There’s not much that will out-drag a DB9 in a straight line. The Aston has more than enough performance to satisfy its intended market.
But just as the V12 hasn’t been tuned purely for maximum power, so the performance it offers has been subtly managed. In short, there isn’t a better drivetrain on sale.
Simply select Drive and the DB9 is a conventional automatic. One that with the ESP disengaged summons impressive traction, and chirps its way to 30mph in 2.0sec. Remembering its GT pretensions, the DB9’s acceleration figures are pretty impressive: 60mph in 5.4sec, 100mph in 11.3sec and 150mph in 26.9sec.
When there’s the need to have more control over gear selection, just nudge one of the paddles for the manual override. No, it can’t change quite as swiftly as the best hydraulically actuated manual ’boxes, but it’s much closer to their speed than they are to matching its smoothness in auto mode, rendering everything, bar Audi’s DSG system, obsolete.
There are annoying chassis compromises in the DB9, but even so, it remains a fine blend of comfort and agility. By conventional Aston standards, it is very firmly sprung. There’s more sound-deadening than in the Vanquish, but over pitted tarmac the DB9 jiggles the way every 190mph sports car does.
There’s beautifully controlled damping regardless of speed however; you are deflected by surprisingly small intrusions, but they’re always sorted in one movement.
The limited-slip differential is tight, though. Tight enough for wet-weather sideways heroics with the ESP off. On a dry surface only the insane will try to find where the grip ends.
Steering feel is always going to take a hit in something this big and hydraulically assisted: the DB9’s rack feels curiously heavy. Heavy enough to make directing the DB9 feel harder than it really is. It’s an odd choice, given how hard the engineers have worked on the chassis.
