual car or the S version for me they are both very special cars and we are lucky to own them! Best wishes Paul.

[GT Two]

Flugplatz, cars often with 'Excellent, but….' reviews fair much differently over time.

I had an early Gallardo with a eGear box and preferred it to the silky smooth double clutch boxes I have driven. A bit of rawness and a kick when you change gear adds to the experience IMO. I always used to lift a little in the Lambo, never bothered me one minute and nice to feel I had some interaction with the car during changes.

[waremark]

For quite a few of you, your love for the car is independent of the specification. I am normally a sucker for wanting the latest model, but not in the case of the V12V. I simply would not want a car with a single clutch paddle shift - nor, as it happens, one with fixed bucket seats. I love the V12V, but I think it is likely to be my only Aston.

I was surprised by Chris's implication that things are always going wrong on Astons. My impression is that reliability is not too bad.

[cayman-black]

The V12V being my first Aston i would say i have been surprised about the build quality, every where i look its seems very well built and just as good as any Porsche that i have owned.
For me a Range Rover gives you a regal feeling when driving, the Aston gives the same specialness but in a sports car way.

[Jon39]

roughrider said:

. . . Owen seems unaware of "full throttle shifts" [flatshift].
The flatshift feature in Sport mode, gives incredibly fast gearshifts above 5500rpm.

The S can presumably exceed 70mph in 2nd gear.
If so, then on public roads, that would be one flatshift gearchange and the other six would remain a dream.

[roughrider]

Jon39 said:

roughrider said:

. . . Owen seems unaware of "full throttle shifts" [flatshift].
The flatshift feature in Sport mode, gives incredibly fast gearshifts above 5500rpm.

The S can presumably exceed 70mph in 2nd gear.
If so, then on public roads, that would be one flatshift gearchange and the other six would remain a dream.

Absolutely officer! First to second flatshift [Sport mode] is taken care of by the car at the rev limit, so no need to use the + paddle,,,its spectacular!! Also, Owen didn't mention Optimal Downshifting, available in Sport mode.

These cars are die hard reliable....

Edited by roughrider on Saturday 26th December 12:56

[bentley01]

I could of bought a V12s for not much more than the manual I bought recently. I love them both and I completely understand why people have made their choices. For me I prefer the look of the manual car (mainly the grill) and I wanted a manual as a keeper car. We are all very lucky Merry Christmas everyone

[CSK1]

cayman-black said:

For me a Range Rover gives you a regal feeling when driving, the Aston gives the same specialness but in a sports car way.

A Range Rover and an Aston, the perfect pair!

[CSK1]

waremark said:

I simply would not want a car with a single clutch paddle shift - nor, as it happens, one with fixed bucket seats.

I'm a fan of the manual gearbox too but SportshiftIII is fantastic if used as a manual with the paddles only. I wouldn't want to go back to a manual in this car. Gearbox is perfectly tly suited to this very focussed car. I wouldn't want any other seats than the lightweights I have, they also suit the car.

[mblade123]

CSK1 said:

cayman-black said:

For me a Range Rover gives you a regal feeling when driving, the Aston gives the same specialness but in a sports car way.

A Range Rover and an Aston, the perfect pair!

Best of British

[waremark]

CSK1 said:

waremark said:

I simply would not want a car with a single clutch paddle shift - nor, as it happens, one with fixed bucket seats.

I'm a fan of the manual gearbox too but SportshiftIII is fantastic if used as a manual with the paddles only. I wouldn't want to go back to a manual in this car. Gearbox is perfectly tly suited to this very focussed car. I wouldn't want any other seats than the lightweights I have, they also suit the car.

Cars like these are all about what gives each of us pleasure.

[cayman-black]

mblade123 said:

Best of British

Good idea mblade !

[Jon39]

bentley01 said:

I could of bought a V12s for not much more than the manual I bought recently. I love them both and I completely understand why people have made their choices. For me I prefer the look of the manual car (mainly the grill) and I wanted a manual as a keeper car.

Both you and waremark have mentioned a preference for manual.

From the comments reportedly made by Andy Palmer, there is recognition that making manuals an option, will result in additional sales. If it is easy for the Company to incorporate into production, then it would certainly be sensible business decision, because by then, Aston Martins might be the only manual sports cars available.