Aston Martin DBS: Personal Review, Comparisons, and Photos
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Aston Martin DBS: Personal Review, Comparisons, and Photos
Alas, the long awaited DBS has arrived....
A little background as you can see in my sig., I'm a carnut just like yourselves. I grew up on BMW's since high school E30, E46M3, E63M6, E60M5. Picked up a Lotus Elise a few years ago which sparked the track bug, and have been racing Lotus Challenge/LotusCupUSA for the past 3 years, now with the Lotus 211.
When I sold the Elise, I missed the visceral driving experience of the car, and I wanted a street car to replace it. I picked up a Nurburgring Edition N400 Vantage, and fell in love with Aston. Short love affair, because despite its elegant beauty and craftsmanship, I felt it was underpowered. Not to worry, so I trade it for a 430 Spider - awesome! The 430 brings the adrenaline back into the driving experience. Low and behold I missed the Aston's beauty and class.
So here is a somewhat longwinded review of the DBS and some comparisons to other cars I have and experienced:
Delivery:
Anyone want to guess what the bottom car is?
Exterior:
The thing that strikes me about Astons above all other cars is the paintwork. My Vantage was in Lightning Silver, and the DBS is in Casino Royale. The paint is just scintillating with metallic flakes and shimmers in the sunlight. There are different hues in different shades of lighting - I'm always in awe of the brilliant colors. By far the best paintwork I have seen of any marque. Compared to the DB9, some of the body panels are Carbon fiber, such as the bonnet and the bootlid. I was surprised upon opening these, they felt so light.
Comparison of Vantage vs. DBS
Interior:
The smell of Aston leather is quite unique and the interior stitching is perfect. Compared to the Ferrari, I do like the Aston leather and stitching far better. My seats have center Alcantara of which I really like the contrast with the leather.
Navigation system is archaic, radio is superb, but really I'm just listening to the growl of the V12! Center console black fascia looks elegant. Buttons feel a bit plastic-y. The gear **** is Huge but ergonomically with the angles feels just right in the hand, and gives the essence of power. The aluminum alloy feels nice in the hand.
The $2k (would hate to lose it!) crystal key is a cool touch, but no key ring and a tad heavy:
Engine:
So why did I get rid of my Vantage? I felt it was underpowered with 400hp. Solution: Get the DBS with 510hp! Problem solved.
The V12 is a monster and very satisfying. So how does it compare to my M5 with 500 hp and the 430 with 483hp? The M5 bogs at low RPM, but once you are above 4000RPM the V10 is monstrous. The 430 feels much lighter overall and quick and nimble. The DBS torque and acceleration gives it a much more even linear curve. The car feels a bit heavy but it really gets up and goes throughout the whole RPM power band - this I like!
I got a 6 speed manual, and the transmission is very smooth....or I should say the gear shifter is very smooth. The Vantage shifter was a little stiff to slot into, however the DBS shifter feels very very well-oiled and rowing through the gears is like butter.
The V12 sound is intoxicating, and pulling Fuse 22 is a MUST to keep the valves open. In all honesty, I rank my M5 Eisenmann exhaust as the cleanest sound, followed by the DBS, and surprisingly 430 stock exhaust last.
Braking:
The DBS comes with Carbon Ceramics, and these are the best brakes of all my cars. I have AP Racing BBK's on my 211, and they stop on the dime but are pretty rough and raw. Steel brakes on the 430 work very well. The Carbon Ceramics are a combination of extremely fast braking, but with very smooth feel and feedback. Kinda wish I had CCB's now on my 430.
Handling/Suspension:
The DBS is a GT car and it has Adaptive Damping Suspension. Put it in the firm mode with a push of a button, and it tightens up the suspension and handles quite well. In the normal setting, it does feel a bit loose with some body roll. The Vantage had the Sports Pack and felt much stiffer - I felt it was a bit uncomfortable and stiff for normal driving.
I will side note that nothing handles like a Lotus - no electronics to numb your steering input. The 430 comes close and the M5 is next. DBS, well being a GT, is very close to the M5 in handling.
Summary:
I appreciate and love the DBS for what it represents: a sophisticated piece of machinery with elegant craftsmanship, V12 power that satisfies, and just a work of art. The DBS is replacing my M5 as my daily driver.
Without further adieu, some photos:
Casino Royale color:
My kids love it:
A little background as you can see in my sig., I'm a carnut just like yourselves. I grew up on BMW's since high school E30, E46M3, E63M6, E60M5. Picked up a Lotus Elise a few years ago which sparked the track bug, and have been racing Lotus Challenge/LotusCupUSA for the past 3 years, now with the Lotus 211.
When I sold the Elise, I missed the visceral driving experience of the car, and I wanted a street car to replace it. I picked up a Nurburgring Edition N400 Vantage, and fell in love with Aston. Short love affair, because despite its elegant beauty and craftsmanship, I felt it was underpowered. Not to worry, so I trade it for a 430 Spider - awesome! The 430 brings the adrenaline back into the driving experience. Low and behold I missed the Aston's beauty and class.
So here is a somewhat longwinded review of the DBS and some comparisons to other cars I have and experienced:
Delivery:
Anyone want to guess what the bottom car is?
Exterior:
The thing that strikes me about Astons above all other cars is the paintwork. My Vantage was in Lightning Silver, and the DBS is in Casino Royale. The paint is just scintillating with metallic flakes and shimmers in the sunlight. There are different hues in different shades of lighting - I'm always in awe of the brilliant colors. By far the best paintwork I have seen of any marque. Compared to the DB9, some of the body panels are Carbon fiber, such as the bonnet and the bootlid. I was surprised upon opening these, they felt so light.
Comparison of Vantage vs. DBS
Interior:
The smell of Aston leather is quite unique and the interior stitching is perfect. Compared to the Ferrari, I do like the Aston leather and stitching far better. My seats have center Alcantara of which I really like the contrast with the leather.
Navigation system is archaic, radio is superb, but really I'm just listening to the growl of the V12! Center console black fascia looks elegant. Buttons feel a bit plastic-y. The gear **** is Huge but ergonomically with the angles feels just right in the hand, and gives the essence of power. The aluminum alloy feels nice in the hand.
The $2k (would hate to lose it!) crystal key is a cool touch, but no key ring and a tad heavy:
Engine:
So why did I get rid of my Vantage? I felt it was underpowered with 400hp. Solution: Get the DBS with 510hp! Problem solved.
The V12 is a monster and very satisfying. So how does it compare to my M5 with 500 hp and the 430 with 483hp? The M5 bogs at low RPM, but once you are above 4000RPM the V10 is monstrous. The 430 feels much lighter overall and quick and nimble. The DBS torque and acceleration gives it a much more even linear curve. The car feels a bit heavy but it really gets up and goes throughout the whole RPM power band - this I like!
I got a 6 speed manual, and the transmission is very smooth....or I should say the gear shifter is very smooth. The Vantage shifter was a little stiff to slot into, however the DBS shifter feels very very well-oiled and rowing through the gears is like butter.
The V12 sound is intoxicating, and pulling Fuse 22 is a MUST to keep the valves open. In all honesty, I rank my M5 Eisenmann exhaust as the cleanest sound, followed by the DBS, and surprisingly 430 stock exhaust last.
Braking:
The DBS comes with Carbon Ceramics, and these are the best brakes of all my cars. I have AP Racing BBK's on my 211, and they stop on the dime but are pretty rough and raw. Steel brakes on the 430 work very well. The Carbon Ceramics are a combination of extremely fast braking, but with very smooth feel and feedback. Kinda wish I had CCB's now on my 430.
Handling/Suspension:
The DBS is a GT car and it has Adaptive Damping Suspension. Put it in the firm mode with a push of a button, and it tightens up the suspension and handles quite well. In the normal setting, it does feel a bit loose with some body roll. The Vantage had the Sports Pack and felt much stiffer - I felt it was a bit uncomfortable and stiff for normal driving.
I will side note that nothing handles like a Lotus - no electronics to numb your steering input. The 430 comes close and the M5 is next. DBS, well being a GT, is very close to the M5 in handling.
Summary:
I appreciate and love the DBS for what it represents: a sophisticated piece of machinery with elegant craftsmanship, V12 power that satisfies, and just a work of art. The DBS is replacing my M5 as my daily driver.
Without further adieu, some photos:
Casino Royale color:
My kids love it:
Last edited by plastique999; Sep 17, 2012 at 08:29 AM.
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Congrats on the purchase! That's a gorgeous car to say the least.
The car below is an F1 which I can't believe was in the trailer since they are super rare! Did you at least try to switch cars and tell the driver he was wrong
The car below is an F1 which I can't believe was in the trailer since they are super rare! Did you at least try to switch cars and tell the driver he was wrong
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Great purchase. Best of all the modern Astons without a doubt, except for maybe the Vanquish 2, but that remains to be seen.
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I was lucky enough to drive his car today. Amazing car! Very tourque-y through the mid range. Like he said the paint is unreal. Also the aesthetics of the front and the rims are unmatched by any other car in my opinion. Even my favorite scud dare I say takes a second to his DBS. Drive safe Eddie and please try to keep this one longer than your last AM. Hahaha
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Congrats !!
Took me over a minute to scroll down from that image of the F1 - totally obsessed with that car. When I was a young lad, got a spirited drive in one down the M62!
Enjoy the new car!
Took me over a minute to scroll down from that image of the F1 - totally obsessed with that car. When I was a young lad, got a spirited drive in one down the M62!
Enjoy the new car!
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Congrats bro!! Awesome car and very nice and detailed write up I agree the paint on Astons are remarkable, the paint on my DB9 was one of the big factors in me picking my car, was just breathtaking. Your observations definately are informative and well thought out.
And the mclaren F1, was that a short tail or long tail (LM) .... Many people don't know this but there were two variations of the F1, the long tail was actually the version used for homologation purposes I believe. Either way one of my all time fav cars! Was a lucky day for you, not only did you take delivery of your DBS but you also got some time to spend with an F1 mcLaren !
I agree the paint on Astons are remarkable, the paint on my DB9 was one of the big factors in me picking my car, was just breathtaking. Your observations definately are informative and well thought out. And the mclaren F1, was that a short tail or long tail (LM) .... Many people don't know this but there were two variations of the F1, the long tail was actually the version used for homologation purposes I believe. Either way one of my all time fav cars! Was a lucky day for you, not only did you take delivery of your DBS but you also got some time to spend with an F1 mcLaren
!
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Welcome back to AM Eddie! You've let us know all along what you were looking for, so it's exciting to have shared in your anticipation, and now in the new addition. Gosh that car is gorgeous!
I'm just over Grand Ave from you in CH and have 2 boys that look similar in age to yours....and when I saw them, my first thought was what beautiful kids you have. Second thought, your 2-ish year-old better have a diaper on! Mine get a kick out of starting the car & sitting in it while rolling in & out of the garage for it's weekly bath....but that's it for them!
It really is a classy colour. Appreciate the detailed post with many pictures. Enjoy & hope to see you around!
I'm just over Grand Ave from you in CH and have 2 boys that look similar in age to yours....and when I saw them, my first thought was what beautiful kids you have. Second thought, your 2-ish year-old better have a diaper on! Mine get a kick out of starting the car & sitting in it while rolling in & out of the garage for it's weekly bath....but that's it for them!
It really is a classy colour. Appreciate the detailed post with many pictures. Enjoy & hope to see you around!