Behold the new DB9. OK, so when we say 'new' we mean newish,
but behold it anyway. It is a thing of beauty. Despite its issues
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| Aston Martin DB9 |
Butterscotch. Trundle wheel. skinny-dipping. It really
doesn't matter what we write here. We can tell you the new Aston DB9 doesn't
drive as well as 911, we can point out the many flows with its interior. But if
you possess eyes, you will say, "I don't care if it's engineered by the
Chuckle Brothers. I want one
But let's imagine that you are one of the people who bought
the original Subaru Tribeca, therefore blind to aesthetics and able to consider
the new DB9 objectively. Or perhaps, the 'new' DB9. Though it sits on the same
underpinnings as every pervious DB9, Aston claims this is a fresh car. Sixty
per cent of the exterior panels are new ( and virage-like ), while the bonded aluminum
chassis is 20 per cent stiffer than before. But wriggle into the cabin and it's
apparent this is the same DB9 we've been admiring for a decade. The dash layout
is identical and remains not very good
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| Aston Martin DB9 |
Aston still hasn't figured out how to connect its radio and
satnav until into one cohesive whole. To the dot-matrix (dot-matrix!) info
display, one set of buttons; to the so-so Garmin satnav, an independent swathe higher
up the centre console. You can’t even have your 132,000 Euro DB9 with DAB
digital radio. The 11,000 Euro Vauxhall Adam comes with DAB as standard. That
said, this DB9 feels fresher than the Virage we drove last year) that car has
now disappeared from the Aston line-up, which now runs DB9-DBS-Vanquish in the hotness
hierarchy). And the DB9 drives tidily, too. The way this thing glides down
bumpy country lanes puts its continental rivals- Even the new 911- to shame,
For a big, big-wheeled GT, it has an almost Lotus-like ability to shrug off
potholes
The Six-speed auto doesn't fee; cutting-edge byt does its job, and
though the carbon ceramic brakes can be a bit squeaky when cold, they're strong
and progressive one warm. But crank out your inner Stig, and the BD9 feels less
sorted. The best sports cars seem to shrink around you as you drive them
harder, but the DB9 swells, revealing the limitations of its aging
architecture. Though its front end is set very sharp there's a vagueness to the
softer rear, contributing to the
sensation that the two halves aren't quite working together. It's neither dangerous
nor appalling, but doesn't give you masses of confidence to push on. This
remains a car to be driven at a brisk pace, not on its very pretty door handles.
The v12, which Astron calls a 'new generation' of engine and we call
'suspiciously similar to the old one’, makes 40bhp more than the old db9 but-
and though this sounds like a daft thing to say about a 510bhp, 6.0-litre
behemoth- doesn't feel that fast. That's fine, thought. This is a big, grand
British toured, not an ankle-biting mid-engine coupe, and the DB0 makes up for
a lack of face-bending pace off the line by wafting deep into triple figure
speed on as easy, linear surge of power. And more importantly, it sounds
entirely wonderful, churning out the bellowing, squawking, woofing soundtrack
of an exotic menagerie at feeding time
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| Aston Martin DB9 |
At least, it does if you remember to
hit the sport button on the dash, which not only puts the exhaust into
distort-overdrive mode but also awaken the throttle noticeably. So noticeably,
in fact, that one you've calibrated to it, accidentally flipping back into
non-sport mode makes the BD9 feels so hamstrung, you'll be convinced it has
become significantly broken and resorted to limp-home mode. So there it is: new
DB9, same as it ever was. Gorgeous to loot at, fair to drive, getting pretty
ancient on the inside. Is that enough? Let’s be honest, if Aston froze all
R&D and continued building this very DB9 for the rest of eternity, its
looks alone would ensure it'd find buyers in a couple of decades. But if you
have a soft spot for Aston, surely you'd prefer to see it, If not at the
cutting edge if technology, at least not slipping in the other direction. But
there is hope, In late 2012, private equity firm Investindustrual injected 150m
in exchange for a 37.5 per cent stake in the company. Ok, that's not enough to
engineer an all-new car, but the money men's contacts book might be as useful
as their cash: investindustrial previously took Ducati into partnership with
AMG, and Mercedes source has hinted they could provide engines, gearboxes and
electronics to Aston. Of the idea of German oily bits in your very British GT
sounds odd, don't forget AMG supplies Pagani withits fearsome v12s. and let's
be honest: if Aston keep making this pretty, most of the world won't give a
damn what's under the skin
Aston Martin DB9 coupe Specs
The numbers: 5935cc, V12, RWD, 510bhp, 457lb ft, 19.8 mpg,
333g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 4.6secs, 183 mph, 1785kg
The cost: 131,995 Euro
The verdict: New DB9, same old DB9, Magnificent to behold,
magnificent to hear, but less-than-prefect in many respects. We're guessing you
can forgive it
