Driven: Aston Martin V12 Vantage
It’s an Aston – but not as we know it

Don’t read too much into Aston’s choice of launch location. The new V12 Vantage may carry many developments learned at the nearby Nürburgring, but is a road car, pure and simple. And one that doesn’t half go…

Welcome to the Eifel mountains. As the fleet of chauffeur-driven Lexus hybrids delivers members of the British press to the Dorint Hotel, campers at the ‘Ring are preparing for the forthcoming 24-hour race, several days away. Passions run deep round here.

The presentation, from the no-less-intense Aston Martin engineering and management team, focuses on how the new car has been developed, and quite how difficult the task was to squeeze six litres of V12 into the space normally occupied by a 4.7-litre V8. One thing is made completely clear from the outset: this is a new car, a “completely different” car, and one that will appeal to both marque loyalists and converts from Audi (R8 V10), Ferrari (F430) and Porsche (911 GT2).

It is neither a track-day special, nor a marketing exercise to produce stunning sub-eight-minute laps at the Nürburgring (it will do them, though, if you’re interested). Its purpose in life is to give an owner – a “focused driver” – the ultimate Aston Martin driving experience. Fast – very fast – but with the Aston Martin twist of discretion, British style and character.

Stand a V12 Vantage next to its eight-cylinder brother and the differences are subtle, but immediately noticeable. Firstly, the heavily louvred bonnet also features a pronounced power-bulge to cover the much larger motor. There’s a carbonfibre splitter, a 6-bar (vs. grille, front air-scoops, a rear bootlid spoiler developed on the N24 racer, side-sills from same, and a rear diffuser (also carbonfibre) incorporating a deeper oil-cooler. As a ‘super-performance’ Aston, it carries a black badge, as does the DBS.

Forged and machined 19-inch wheels carry unique-to-the-car, super-sticky Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres. The width of these at the back is now 11-inches – an increase of 1.5-in over the V8 and a change requiring yet more re-engineering. In fact, as Chief Programme Engineer Paul Barritt explains, one of the biggest challenges faced by the company was just to fit it all in. The steering rack has been modified and the V12 has a new sump, alternator and oil pump.

Inside, the cabin is to Aston’s regular 2009-spec with only simple changes that include: lightweight carpet, an Alcantara-covered steering wheel and carbonfibre door pulls. Sat-nav is standard, as is the Emotional Control Unit crystal key. Hats off to the Gaydon team for resisting the temptation for in-car timing, a roll-cage or six-point harness.

It’s not a track car, remember.

The seats – Hallelujah! – are the truly superb lightweight buckets of the DBS. The fitment of these one-piece, no-airbag-sensor designs, together with other changes to the front of the car do mean, however, that the car cannot be sold in North America.

A final few words on the technical front. Looking at a cross-section of the car from windscreen forward, superimposed onto that of the V8, you can see that the engine is about half a wheel’s width longer than the V8. So, considering that, and the extra weight of the V12, they’ve done a pretty good job to finish up at 1680kg compared with 1630kg for a V8. Weight distribution moves by two percentage points from 49/51 front/rear to 51/49.

Brembo Carbon Ceramic (CCM) brakes complete the picture, but don’t forget the ‘fun button’; the Sport switch that sharpens up the engine mapping and gives a louder exhaust note.

The route for the test drive involved near-300kms of mainly single-track roads around the Mosel valley, many of which replicate the famous circuit with its twists and turns, drops and rises, and long, long straights.

The countryside was stunning and, once we’d made the obligatory navigation error at the second way-point, we started to get the measure of the new car. Straight away it’s apparent that the ride is stiffer than the V8. There’s no adjustment, or ‘sport’ mode for the dampers; it’s the best set-up for this car. ‘Trust us’, imply the Gaydon engineers.

Having got the hang of both the route and fundamentals of the car it was time to open it up. The nicely weighted accelerator offers a good connection to the throttle, and burying the pedal throws the car forward in a way unique to a 12-cylinder. There’s no neck-snapping ‘crack’ à la F430; it’s sheer, linear acceleration of the smoothest kind, made more subtle by a raised final drive ratio (3.71:1 from 3.909:1).

The rev-counter makes its swift progress anticlockwise while the digital speedo becomes a blur. 250+km/h (155mph) is easy progress and seems to come up in a moment. The company quotes a 0-100km/h (62mph) figure of 4.2 seconds. Good, but it’s the mid-range performance of the motor, and well-spaced ratios, that give strong acceleration all the way to its 305km/h (190mph) maximum.

There’ll be no roadster, or robotised manual Sportshift, for the V12 Vantage, by the way. The six-speed manual does the job and third and fourth gear will get you most places in a (tremendous) hurry. We hardly used sixth, even on the autobahn. Drive it like this, however, and you will get to know your local petrol pump attendant; the trip computer was showing 22l/100km. That’s around 12-13mpg. Ouch.

And the tyre supplier won’t be missing out, either – the Pirellis are terrific, they make the steering that much more poised than in the V8 and put the power down superbly, but I can’t see them lasting long at this pace. Through crests, rises and hairpins the car is anchored to the road, with the traction control cutting in unobtrusively, but frequently.

And when you’re accelerating strongly through a bend in third gear, at 150km/h (or 93mph), you’ll want it, believe me. And wet weather driving? Take care, and make sure you have some tread on the tyres – this car deserves respect.

Devastating speed and fine handling, massive stopping power via the ventilated Carbon Ceramic discs and a road presence unique to the marque – that’s all going to be a given with the new car.

The single most impressive feature of the V12 Vantage, however, is the way the big engine just reels the horizon in with so little fuss, in a manner totally different from the rest of the range. In fact ‘reel’ is a good analogy – the well-oiled action of big game fishing reel that converts rotational muscle power into linear speed.

By coincidence, our test car was finished in one of the colours unique to the new car: Mako Blue. The Mako, should you not know, is a type of shark known for its spectacular speed and agility. Good name, Aston.

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage costs from £135,000 in the UK. Deliveries will start in July 2009. New colours for the car include: Mako Blue (as tested), Hardly Green and Magma Red. The launch cars were also available in Titanium Silver and Quantum Silver.

Please CLICK HERE to see a photo-gallery of the new V12 Vantage.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage: Specification

Body: Two-door, two-seat coupe

Engine: All-alloy quad overhead cam 48-valve 5935cc V12
Compression ratio 10.9:1
Front mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive
Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves

Maximum Power
510bhp (380kW / 517PS) at 6500rpm

Maximum Torque
570Nm (420lb ft) at 5750rpm

Acceleration
0-62mph (100km/h) in 4.2 seconds
0-60mph in 4.1 seconds

Maximum Speed
190mph (305km/h)

Fuel Economy
Urban 11.64mpg / 24.26 l/100km
Extra Urban 24.05mpg / 11.74 l/100km
Combined 17.28mpg / 16.35 l/100km

CO2 388g/km

Transmission:
Rear mid-mounted six-speed manual gearbox. Alloy torque tube with carbonfibre propeller shaft
Limited-slip differential
Final Drive Ratio 3.71:1

Steering:
Rack and pinion

Suspension:
Front: Independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers Rear: Independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, dual-rate coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers

Wheels:
Front: 9in x 19in
Rear: 11in x 19in

Tyres:
Front: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 255/35 ZR19
Rear: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 295/30 ZR19

Brakes:
Front: Ventilated Carbon Ceramic discs 398mm diameter with six-piston calipers
Rear: Ventilated Carbon Ceramic discs 360mm diameter with four-piston calipers
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Track mode
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
Traction Control

Length: 4380mm (172.5in)
Width: 1865mm (73.5in) (excluding door mirrors)
2025mm (80in) (including door mirrors)
Height: 1241mm (49in)
Wheelbase: 2600mm (107.9in)
Fuel tank capacity: 80 litres (17.6 Imp. Gal. / 21.1 US Gal)
Weight: 1680kg (3704lb)

http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/maga…0.asp?id=14188

Well guys, it was a beautiful sunny SoCal day yesterday, and I’ve been meaning to get my front passenger door looked at since the courtesy light keeps shorting out. Yesterday being a Sunday, I did not realize the service center was closed, so I figured I’d go dealer hopping.

1st Stop: The Jaguar dealer.
As soon as I entered there was a pristine White ‘09 XF. Gorgeous. I walked around and inspected every inch of that car. Very kit. But what surprised me was that the also had an ‘10 XFR in black with 20 inch Nevis (I think that’s what they are called) wheels. It was evil and aggressive. The interior is even more ridiculous than the white Premium, with cinnamon leather and orange stitching on the black leather portion, with smoke gray wood. The Bowers & Wilkins sound system was crisp and powerful. Overall fit and finish: very, very good. I overheard the rep say something that perked my ears "all the 2010 XFRs are spoken for and sold-out" That put a smile on my face since I have a soft spot for Jags. I thought seeing the XFR was the highlight, but, au contraire, for this particular dealer was also an Aston Martin dealer! Unfortunately I could not sit in any of them, but it’s alright. But it get’s even better, while I was chatting with the Jar rep, which, by the way, are extremely courteous and genile, I see peeking in the back area…..a D-B-S!:icondrool I asked if I could go back and look at it, and the rep was more than happy to oblige. It was in this dark gray color called "obsidian" and it certanly looked like an obsidian rock…polished and deep and lustrous. The rep and I talked for what must of been 10 mins about the car, clearly he was as taken aback as I was. After that he left to tend to some clients. I swear, I must of just stared at that car for 10 minutes straight. Going over the same details at least 5 times. Every detail on that car is just absolutely perfect. Elegant but aggressive. Subtle (compared to other supercars) but downright special. That is probably my favorite car now….Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and all the other showy cars (except Pagani), IMO, have nothing on this car. As I walked out of that dealership, I still felt flabbergasted.

2nd stop: BMW.
My main point was to see if the new 7er was there, and it was. They had an F01 and an F02 there, both in black. The F01 had the 19" Style 252 wheels, and they are gorgeous in person. The interior was was the oyster leather with the ash grain wood. Very nice, but I’d prefer the matte fine line wood. THe interior is definitely well crafted, but I do have a complaint: the storage lids are flimsy. The glove box, I thought, would have a bit more substance, but that’s not the case. Also the little compartment by the driver’s left knee is extremely flimsy, something you’d find in a late 1980’s era GM. Ok, it’s not that bad, but definitely not what I’d expect from a German car that’s a few grand shy of six figures. The F02 had the fine line gloss wood with black leather with the ceramic option, which looks quite unique in person. The wheels were the Style 235, to me, nothing terribly special, but neither was it offensive. Also present was the new Z4 in white. I don’t think white suits that car too well, because I thought I’d be smitten. Smitten I was not, rather underwhelmed. Also they had a Silverstone II M3 coupe with DCT. I love that car, except the interior is rather industrial looking for a car that’s 70K. I’m not looking for pizzazz, but a bit carbon fiber trim could also be applied to the center console and wou;d do wonders of breaking the drab monotony inside. Just something in the interior that would make it a wee bit more special than your run-of-the-mill 3er. Also the rep at bimmer dealer was rather nice and patient, esp. since he could tell I could not afford any of thse cars. He was kind enough to provide me with some brochures (as did the Jag rep). The 7er brochure is like hardcover coffee-table book. Definitley a keeper!

Last stop: M-B dealer.
Very large dealer with a line of shiny SL63 out front to ogle at. Lovely. I walk in and, to my left, you standard Benzes. To your right, a cornucpia of AMG delights! They had a C63, CLS63, CL63, and a S65. Also they had a SLR roadster and a SL BS. In case you did not catch that, a SLR roadster and SL Black Series! Lovely machines. Absolutely lovely. My initial objective was to check out the new E. I asked the rep if they had the new E, to which he said they had one, only on display outside. As I went outside, I found out it was the E coupe, not the E sedan. I was a little disappointed, but oh well. The front in pics looks well-sorted, but in person I was not impressed. Maybe having seen it often on these forums has dulled my impression. The interior is quite nice, but that gear shifter in the coupe seems too tall and out proportion. I could not spend much time inside since I felt I was getting the bum’s rush by the rep. Granted I hadn’t anticipated going to these dealers today, so I was dressed in jeans, tennis shoes, and an untucked collar shirt. I asked if they had a sedan to look at, to which he replied "We don’t, but next week, we’ll have 14 in stock, come in next week." Resigned, I went back inside to ogle some more at the AMGs. Upon exiting the building, what do I see… a gray E350 sedan! Either the rep lied to me (I would not be surprised due to his slight hasty demeanor, especially compared to the other reps from the previous dealer), he did not know, or it just arrived. I went in for a close up look. The front was,again, under-whelming for me. And this puppy had the AMG sports pack on it! And the side seems pudgy despite its more angular looks. The rear looks fantastic. Which is odd, because in pics, I thought it looked derivative. Although, I could not sit in it, I peered in the window, and the quality looks pretty good. Could not tell what kind of wood was in there due to the lighting, but the leather seemed to be something unique…something orangy-tan, almost akin to the leather in the XFR, but lighter. Conservative this was not. I guess I’ll stop by again when I get a bit more time to myself and have a proper look at the E sedan and coupe.

Unfortunately, I had no time to test-drive these lovely machines, nor did I get a chance to peruse an Audi dealer since there isn’t one in this autopark. I would like to get a close-up of the new S4. I guess there’s something for next time.

I just want to leave you with this parting thought…..the DBS is :bowdown:.
Wow.

:t-cheers:

PS: I apologize for the lack of personal pics, I was not prepared, plus it’d look a bit tacky snapping pics at a dealer.