tested a V8vantage and was a bit disappointed
Discussion
The big problem was the gearbox. The car was 18 months old so had the mk2 version of the box. Starting off from parked, the change in auto was very poor with a grabby clutch and jerky delayed changes. As the car warmed uop it imporved but was still nothing like the gearboxes in the 430, the F type or the PDK boxes I have tried. To the point of being unacceptable.
Now I know that enthusiasts frown on flappy paddles but SWMBO cannot handle a manual box so I need the auto bit for her.
Got to say that the rest of the car wasnt something that left me feeling "I must have one" in the way that the 430 did and surprise surprise the F type. Seemed very well finished inside but somehow a bit stodgy and old fashioned. And the costs of ownership seemed pretty high, with the £1300 annual insurance guarantee being a necessity given that a replace engine is 30K!!!
Disappointed - I wanted to buy British.
Now I know that enthusiasts frown on flappy paddles but SWMBO cannot handle a manual box so I need the auto bit for her.
Got to say that the rest of the car wasnt something that left me feeling "I must have one" in the way that the 430 did and surprise surprise the F type. Seemed very well finished inside but somehow a bit stodgy and old fashioned. And the costs of ownership seemed pretty high, with the £1300 annual insurance guarantee being a necessity given that a replace engine is 30K!!!
Disappointed - I wanted to buy British.
bordseye said:
Disappointed - I wanted to buy British.
It will have to be a Morgan then.
With British ownership, it is more British than Aston Martin.
Or, you could wait two years, then you can probably have a Vantage with the gearbox you like.
A DB9 or Vanquish is fitted with a proper auto box.
bordseye said:
The big problem was the gearbox. The car was 18 months old so had the mk2 version of the box. Starting off from parked, the change in auto was very poor with a grabby clutch and jerky delayed changes. As the car warmed uop it imporved but was still nothing like the gearboxes in the 430, the F type or the PDK boxes I have tried. To the point of being unacceptable.
Now I know that enthusiasts frown on flappy paddles but SWMBO cannot handle a manual box so I need the auto bit for her.
Got to say that the rest of the car wasnt something that left me feeling "I must have one" in the way that the 430 did and surprise surprise the F type. Seemed very well finished inside but somehow a bit stodgy and old fashioned. And the costs of ownership seemed pretty high, with the £1300 annual insurance guarantee being a necessity given that a replace engine is 30K!!!
Disappointed - I wanted to buy British.
Did you try the sport button? I find D mode much better in sport.Now I know that enthusiasts frown on flappy paddles but SWMBO cannot handle a manual box so I need the auto bit for her.
Got to say that the rest of the car wasnt something that left me feeling "I must have one" in the way that the 430 did and surprise surprise the F type. Seemed very well finished inside but somehow a bit stodgy and old fashioned. And the costs of ownership seemed pretty high, with the £1300 annual insurance guarantee being a necessity given that a replace engine is 30K!!!
Disappointed - I wanted to buy British.
My understanding of the Sports Shift box as fitted to Vantage is that it is not an automatic but an assisted manual, and is much better using the paddles rather than the D function. It is not a good comparison to the PDK or the old slush fully automatic boxes as they are a completely different design and functionality. Plus in fairness you are comparing a design which is 11 years old with up to the minute cars. I have a Porsche PDK and a manual Vantage, the Porsche is easier to drive but the Vantage is by far the better car in how it feels to be in it.
Also you need to practice a bit with them to get the best from them. I drove one with the Mk 1 box and using the paddles and throttle correctly resulted in a smooth ch age, but D was bloody awful.
Maybe the answer is simply buy one of the other cars.
Also you need to practice a bit with them to get the best from them. I drove one with the Mk 1 box and using the paddles and throttle correctly resulted in a smooth ch age, but D was bloody awful.
Maybe the answer is simply buy one of the other cars.
You'll not want a vantage if you want an automatic. The box comes into its own when pushing on a bit and while driving slowly in stop start is possible it's not where it shines.
A db9 and slippers if you want that.
And if you think an F-type gives you more 'ooo' then you don't get the Aston thing, buy the Jag. There are hundred for sale so you shouldn't have much problem finding one.
A db9 and slippers if you want that.
And if you think an F-type gives you more 'ooo' then you don't get the Aston thing, buy the Jag. There are hundred for sale so you shouldn't have much problem finding one.
Where does the worry about an engine failure come from? In 10 years ive never heard of anyone have an engine fail on any aston forums? If you need the £1300 warranty on a Aston you definitely need it on any other premium car too like Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo etc. You can find examples of major faults and big bills with any of them. However, there are plenty of examples of high mileage Astons used daily.
Most owners will say the ASM gearbox takes a bit of getting used to in order to drive smoothly, Ive never driven one long enough myself, only on limited test drives. I still prefer the manual. If your wife needs an auto then the larger Astons have a traditional auto gearbox. However, if you don't like the interior on the Vantage then you wont in any of them as they are all a variation on a similar theme
You don't *have* to like them, we all buy whatever suits our needs/preference. Jag and Porsche make some great cars if you need a daily driver sportscar. You don't see many F430 daily drivers with 100k miles on them, they appeal to a different niche of the market to an Aston. It would be nice to have both of course
Most owners will say the ASM gearbox takes a bit of getting used to in order to drive smoothly, Ive never driven one long enough myself, only on limited test drives. I still prefer the manual. If your wife needs an auto then the larger Astons have a traditional auto gearbox. However, if you don't like the interior on the Vantage then you wont in any of them as they are all a variation on a similar theme
You don't *have* to like them, we all buy whatever suits our needs/preference. Jag and Porsche make some great cars if you need a daily driver sportscar. You don't see many F430 daily drivers with 100k miles on them, they appeal to a different niche of the market to an Aston. It would be nice to have both of course
Agree with some of the others - if you want an auto car, DO NOT even consider a sportshift Aston
There are a few examples of single clutch automated manuals that are not too bad in auto mode - 599 Ferrari, one of the last Ferraris to use the single clutch box they dub 'F1', which is actually based on similar underpinnings to the Aston box, is an example that springs to mind
But again as others have said, this is a clutchless manual with paddles instead of a stick - it is not an automatic box and it needs to be driven as a manual. In many ways, Aston should never have even put a 'D' button in sportshift cars to solve the confusion
The two advantages over 3 pedal manual are firstly that gearshifts are quicker than any human can manage with a stick & a clutch pedal plus secondly, you can keep your hands on the wheel. That's it though - nothing more, nothing less
Incidentally, spent some time with the F type. It looks modern but actually, found an awful lot of surfaces very cheap to the touch and when you lift the bonnet, the swathes of cheap plastic really surprised me. It looks more modern, but feels cheap. Modern does not necessarily = quality. It's down to personal preference of course and the Astons have some cheap areas like the stalks they desperately need to upgrade, but I found the 2 cars quite different.
I also was amazed that in soft top form in both instances, the F type makes the Vantage seem roomy, in cabin, boot, space behind seats, indeed every area
F type does look stunning though, I think is fairly well put together, sounds great and goes well. Certainly better suited if looking for an auto, although it's bl**dy wide for a 'new' design
There are a few examples of single clutch automated manuals that are not too bad in auto mode - 599 Ferrari, one of the last Ferraris to use the single clutch box they dub 'F1', which is actually based on similar underpinnings to the Aston box, is an example that springs to mind
But again as others have said, this is a clutchless manual with paddles instead of a stick - it is not an automatic box and it needs to be driven as a manual. In many ways, Aston should never have even put a 'D' button in sportshift cars to solve the confusion
The two advantages over 3 pedal manual are firstly that gearshifts are quicker than any human can manage with a stick & a clutch pedal plus secondly, you can keep your hands on the wheel. That's it though - nothing more, nothing less
Incidentally, spent some time with the F type. It looks modern but actually, found an awful lot of surfaces very cheap to the touch and when you lift the bonnet, the swathes of cheap plastic really surprised me. It looks more modern, but feels cheap. Modern does not necessarily = quality. It's down to personal preference of course and the Astons have some cheap areas like the stalks they desperately need to upgrade, but I found the 2 cars quite different.
I also was amazed that in soft top form in both instances, the F type makes the Vantage seem roomy, in cabin, boot, space behind seats, indeed every area
F type does look stunning though, I think is fairly well put together, sounds great and goes well. Certainly better suited if looking for an auto, although it's bl**dy wide for a 'new' design
bogie said:
Where does the worry about an engine failure come from? In 10 years ive never heard of anyone have an engine fail on any aston forums?
V8 road car in 5 years i have seen 3 failures not anything to do with customer misuse / abuse. In comparison a minimum of 1 db9 per month needing rebuild. I think this is evident in wider world, there are so many '9's advertised stating 'new engine fitted'. The V8 is generally bombproof whereas a neglected '9 could need a bomb to keep on road.BamfordMike said:
bogie said:
Where does the worry about an engine failure come from? In 10 years ive never heard of anyone have an engine fail on any aston forums?
V8 road car in 5 years i have seen 3 failures not anything to do with customer misuse / abuse. In comparison a minimum of 1 db9 per month needing rebuild. I think this is evident in wider world, there are so many '9's advertised stating 'new engine fitted'. The V8 is generally bombproof whereas a neglected '9 could need a bomb to keep on road.BamfordMike said:
bogie said:
Where does the worry about an engine failure come from? In 10 years ive never heard of anyone have an engine fail on any aston forums?
V8 road car in 5 years i have seen 3 failures not anything to do with customer misuse / abuse. In comparison a minimum of 1 db9 per month needing rebuild. I think this is evident in wider world, there are so many '9's advertised stating 'new engine fitted'. The V8 is generally bombproof whereas a neglected '9 could need a bomb to keep on road.Still, a few scary big bill stories on forums must raise hundreds of thousands of pounds in renewal premiums for aftermarket warranty providers ...I guess that's a true picture of reliability i.e how much the aftermarket warranty is..."only" £1300...they cant have had their fingers burnt enough yet
How much do we reckon a DB9 aftermarket warranty is for a 10 year old 100k mile car ?
I remember once trying to get an aftermarket warranty on a TVR Tuscan and they wouldnt cover it......
Honestly - just get a Porsche if you are worried about engine reliability. Hang on! GT3 con rods, scored bores on young 911 and Caymans, that rear main seal thing that costs everyone thousands (just Google 'porsche rms' or 'porsche sco...' and they both pop up before you even hit enter...)?
Not 'generally' Porsche bashing as had my heart set on a GT3 before their catastrophies killed the notion (and after committing to the £10k) but they really are having a VERY bad patch currently.
On Astons pre 2010 V12's can have little end issues so nothing whiter than white here either... BMW's swallow swirl flaps destroying engines (Nikasil M3's too...). My dad's Audi A6 engine shot at 69k...
ALL manufacturers seem to drop HUGE engineering clangers. Which is rather shocking really.
Not 'generally' Porsche bashing as had my heart set on a GT3 before their catastrophies killed the notion (and after committing to the £10k) but they really are having a VERY bad patch currently.
On Astons pre 2010 V12's can have little end issues so nothing whiter than white here either... BMW's swallow swirl flaps destroying engines (Nikasil M3's too...). My dad's Audi A6 engine shot at 69k...
ALL manufacturers seem to drop HUGE engineering clangers. Which is rather shocking really.
Not sure that the DB9 is better looking car than a Vantage ?? It's long it's got two silly seat things in the back for what? The Vantage is king in looks, drive it correctly keep the revs up get a 6 speed manual .... Get the wife a bus ticket or a Ford Fiesta
Possibly Porsche or Italian cars are marginally quicker but who cares? get a Bamford Rose clutch or a Velocity clutch learn to drive it hard......doubt you will need anything else?
It will still be stunning in years to come and besides when you put off the garage light and go up to bed you can smile it's an Aston
Many guys I know tire quickly with the other brands, yet love the Astons year after year
Possibly Porsche or Italian cars are marginally quicker but who cares? get a Bamford Rose clutch or a Velocity clutch learn to drive it hard......doubt you will need anything else?
It will still be stunning in years to come and besides when you put off the garage light and go up to bed you can smile it's an Aston
Many guys I know tire quickly with the other brands, yet love the Astons year after year
Not sure that the DB9 is better looking car than a Vantage ?? It's long it's got two silly seat things in the back for what? The Vantage is king in looks, drive it correctly keep the revs up get a 6 speed manual .... Get the wife a bus ticket or a Ford Fiesta
Possibly Porsche or Italian cars are marginally quicker but who cares? get a Bamford Rose clutch or a Velocity clutch learn to drive it hard......doubt you will need anything else?
It will still be stunning in years to come and besides when you put off the garage light and go up to bed you can smile it's an Aston
Many guys I know tire quickly with the other brands, yet love the Astons year after year
Possibly Porsche or Italian cars are marginally quicker but who cares? get a Bamford Rose clutch or a Velocity clutch learn to drive it hard......doubt you will need anything else?
It will still be stunning in years to come and besides when you put off the garage light and go up to bed you can smile it's an Aston
Many guys I know tire quickly with the other brands, yet love the Astons year after year
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