Aston Martin DB11 'Complaints'

[Vespah]

There are certain things you don't notice until you are faced with them:

Like why don't the sun visors on the DB11 move to the left of the driver's head?
Why does the radio have to be on when the Sat Nav is on?
Why doesn't this $230,000 car have a heated steering wheel?

I've driven my new car 3 times since I bought it recently and these are the things I have noticed. I'm guessing I will have a whole list of quirks as I get more familiar with it.

[Octavarium]

There are certain things I notice when I drive mine too :

- it drives impeccably at all speeds
- it’s extremely comfortable at all times
- it’s Diavolo Red and looks fantastic

Now run along and give your head a wobble

Edited by Octavarium on Saturday 13th March 08:43

[paulrog1]

Your driving a DB11 and you notice those things!!!!!

I would just put your foot down, go round some twistys and listenen to that exhaust!!!

Get some sunglasses and driving gloves if your hands are cold

[Octavarium]

paulrog1 said:

Your driving a DB11 and you notice those things........I would just put your foot down, go round some twistys and listenen to that exhaust!!!

Get some sunglasses and driving gloves if your hands are cold

Exactly. He/she has just bought a DB11 for chrissakes. Wait until he/she finds out that the auto stop/start is always on by default

[oilit]

Brilliant ! - Gloves, glasses, and window/roof down !

What more do you need when you have a V8/V12 planted next to your feet

[Dewi 2]

Vespah said:

...... Why doesn't this $230,000 car have a heated steering wheel?

I am sorry that your are disappointed, having spent so much.

I suppose Aston Martin owners have many different requirements, which must make it difficult for the manufacturer.

I like NOT having;
Turbocharger
Auto gearbox
Stop-Start
Auto wipers
Auto headlights
Running lights on bright days
Keyless entry - (thefts reported)
Auto handbrake
Park assist
Touch screens


I like;
Beautiful understated design
Wonderful natural exhaust sound
Handling balance 50:50
Adequate power for road use (not 600+ bhp, which then won't allow 600 bhp in 1st or 2nd gears.)


As for a heated steering wheel - well it does sound good, as long as I can adjust the temperature.


Enjoy your car Vespah and please forgive the quirks.

[Agent57]

Dewi 2 said:

I like NOT having;
Turbocharger
Auto gearbox
Stop-Start
Auto wipers
Auto headlights
Running lights on bright days
Keyless entry - (thefts reported)
Auto handbrake
Park assist
Touch screens


I like;
Beautiful understated design
Wonderful natural exhaust sound
Handling balance 50:50
Adequate power for road use (not 600+ bhp, which then won't allow 600 bhp in 1st or 2nd gears.)

[steveamv8]

Vespah said:

There are certain things you don't notice until you are faced with them:

Like why don't the sun visors on the DB11 move to the left of the driver's head?
Why does the radio have to be on when the Sat Nav is on?
Why doesn't this $230,000 car have a heated steering wheel?

I've driven my new car 3 times since I bought it recently and these are the things I have noticed. I'm guessing I will have a whole list of quirks as I get more familiar with it.

That's it !!!!!!!. That's horrendous, How dare they.!!!!!

Give it to me

I will get rid of it for you

[LTP]

Vespah said:

There are certain things you don't notice until you are faced with them:

Like why don't the sun visors on the DB11 move to the left of the driver's head?
Why does the radio have to be on when the Sat Nav is on?
Why doesn't this $230,000 car have a heated steering wheel?

OK, let me give you some potential answers from my observations - they may not be absolutely accurate.

1. The sunvisor. If you look at the front header (the beam that runs across the inside at the top of the windscreen) and the cantrail (the beam that runs along the top of the door and rear quarter glass) where they come together is the area you'd normally have a pivoting mechanism. Setting aside that this is a high-strength area for the roof crush test, which is not a place you'd want to attach a metal mount that an occupant's head could hit, you also have to try to work out where the pivot would need to be so that it would not only allow the visor to shade from the front but also swing to the side, missing the occupant's head, and provide a meaningful shade to the door glass. I know in my V8V, from the rake of the screen, depth of the header and cantrail that you couldn't make it work and I suspect the same of the DB11. The fundamental issue is the exterior style plus the need to meet crash regulations. You could always get a Range Rover, as they are nice and upright, with plenty of room for big, fat sunvisors.
2. Radio on with SatNav. The turn-by-turn satnav voice guidance uses the car speakers. Which means it needs to use the ICE amplifiers. So you need to have the amplifiers powered. So I guess the radio needs to be on.
3. Heated steering wheel. I think you bought too early - it's part of the "Comfort pack" which is now an option on the DB11. Like most manufacturers, AML adds features during the model life, for various possible reasons. To give something new to make people upgrade (look at how Porsche dribble the models and the options into the 911 range). Because they couldn't develop all the options in time for the initial launch. Because they didn't have the technology available to them at the time. This falls into the same categories as things like blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and park assist. I don't know which of the possible reasons I list, if any, would apply to your DB11

There's always that Range Rover - if you like driving a house brick.

typos fixed, plus some tidying

Edited by LTP on Saturday 13th March 14:48

[F1NDW]

I replaced a CL600 which could more or less drive itself and had every conceivable extra in its day (radar cruise control and a fantastic sat nav system) with a first generation Vanquish which didn't even have a vanity mirror on the sun visors. Its Sat Nav was a complete joke and it didn't have cruise control. As a driving experience it left the CL for dead.

Edited by F1NDW on Saturday 13th March 22:03

[LooneyTunes]

paulrog1 said:

Get some sunglasses and driving gloves if your hands are cold

Aren’t they obligatory? These are, after all, old man cars.

Regarding the nav system, if the system has to be powered for nav to work, surely one could just turn the audio down to 0? I don’t recall encountering a built in nav system where the audio and the nav volume levels weren’t independently set.

[Westlondondriver]

LooneyTunes said:

Aren’t they obligatory? These are, after all, old man cars.

Regarding the nav system, if the system has to be powered for nav to work, surely one could just turn the audio down to 0? I don’t recall encountering a built in nav system where the audio and the nav volume levels weren’t independently set.

Yes I just mute and unmute the radio on my DB11 with the button on the steering wheel. No issue.

[8Tech]

Dewi 2 said:

I am sorry that your are disappointed, having spent so much.

I suppose Aston Martin owners have many different requirements, which must make it difficult for the manufacturer.

I like NOT having;
Turbocharger
Auto gearbox
Stop-Start
Auto wipers
Auto headlights
Running lights on bright days
Keyless entry - (thefts reported)
Auto handbrake
Park assist
Touch screens


I like;
Beautiful understated design
Wonderful natural exhaust sound
Handling balance 50:50
Adequate power for road use (not 600+ bhp, which then won't allow 600 bhp in 1st or 2nd gears.)


As for a heated steering wheel - well it does sound good, as long as I can adjust the temperature.


Enjoy your car Vespah and please forgive the quirks.

I couldn't agree more. Less is more in these cars. I also dont want mobile interweb, Apple i-play, steering headlamps, auto lights, massaging seats or laser headlamps. I want beauty, power, performance and soul, not a driveable computer that falls apart as soon as the warranty expires.

In fact, my DB9 doesnt even have bluetooth, front foglamps, a useable radio or sat nav, rear seats for humans over the age of 3 or HID main beams,...........and I dont miss any of them.

Edited by 8Tech on Monday 15th March 15:05

[SHIFTY]

Moved from AM to a brief period with Porsche and now back with AM.

The first thing my other half stated when picking up my Vanquish was that there was no glovebox or interior lights on the vanity mirrors, do I care, no.

At the time I looked at the DB11 and Vantage but reminded me of all of the useless technology in the Porsche, no such rubbish in the Vanquish.

[Octavarium]

8Tech said:

I couldn't agree more. Less is more in these cars. I also dont want mobile interweb, Apple i-play, steering headlamps, auto lights, massaging seats or laser headlamps. I want beauty, power, performance and soul, not a driveable computer that falls apart as soon as the warranty expires.

In fact, my DB9 doesnt even have bluetooth, front foglamps, a useable radio or sat nav, rear seats for humans over the age of 3 or HID main beams,...........and I dont miss any of them.

Reminds me of Python's 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch ? "But you try telling the young people of today that - and they won't believe you."

I think I need a glass of Chateau de Chasselay.

[TarquinMX5]

Octavarium said:

8Tech said:

I couldn't agree more. Less is more in these cars. I also dont want mobile interweb, Apple i-play, steering headlamps, auto lights, massaging seats or laser headlamps. I want beauty, power, performance and soul, not a driveable computer that falls apart as soon as the warranty expires.

In fact, my DB9 doesnt even have bluetooth, front foglamps, a useable radio or sat nav, rear seats for humans over the age of 3 or HID main beams,...........and I dont miss any of them.

Reminds me of Python's 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch ? "But you try telling the young people of today that - and they won't believe you."

I think I need a glass of Chateau de Chasselay.

Exactement.

You were right lucky; we had solid tyres, no brakes out back, no roof, cardboard boxes for seats but we were appy

[cayman-black]

should definitely have bought a Porsche 992.

[Cold]

I'm with the OP. It's a GT car, not a trackday special, so it should be geared towards comfort and usability, especially usability. Buy an Elise if you want a car without a glovebox or with useless sunvisors. You'll still get leather seats and an aluminium chassis.
I'm not sure why Aston decided to overlook some of the basic features that really should be included in a car designed for long distances.

[LooneyTunes]

Cold said:

I'm with the OP. It's a GT car, not a trackday special, so it should be geared towards comfort and usability, especially usability. Buy an Elise if you want a car without a glovebox or with useless sunvisors. You'll still get leather seats and an aluminium chassis.
I'm not sure why Aston decided to overlook some of the basic features that really should be included in a car designed for long distances.

You’re heading into Bentley territory there... everything you and the OP are saying is missing is on Conti. The trade off is that you compromise on handling/performance.

I’ve always felt that Aston sits between Ferrari and Bentley in terms of both performance and luxury and is all the better for it.

[Cold]

I'd be interested to know how much of an effect on handling a glovebox would make to an 1800kg car.