What is it?
This is the car that marks the end of the road for the short-lived Virage but, claims Aston, also fills the gap “perfectly” between the entry level V8 Vantage and the new Vanquish at the top of the range. It’s a heavily revised but also more expensive version of the DB9, it costs an eye-watering £131,995 and it boasts a rousing 510bhp at 6500rpm.
That’s good enough to send the new, 1785kg DB9 to 62mph in just 4.6sec and on to a top speed of 183mph. Compared with the previous car, CO2 emissions have dropped a touch to 333g/km, which is useful, although the capacity of the V12 remains at 5935cc with torque rising slightly to 457lb ft at a 5500rpm.
The styling upgrades are as obvious as they are beautiful in the metal. Overall the new DB9 has more than a whiff of the Virage about it visually, and there’s not a lot wrong with it for that (unless you were one of the 1100 or so buyers who invested in a Virage, in which case you mightn’t be quite so delighted by the latest DB9).
Aston’s designers and engineers are particularly proud about the pedestrian protection that has been achieved despite the car retaining its endearingly long, low-slung bonnet. They’ve also introduced adaptive damping to the all-round double wishbone suspension, which features three different modes – Normal, Sport and Track – that help “transform” the DB9 on the move.
Perhaps even more significantly, carbon-ceramic brakes now come fitted as standard – as they did on the Virage. They help reduce the DB’s unsprung weight while improving its braking performance and longevity, and all without removing any feel at the pedal. These alone help justify the jump in list price compared with the outgoing model.
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Could do better
I really do love Aston Martin but this time they have come up with a disappointment.I expected more from AM when there were talks of launching a new model of the DB9.I expecteda change in design at the least.No matter the old design is beautiful but we my eyes crave for something fresh and new.Besides at £131,995 I would prefer getting a Porsche 911 GT3.Its got far superior specs than the DB9.
porsche repair orange mercedes repair orange
Too slow
Sure, 0-60 times are not the be-all and end-all and the DB9 is not designed to be a blood 'n' guts performance car, but neither is the BMW M135i - Chris Harris's most recent PistonHeads vid clocked the M135i's 0-60 at 4.49secs.
Being less accelerative than variosus 911s and the GTR is one thing, but a £130k 6.0-litre V12 GT that's more tardy than a £30k BMW hatchback is just plain feeble.
Incidentally, similar to the DB9, the M135i also uses a ZF autobox with flappy-paddles but the latter has the latest spec 8-speeder, whereas the former still uses the state-of-the-ark 6-speeder. So, that's feeble and outdated - impressive.
The DB9 has been around for
The DB9 has been around for almost 10 years and is getting long in the tooth, despite various updates over the years. But when it looks this stunning it is understandable why Aston seem reluctant to wheel out an all-new replacement anytime soon because this car is sold on looks and badge alone. If customers wanted a more capable and better GT, they'd plump for a Jag XK, but as excellent and stunning looking the XK is, it doesn't quite have the cache of the Aston, regardless of price.
As for Aston's design direction, yes their cars look good, but they all look far too similar and all the model shares at least one feature with one another, while the dashboard (bar the new Vanquish's) are identical. People say all Porsches look the same, but that's only because each model bears a resemblance to its predecessor, rather than each model looking like everything else in the range. I don't struggle to deferentiate a 911 with a Cayenne or a Boxster with a Panamera. If Ferrari can produce a similar line-up to Aston's, but have all their cars looking unique inside and out, but still recognisable as a Ferrari, why can't Aston.
exactly!
You wrote my thoughts!
AM should really move-on other wise, it will end up as the old AM back in the pre-Ford era.