DBS v California T
Discussion
Was anyone at Millbrook Thursday afternoon? There were a few Astons working out. I got an invite from Ferrari to try out the California T. I have to say that despite having bought two cars from Aston Martin one of which was new, I’ve never had an invite to Millbrook. I’d dropped into JCT600 in Leeds a few weeks ago to enquire about the Cali T. This was prior to there being any demonstrators available. Had a good chat with the sales guy who promised to let me know when their demonstrator was due in. He subsequently rang when their car arrived and additionally invited me to a performance driving day at Millbrook. How could I refuse?
So how does the Cali T compare to my DBS? Well overall it was very impressive. Obviously there’s a lot of much newer technology in the Cali T. Ferrari have been clever with the power set-up and it's hard to tell you're driving a turbo with little in the way of turbo lag. The DCT gearbox is way superior to the TT2 on the DBS with superquick shifts both up and down through the gears. The launch control system is now usable without destroying the clutch after a few goes, although I suspect most people would not have much opportunity to make full use of the system on UK roads. The CCM brakes have also been upgraded and had great stopping power. Ferrari reckon both discs and pads should last “more or less for the life of the car”. I presume that depends on driving style, track days etc. My instructor reckoned they should be good for the 7 year service plan even with spirited driving. Having read some of the recent posts on here about the AM CCMs and problems it would be nice to have some confidence in the longevity of the brakes. The steering felt pin sharp and again superior to the DBS. The handling and suspension was superb and I had much more confidence throwing the car around on the Alpine circuit than I would have felt with the DBS. It felt much more agile and nimble than the DBS does on fast A/B class roads. The interior of the Cali T also has a more sporty appearance, whilst the DBS is a bit more luxurious. Both are very nice places to be. I found the speedometer on the fezza a pain to read. The analogue dial is offset to the right and hard to see due to the steering wheel. There is a digital display but again it is offset left and not as easy to see the speed as it is on the digital display in the AM. It may be that it is possible to change the display set-up but I forgot to ask about that. I have the impression that there’s more usable legroom with the rear seats in the Cali T compared to the DBS. With the front seats right forward I had more space in the back of the fezza. I’ll need to get my 2 boys into one to verify that. Boot space is pretty good even with the top down. The rear seats can be folded to give an extra load through space from the boot.
As far as looks are concerned, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love the lines of the DBS. The restyled Cali T is however an improvement on the original and I like it a lot.
When it comes to sound however my DBS trumps the Italian stallion. With the 200 cell cats and valves switched to open the fezza stood no chance. It would be interesting to see what it was like with similar exhaust changes.
In summary, the DBS is a great GT and will eat up motorway cruises all day but doesn’t quite do as well on the twisty A roads especially if you want some spirited driving. The Cali T generally feels and handles in a much more sporty manner. It’s probably more like a Vantage but with the benefit of the rear seats. Old v new technology is perhaps not a fair comparison.
Should I swap my DBS? It’s certainly tempting, much as I love the AM. Price is an issue as it’s a big hike (especially if you add on the optional extras) that I’m finding hard to justify. If I take that out of the equation, I probably wouldn’t hesitate to jump ship and try something new.
So how does the Cali T compare to my DBS? Well overall it was very impressive. Obviously there’s a lot of much newer technology in the Cali T. Ferrari have been clever with the power set-up and it's hard to tell you're driving a turbo with little in the way of turbo lag. The DCT gearbox is way superior to the TT2 on the DBS with superquick shifts both up and down through the gears. The launch control system is now usable without destroying the clutch after a few goes, although I suspect most people would not have much opportunity to make full use of the system on UK roads. The CCM brakes have also been upgraded and had great stopping power. Ferrari reckon both discs and pads should last “more or less for the life of the car”. I presume that depends on driving style, track days etc. My instructor reckoned they should be good for the 7 year service plan even with spirited driving. Having read some of the recent posts on here about the AM CCMs and problems it would be nice to have some confidence in the longevity of the brakes. The steering felt pin sharp and again superior to the DBS. The handling and suspension was superb and I had much more confidence throwing the car around on the Alpine circuit than I would have felt with the DBS. It felt much more agile and nimble than the DBS does on fast A/B class roads. The interior of the Cali T also has a more sporty appearance, whilst the DBS is a bit more luxurious. Both are very nice places to be. I found the speedometer on the fezza a pain to read. The analogue dial is offset to the right and hard to see due to the steering wheel. There is a digital display but again it is offset left and not as easy to see the speed as it is on the digital display in the AM. It may be that it is possible to change the display set-up but I forgot to ask about that. I have the impression that there’s more usable legroom with the rear seats in the Cali T compared to the DBS. With the front seats right forward I had more space in the back of the fezza. I’ll need to get my 2 boys into one to verify that. Boot space is pretty good even with the top down. The rear seats can be folded to give an extra load through space from the boot.
As far as looks are concerned, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love the lines of the DBS. The restyled Cali T is however an improvement on the original and I like it a lot.
When it comes to sound however my DBS trumps the Italian stallion. With the 200 cell cats and valves switched to open the fezza stood no chance. It would be interesting to see what it was like with similar exhaust changes.
In summary, the DBS is a great GT and will eat up motorway cruises all day but doesn’t quite do as well on the twisty A roads especially if you want some spirited driving. The Cali T generally feels and handles in a much more sporty manner. It’s probably more like a Vantage but with the benefit of the rear seats. Old v new technology is perhaps not a fair comparison.
Should I swap my DBS? It’s certainly tempting, much as I love the AM. Price is an issue as it’s a big hike (especially if you add on the optional extras) that I’m finding hard to justify. If I take that out of the equation, I probably wouldn’t hesitate to jump ship and try something new.
I had a nice drive out in the sun this morning in the Gray Paul demo, interesting drive so here are my impressions;
Looks
The revised styling is much much better IMHO, with the horiziontal chrome grill it all ties together well.
The new California Blue is nice and works well, having seen a 458 spider in a similar colour to California Red I'd take that! Roof is wizardry and works well, only down side is you have to stop to move it and hold the button through the whole motion. I can understand, that cover is like a sail!
Handling
Off we went in Sport mode. Thankfully the back roads were quiet
Loved the quick turn in and well balanced weight, the magnetic dampers helped smooth out the bumpy back roads, nice touch helping you to press on even on bad roads. Didn't feel as fast as it is, probably because it is quiet and civilised. No pops or bangs, it will make a great GT for eurohoons. An after market back box will sort the sound out for the back roads Brakes were impressive, a nice bit of modulation to begin with then a good sharp bit. I've often found other ceramics to be all or nothing.
Gearbox
I've used a few DCT style boxes now and this one is up there! Very fast almost "invisible" changes, impressive stuff. Auto works well and flies up to 7th as they all do. It is intelligent enough to let you manually intervene (for an overtake or quick blast) and then takes control back once you have settled down again I used to find this conflicted with my driving style on a DSG box, but that was soon sorted putting it in manual One thing I didn't like is running in Auto and tickling the throttle to change speed wouldn't drop it down and resulted in drone from the exhaust 
Again soon sorted by using Manual mode 
Engine
I quite like turbo'ed engines, it is impressive bit of kit!
Too quiet though, even with the roof down Apparently the sports exhaust is just a different trim )
Weird to hear turbo whistle in a Ferrari as well.
Interior
No way that is a 2+2, with my driving position there was no gap for even a gnats whisker
Good for luggage space though on a Euro tour and probably a necessity as the boot is compromised with the roof down (95% of our driving would be that way)
The dash and controls are "interesting" I get the controls on the wheel but the indicators need some more thought, they don't seem to have the 3 blinks function like my Aston and aren't as self cancelling either. I found myself accidentally leaving them on and not seeing the dash indicator as the wheel was in the way (my driving position again). Also try indicating with any amount of lock on Sat nav screen was hard to read, no way I could look at the road ahead and just glance down to read the road numbers. Why didn't they repeat it in the dash pod? Heater controls are way too small and poorly positioned. Too many buttons scattered around in weird positions (parking sensor mute by the rear view mirror but rear view camera view change behind the steering wheel. The "joy stick" for the VDA and info screen obscured to the right of the wheel). Fora car car with ~300 miles on it had a LOT of rattles and squeaks, this is a bug bear of mine. Generally a bit disappointed with the interior
Other Stuff
7 year service package AND factory warranty extendable to match = impressive (are you listening Aston )
Gray Paul were very professional and informative. They are going to have a dilema with these. They only have an allocation of ~2 cars per month per dealer and have Gray Paul already used up to April 2015! Seems weird Ferrari are limiting their "volume" entry level car like this, should keep residuals high though!
Will I buy one?
I'm still on the fence after today's drive
I think I need to spend more time in one and really push it
Looks like I needs to get on a Ferrari Millbrook day
Looks
The revised styling is much much better IMHO, with the horiziontal chrome grill it all ties together well.
The new California Blue is nice and works well, having seen a 458 spider in a similar colour to California Red I'd take that! Roof is wizardry and works well, only down side is you have to stop to move it and hold the button through the whole motion. I can understand, that cover is like a sail!
Handling
Off we went in Sport mode. Thankfully the back roads were quiet
Loved the quick turn in and well balanced weight, the magnetic dampers helped smooth out the bumpy back roads, nice touch helping you to press on even on bad roads. Didn't feel as fast as it is, probably because it is quiet and civilised. No pops or bangs, it will make a great GT for eurohoons. An after market back box will sort the sound out for the back roads
Brakes were impressive, a nice bit of modulation to begin with then a good sharp bit. I've often found other ceramics to be all or nothing.Gearbox
I've used a few DCT style boxes now and this one is up there! Very fast almost "invisible" changes, impressive stuff. Auto works well and flies up to 7th as they all do. It is intelligent enough to let you manually intervene (for an overtake or quick blast) and then takes control back once you have settled down again
I used to find this conflicted with my driving style on a DSG box, but that was soon sorted putting it in manual One thing I didn't like is running in Auto and tickling the throttle to change speed wouldn't drop it down and resulted in drone from the exhaust Again soon sorted by using Manual mode Engine
I quite like turbo'ed engines, it is impressive bit of kit!
Too quiet though, even with the roof down
Apparently the sports exhaust is just a different trim )Weird to hear turbo whistle in a Ferrari as well.
Interior
No way that is a 2+2, with my driving position there was no gap for even a gnats whisker
Good for luggage space though on a Euro tour and probably a necessity as the boot is compromised with the roof down (95% of our driving would be that way)
The dash and controls are "interesting" I get the controls on the wheel but the indicators need some more thought, they don't seem to have the 3 blinks function like my Aston and aren't as self cancelling either. I found myself accidentally leaving them on and not seeing the dash indicator as the wheel was in the way (my driving position again). Also try indicating with any amount of lock on
Sat nav screen was hard to read, no way I could look at the road ahead and just glance down to read the road numbers. Why didn't they repeat it in the dash pod? Heater controls are way too small and poorly positioned. Too many buttons scattered around in weird positions (parking sensor mute by the rear view mirror but rear view camera view change behind the steering wheel. The "joy stick" for the VDA and info screen obscured to the right of the wheel). Fora car car with ~300 miles on it had a LOT of rattles and squeaks, this is a bug bear of mine. Generally a bit disappointed with the interior Other Stuff
7 year service package AND factory warranty extendable to match = impressive (are you listening Aston
)Gray Paul were very professional and informative. They are going to have a dilema with these. They only have an allocation of ~2 cars per month per dealer and have Gray Paul already used up to April 2015! Seems weird Ferrari are limiting their "volume" entry level car like this, should keep residuals high though!
Will I buy one?
I'm still on the fence after today's drive
I think I need to spend more time in one and really push it
Looks like I needs to get on a Ferrari Millbrook day
Is it just me who thinks the California T looks awful?
The press shots on the release actually made it look alright, but after seeing some pictures of it in the real world, it looks horrible!
The previous model was hardly good looking, but at least it was paying homage to the 250 GT California. The new one is just a mess. That grille!
I'd keep the DBS if I were you!
The press shots on the release actually made it look alright, but after seeing some pictures of it in the real world, it looks horrible!
The previous model was hardly good looking, but at least it was paying homage to the 250 GT California. The new one is just a mess. That grille!
I'd keep the DBS if I were you!
George29 said:
Is it just me who thinks the California T looks awful?
The press shots on the release actually made it look alright, but after seeing some pictures of it in the real world, it looks horrible!
The previous model was hardly good looking, but at least it was paying homage to the 250 GT California. The new one is just a mess. That grille!
I'd keep the DBS if I were you!
Wow. Yes the press shots look great, but that is The press shots on the release actually made it look alright, but after seeing some pictures of it in the real world, it looks horrible!
The previous model was hardly good looking, but at least it was paying homage to the 250 GT California. The new one is just a mess. That grille!
I'd keep the DBS if I were you!
No personal experience with the California, but I love the DBS (almost bought one). A friend of mine that is a long-time Porsche guy just drove the California T and was very underwhelmed by it. He's considering an Aston now, just starting to look around since he's looking beyond Porsches now.
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