Finally....my chance to drive the pinnacle of what Aston Martin has to offer arrived this past weekend. Having driven virtually ever exotic one could possibly drive, I genuinely thought nothing out there can really surprise me anymore. In some ways, the fortunate blessing of being surrounded by so many exotics on a regular basis can at times can make one jaded... after a while they all start feeling the same, almost mundane.
My expectations were luke warm at best to be honest. Having driven a bone stock V12 originally, I was left a bit disappointed. Nearly a year later I drove another V12 which I suspect had a tune and cats on it as it was both louder and substantially quicker. Although it did not blow my socks off, it was certainly an enough of an improvement to revisit the thought of a V12.

The charm of the V12 is irresistible to ignore. Short of a Bugatti, nothing else has more cylinders or a smoother power delivery. V12s are the stuff of childhood bucket-list dreams. Sadly, the Pagani Zonda F is just ever so slightly out of my budget, and I am not much of a Ferrari guy (no offense to the F12 which is fantastic)... that really only leaves one other option, the gentleman suit rocking a pair of brass knuckles.

Having been presented with an offer impossible to ignore, I seriously started considering the V12S as a viable option, however, my reservations about it being special enough along with its notoriously unsmooth transmission were dwelling in the back of my mind. Yeah yeah yeah, I know many prefer to row your own gears, but I am looking for a track weapon that can serve dual duty at the nicest restaurant in town without appearing to be "trying to hard" or downright "dueshie". Lamborghini was a special time in my life, but I realized I simply cannot go back. Sadly I have outgrown the brand that hung up on my wall throughout my childhood. Getting old can be a *****.

Fortunately all is not lost! The automotive world's pivotal transitional period we are currently witnessing will produce some of the greatest (if not the greatest cars) of all time. The last of all the dying breeds are entering their twilight as the era of big displacement naturally aspirated monsters are slowly coming to an end. Those able/willing to ****** up the last of the dying breeds are being pleasantly surprised as the value of their cars skyrocketing (Ferrari 458 Especiale, and 911 GT3 4.0RS are perfect examples). I have a sneaking suspicious as the AMG transformation occurs that the current Vantage V12S will follow suit in being one of the most coveted Astons of all time.

Little did I realize the next 2 hours would change my perspective on not only the V12, but Aston Marin all together. They are truly rare... the moments that blindside you on some idle Saturday. Life over time develops a sort of predictability, one that if left unchecked can ultimately lead to boredom. The same is true of exotic car ownership. Driven enough of them and they all sort of blend together, yes some have unique performance capabilities here and there, but most ultimately just end up feeling like machines. The more technologically capable modern cars become, the more I feel they are quietly losing their soul.

I digress, back to the test drive. I arrived at Aston Martin of Austin excited but secretly skeptical. I genuinely thought it was just "another V12". They had two in stock, a black one with silver livery, and a beautiful tungsten grey with black accents. The Houston dealership is so horrendously bad that I drove 150 miles to Austin to drive their offerings. Boy was I not disappointed, their team is absolutely top notch and their dealership is worlds apart from anything we have in Houston. A very helpful and informative gentleman by the name of Brian helped me out and patiently answered all of my questions as we went through all the features and capabilities of the car. Aces all around.

Hearing that mighty V12 start up in that showroom as it echoed off the marble floor is something to behold. The V12S sounds so much angrier than the standard V12, I like! He pulled it out front and walked me through the pre-flight check. He could tell I was well legitimately versed in all things Aston when I properly disabled the British style parking brake on the first try (apparently lot of posers try to come in pretending to be Aston owners), certainly made me laugh, but a very clever pop quiz nonetheless. The main thing we both discussed at length was its Achilles heel: the transmission. Based on countless youtube video reviews, I guess I was expecting it to be absolutely horrendous like ASM1 or barely tolerable like ASM2.

Surprisingly, she smoothly rolled away from a dead stop without much fanfare. Simple smooth, quick, engagement. At very low speeds with light throttle its actually very smooth, much better than originally anticipated. Starting off in D, the initial test to see how "terrible" it could be proved much to my surprise not to be so. Yes, there is an interruption in power, but no it was not nearly as bad as ASM1 or 2. noticeable for sure, but not head jerking bad. The old throttle-lift trick between gears and it only 5 min of driving to get pretty used to it. Certainly not ideal, but it's definitely not a deal-breaker to say the least.

Within the first 100 feet of driving the car I could immediately tell this was no "ordinary-Aston" (if you could ever classify any Aston as ordinary). The car was so planted & precise in its steering inputs. 100% sure-footed, zero slop in the steering whatsoever. Lane change maneuvers are quick and decisive. The quicker 15:1 steering rack is 4K HD to the old 17:1 racks Standard Definition. In many ways it reminds me of the old CLK63 AMG Black Series. Super wide, super planted, super crisp response. Better than any Lambo I had driven, or come to think of it, it may be the best steering I have ever felt. Hydraulic analogue truly is king in a digital world.

Although this was not a track test, simply taking a few high speed corners made it very obvious, this could very well be Astons first truly streetable track weapon (No it's not a Vulcan, let's be realistic!). The damping and suspension travel is improved immensely, and I love the 3 way adjustability of the new shocks on the 2015+ S-models. It really does make a difference and the various stages of traction control do actually allow you to play with the car without it reigning in the fun. TC is your friend not foe.

With all the handling stuff out of the way, it was time to get down to business. Manual mode engaged, sport button pressed, traction control in sport... Pedal on the right. HOLLLYY FFF**********ING HELL!!

For a second I had to ask myself if I was still in an Aston lol. Unlike anything I have ever driven, certainly unlike any other Aston. They have truly taken their brand to a whole new level, this absolutely is a game changer. The spec sheet does this car ZERO justice. I know it says it "only" has 55 more HP. It genuinely feels like 80-100HP. The throttle response is razor sharp compared to the older standard V12. Torque is massive, 90% of it available just off idle. Every time you get on the throttle, even on HWY speeds, you feel the back end squat and squirm as it desperately fights for traction. What impresses me most though, is unlike previous V12s this one actually manages to put the power down effectively. Yes it will wag the tail a bit, but its putting power down all the while. The traction control system is brilliant. Perhaps the most astonishing difference is how the car behaves above 5500rpm. On the stock V12 power begins to flatten off a bit and run out of breath up top; on the V12S it's the polar opposite. In many ways it reminded me of my most recent 4.3 V8 with tune & cats. The higher you rev it, the faster & harder it pulls. It WANTS to rev to the moon. The only gripe I have is the redline comes WAY too early (Something I plan on fixing with a custom ECU/TCU combo tune for 400-500more rpm)

Sound : intoxicating, Power : stupendous, Grip : fantastic.

Even at full throttle the transmission was starting to come into its own. The Aston Graziano has come a LONG way since the beginning nearly a decade ago. Under Full throttle the shifts are firm yet smooth, fast but not jarring. There is a momentary brief gap in power but not nearly as bad as I anticipated. The harder you push the transmission the better it is. I genuinely think that even 90% of the existing flaws could be sorted out with a properly designed TCU retune to improve all of the parameters in the stock transmissions software programming. I genuinely don't think it's the hardware that is letting it down, as usual, its Aston's sandbagging software that is to blame.

While we were on the freeway, happened to see a sport bike coming up strong on the right to check the car out.... two throttle blips down and foot to the floor unleashed a sound that would make even Zeus British racing green with envy . Afterwards, he gave a huge thumbs up. Perhaps the best compliment any car can get.

Just as quickly as it started, the whirlwind ended as the car ticked cool back at the dealership. I spent the next hour with my head reeling, trying to figure out what to do. I really was not anticipating falling in love with the car after the first test drive. I came in a skeptic, and left an addict in withdrawal. On one hand the discount they were giving me made it impossible to ignore. On the other hand, of all the exotics I have purchased, not a single one was my own custom ordered car. It was always a showroom car at a steal of a price. I had been baited the same way yet again ... but this time something felt different. Perhaps the reason I never kept any of the previous exotics was none of them were truly "mine".

As time passed, it slowly dawned on me that the opportunity to buy the last of the dying breed is fast approaching. The Vantages aging architecture has ironically enough become its saving grace giving it a second wind very few cars ever get the chance to enjoy. If I am going to have one of the last ever made, I want it to be truly unique defined and custom tailored exactly to my desired specification. Once they are all gone, the opportunity to have your own unique piece of history will finally pass. For that reason, I will be ordering a custom 2016 Vantage V12S new... this one will definitely be a keeper!

Special Thank You: I would like to thank Brian @ Aston Martin Austin. Since I have decided to pass on the two V12S they have in stock, I think it only fair to encourage anyone who has been putting off the transition into getting into a new V12 to seriously consider contacting Brian at the dealership. Deals like these are pretty rare and I highly recommend any V8 owners looking to make the jump to seriously consider skipping the regular V12 and going straight for the S. Its not much more than the V8s new and its so much more car for the money. SOMEONE BUY THE DAMN THING!!

Regards,
007

 

Awesome write up! Are you still getting the discount on a custom order though?

I feel exactly the same way - it must be custom ordered like a bespoke suit, otherwise it's not truly yours

On a side note, September is almost gone and not a word yet about the final V8..

 

Great read.... thank you.

 

Thanks guys.

Obviously ordering I will not be getting the same deal, but I am fine with that. I am confident I can still get 50-60% of the savings I am getting now by doing a custom order. To me paying $15-20k more for a car that is truly one off and unique to me is worth every penny.

FYI, I will also be sending the car to Q-branch for some even more unique factory special options, and I will be ordering the matching Aston Martin leather luggage set for road trips as well ... Going all out!

 

Wow that sounds awesome. Looking forward to seeing the final result.

 

Awesome review and exactly why I ended being one at the end of my not so planned test drive.. lol

 

Brian mentioned they will be slightly more than the GT. many options will be standard, and the options list will be narrowed down.

He did say the black anodized watch face gauges with the new speedo font and the black anodized pedals will be standard on all 2016 models supposedly. On the 2015 V12S it was a Q-branch option (I was un aware you could get it on the V12 at all, apparently nobody ever checked that box).

Final edition will probably closer to somewhere between $125-140, but it will be very worth it.

For the record, Aston Martin Austin has a very nice 2016 GT in stock with the updated interior. I would highly recommend contacting them, they may give you a great deal on it

I played around with the the new 2016 vanquish center console in the 2016 Vantage GT with haptic feedback and absolutely loved it. Between that and all the other standard options in 2016, that's what sold me on waiting and ordering my own custom order car

The 2016 options list is still not out yet but it should be released soon.

 

If you've got the time you can coordinate a factory visit (through your dealer) with the body/chassis assembly. They're very good about arranging it. The factory tour (particularly while your car is still in it) is well worth it. An early train from London will get you there mid-morning and if you stay in Mayfair you'll see Aston's all over the place. A fabulous trip, well recommended!

 

Wow, awesome, that's for the tip! I will definitely do that

 

Great review. I have had my Vantage V12S for two months now and agree wholeheartedly. What a great vehicle! My 12yo said 'dad this is the most fun car you have ever had'. And I have had a lot of high end cars. I love the rawness of the car. I found a tungsten silver one spected out to my liking in Dallas. They sent it to the Michigan store because I wanted to take advantage of the great lease price they had going ( leasing co wouldn't allow Dallas to lease to Michigan). The only gripe I have with the car is when I am pushing it hard between 2500-4000 rpm the car jerks . I had it checked out and they tell me it's my foot coming off the gas pedal. ? Even with that on occasion, awesome vehicle. My 2014 panamera turboS doesn't do it for me anymore since I got this and I think I am going to sell it.

 

That's odd, the car I drove had no issues between 2500-4000rpm. Car is a maniac otherwise. It's perfect on so many levels.

As he saying goes ... "You like them for their attributes, you love them for their flaws"

 

Wow, quite the review. I am still early in my Aston ownership but lust after the V12S. I agree that these are the last of a dying breed across the automotive world. Forced induction will kill the large displacement multi-cylinder cars and I feel some soul will be lost switching over to German engineered engines. I have driven paddle shifted cars, but I still enjoy slicing through the gears and proper heel-n-toe technique...


Can't wait to see what you order up!

 

A big +1 on your manual gear box point.
Ron

 

Awesome write up 007. As a new V12 owner (2011 Carbon), and Houston resident, we are going to have to have a coffee and discuss AM Houston (Star). They have some incredible reviews on google. Ouch! Whats that about?