Test Drive V8VS Tomorrow

[hashluck]

Test driving a Vantage S tomorrow. Test driving a Masrerati GaranTurismo Sport Saturday. I will report back!

Quick question as there is conflicting info on the Aston website, is the S model fitted with Sportshift as standard?

Any opinions here on Manual vs Sports Shift as a Daily Driver? Mostly dual carriagemway and motorway

Anything else I should consider given this will be a daily driver (15K miles per annum) - other than the depreciation and running costs of course!

[moveover]

I'd be interested to hear your views on the Maserati, as I'm thinking of making the switch from my V8V.

[hashluck]

Well I have already driven the Cabrio version of the Maserati and will be driving the Coupe Saturday as there was some scuttle shake I wanted to be sure was the Cabrio and not present in the Coupe. It was great but very low tech so I need to play some more and make sure I can live with that (this will be a daily driver remember). The clever Maserati money is on a used example (say 13 plate Sport) since the car is little changed in terms of updates but they are trying to tempt me into a new car. I drive an Audi A7 at the moment and know in many ways with either the Aston or Maserati I will be going slightly backwards but I want a car that touches my soul whilst I can still enjoy it. One last proper V8 before they are virtually outlawed lol/

I was also looking at a used DB9 but the deals on V8V at the moment are really good (wonder if this is the F-Type winning a lot of sales or ??)

I think both cars are stunning to look at so it will be which one I can get the best deal on and which I think I can cross Europe in and do 15K miles a year in.

May I ask why you are looking to change the V8V?

[Padley69]

Fantastic predicament ! Enjoy the experience.
My chum gets his new Gran Turismo (white) in March and I'm looking forward to see how it compares to my V12V (Onyx Black). For music lovers out there, we're planning on being the new Monochrome Set....

[pb1695]

Sportshift II Automated manual is now standard, and is miles better than the original sportshift 'box. A slight feathering of the throttle on upshifts to smooth the changes is the only adaptation you need to make.

The Granturismo Coupe is much stiffer than the Grancabrio, you will still feel more flex though than the Aston, the car is also much heavier and feels it, it is also a big car - long and wide, the V8S is diminutive in comparison. Lovely machine though and the noise is sublime.

Have fun and nice choice to have!

[hashluck]

Thanks that is very useful. The A7 is very big and I parked it next to the Maserati and they are about the same so no issues there. I figured out I really do not need 4 seats though so can consider the Aston V8VS and a smaller car would be nice. Having said that I am certainly after more Grand Tourer than Sports Car so I may be looking at the wrong Aston but I do have budget constraints as well to a point. Have not ruled out used DB9 either though. Need to drive that as well.

[Biggriff]

Test drove the GT cabrio recently at a Driving DAy for the Dealers. To be honest it felt like a car that had been designed by committees that never met. Not at all impressed.

[pb1695]

hashluck said:

Thanks that is very useful. The A7 is very big and I parked it next to the Maserati and they are about the same so no issues there. I figured out I really do not need 4 seats though so can consider the Aston V8VS and a smaller car would be nice. Having said that I am certainly after more Grand Tourer than Sports Car so I may be looking at the wrong Aston but I do have budget constraints as well to a point. Have not ruled out used DB9 either though. Need to drive that as well.

The DB9 is certainly a better bet as a GT, the V8S is much firmer in the suspension set up, I personally quite like that however when I took my wife out last week in ours, she really hated it and complained for 45 minutes - still the Hi Fi was good enough to drown out her suggestion that pressing the Sport Button was not necessary!

If the badge is not such a big issue, and a GT is what you are looking for the Jaguar XKR-S or standard XKR would be a better choice (IMO) than either the Maserati or the DB9 - better build quality (although lacks the "bespoke" feel of either), performance and handling. There are also some very strong deals on them at the moment.

Alternatively, there are also some good value Continental GT's available nearly new / ex demo, and they are both exceptional as a GT but also beautiful to behold.

I hope adding the extra suggestions does not make the choice any more difficult - good luck!

[cayman-black]

Of the masers the one that i like the best is the MC Sradale but after looking at them i really do think they are a little ugly and big, long. The Aston is far better looking imo.
The V12V even more so.

[hashluck]

pb1965 - no I really do not need more choices lol! Though I appreciate hearing about them in case I missed something. I have strange ways of reaching a shortlist and I am happy that it is likely either Maserati or Aston at the moment (and there is no winner on looks for me so it is purely about driving and overall cost of ownership).

I cannot remember why I ruled out Bentley but I did, I just think a bit 'old school' for me. As for Jaguar, well I have a Mark 2 sat in the garage and I do not think anyone should have '2 Jags' even if one of them is 50 years old! However there is a Jaguar dealer right next door to the Aston dealer so I will be paying them a visit to keep the Aston and Maserati dealers honest and you never know! I see there are already deals to be had on the F-Type Coupe for example.

Really looking forward to making the choice even it will be a costly one, I have just hit 50 so need to get this out of my system. Boring default is RS5, RS6, RS7 - RS6 I have driven and is exceptional but I really want to be different this time (which kind of rules out the Jaguar as well for me).

[Phil74891]

Hashluck - I too just hit 50, and also narrowed my search down to a Vantage or Maserati GT.

In the end I decided I wanted more of a sports car than a GT, and went for the Vantage, which I'm certain will also do the GT bit admirably. Plus it's an Aston.....

I pick up my V8S on March 1. Try the Manual and SSII, you can get an S with either option now. I went for SSII. I found shifts between first and second in town are just ok, great beyond that, and much faster than a manual, once you get used to it.

Enjoy the driving at the weekend, and make sure you press the 'S' button in the V8S.

[hashluck]

Hi Phil - how interesting! I see the S can be had with 'comfort' suspension (I assume from the standard V8V) which might prove a happy compromise for a more GT experience. Maser has the 'Sport' button as well which is fun!

[Jon39]

hashluck said:

I drive an Audi A7 at the moment and know in many ways with the Aston, I will be going slightly backwards ...

Cripes, now I have spilt my Vodka Martini.

Please remember on here, we are all in love with our Aston Martins.

Oh by the way, what is an A7? I have seen Audi cars with A4, A5 and A6 written on the back, but they all look the same to me. Everyday saloon cars I think they are called.

Edited by Jon39 on Thursday 30th January 15:53

[hashluck]

LOL I was referring specifically to the Tech (oh and quattro). The A7 is laden with it. The Maserati is conspicuously not. I have not played with the Aston yet but know it lacks a lot of toys in comparison. Not an issue for this purchase as there is a lot more to it. I know already you lot are fair minded if of course biased to Aston.

Oh and the A7 is a Hatch(Sport)back but then I am sure you knew that already :-)

[Phil74891]

Hashluck - I test drove a standard Vantage 4.7 with the comfort suspension. I felt the V8S with sports suspension was significantly better in many respects. I also drove a V12.......amazing, but I decided the V8S offered the best compromise between cost and performance, plus I was sold on the SSII.....which you couldn't get on the V12. Then of course Aston launched the V12S with SSIII - two weeks after I ordered the V8S! Different prospect altogether though, and no deals to be had for the foreseeable future I would expect. Bottom line is that they're all superb cars, with perhaps the V8S being the sweet spot in the range? (I'm sure the V12 boys will shoot me down on that one )

[tonyhall38]

if its toys you want then forget the Aston....Ann Summers do a good range though...

so i hear.....

[SFO]

what sort of deals are available on Vantages at the moment?

[hashluck]

Depends where you are. In the UK 3 years 0% PCP with servicing.

[Jon1967x]

I test drove the massa and was very disappointed with it and thought the interior was poor - the door cards just seemed to be a right angle at the top. I thought the massa looked great but it's just slow... I think it's more like a db9 in setup but way down on power and class. I ended up in a v8vs

If it' has the semi auto box then do as others have said and lift slightly when changing and use the paddles and dont touch the D button for auto. The auto changes can feel a but clunky, partly because you don't know when it's about to change and so don't lift.

The suspension might feel pretty firm at first but the harder you drive it the better it gets.

[Jon39]

SFO said:

what sort of deals are available on Vantages at the moment?

You can get 40% off list plus options.

The majority of owners are very careful with their Aston Martins, so you get a 'new' car, but the odometer might say 8,000 miles. On with the dateless plate, and jobs a good'n.

Oh, then you have to think what to do with that spare £40,000.