Yep, I can read them well enough with the top up, during the day.

 

One thing I have never heard anybody else mention is a weird distortion you get from the windshield and side glass. I seem to have a problem where people in the right-hand lane (passenger side) look like they're going to run into my lane as I'm passing them. I often have a brief "heart skips a beat" moment when I think that the person in the car next to me is going to sideswipe me. I have never had this problem in any other car that I've owned or driven. Has anybody else experienced this?

 

Oh, and having to buy a brand-new steering wheel just so that I could get a cruise control function on a $135,000 plus car seemed like a bit much to me. I believe this should've been a standard option from the get-go.

BTW, I have since figured out a way to add the factory cruise control and stereo/telephone controls to the steering wheel without having to buy a brand-new wheel. I'll post more information on this at a later time.

 

^^^ Karl what windshield and side glass deformation are you talking about? Is this only on the Vantage, I've not expereinced anything like this in my DB9....side view is fine, even blind spot location is fine.

As for the cruise control and steering wheel, I thought that was on the controls on the steering wheel as standard, I think the cruise is on the right hand side, I assume the same is the case for the Vantage, no?

 

I've noticed the distortion too. It seems to be a seam or transition line in the glass. I've noticed similar things on others cars too, so it must be the result of a common manufacturing technique.

 

Cruise Control was not standard on earlier Vantage models. Cars without the option don't include the controls on the steering wheel.

AFA the the glass, there is a warp in the windshield that causes lines to distort as the pass through it. When another car is at just the proper angle to you and you pass them, it looks like the nose of the car to your right turns slightly into you.

 

I thought about listing all the modern technology that's missing in these cars: keyless entry, blind spot monitors, etc. I'd even add a couple of my own, such as automatic headlights and an electronic emergency brake. However, to me, a big part of the charm of this car is its old school, retro design, and I don't really miss any of these features. I even laugh at myself now when I get into my Jag and my left hand automatically reaches for the handbrake

 

2007 V8V:

fuel economy is terrible. a software update at the dealership last month helped a lot, but it could still be better in general.

could use more power. i'm going to get the RSC reflash after i get a few things sorted out. that should make me happy.

traction control could be a bit less invasive. when it kicks on, it's very abrupt.

nav isn't the greatest, but i've gotten used to it.

the e-brake squeal is really, really annoying at low speeds.

i would love vented/cooled seats.

i get that feeling all the time! i've never noticed a distortion, but i haven't really paid attention to that as a possibility. i'll have to take a look at it next time i go for a drive.

 

I have got to test drive a Vantage sometime or take a ride in someone's vantage so see what this window/glass distortion is... I have not felt or seen anything like this even remotely at all in my DB9 or any of the DB series/Virage/rapide cars I've driven.

 

Is there a service bulletin for this software update? cost? What's your mpg after the update? thanks.

 

First of all I love this car! I live where it's warm all the time and can drive it as often as I like. I new to the forum, from the Maserati world. A few small gripes already mentioned by everyone else.
Leg room, not enough without hitting the back seat.
Seats, can't seem to find my correct sitting position yet.
Gas pedal is tiny, and the leather on the floor mat makes it really slippery.
Changing air filters is ridiculous.
Wish it was a little louder with stock exhaust.
Can't hear the down shifts in sport mode like you can in the Maserati, miss that a lot!
Forget the sat nav, use a modular Garmin, but that goes for most foreign cars I have.

Believe me I had a lot more gripes on the Maseratti.

 

dunno if there's a bulletin or not. the guy in the service dept at the dealership just said there was an update for my car while they had it for maintenance (i told them i was having the stalling problem, they looked at fueling). i'm pretty sure the software update was free of charge. my mileage went up about 10%, based on the avg MPG readout.

 

Aston fixed this with the V12V. There is an intermediate track mode that allows the back end to slide without going too far.

 

And boy does it work well!

 

Wow, I'm new here and your tests are hard. You want me to come up with things I DON'T like about the dream car I finally just got?

Well, OK...
1. The door latch hooks (the metal bracket that's bolted to the door frame) are just crap steel under black paint. On my slightly aged car, that means there's light rusting 'round the edges where the latch strikes the metal and inevitably wears away the paint. C'mon Aston, how about some stainless right there?

2. Maybe it's just me but shouldn't the cup holder thing fold all the way back under the storage lid in case I don't want to hold cups? [if it is supposed to to do this, I'm just afraid to push that hard on something that feels like it doesn't want to bend back any furhter]

3. The steering wheel is remarkably 'meh' for any sporting car, even more so for an exotic. Tragically, the wheel in my GTI is better. Yes, it does a very fine job of translating rotary movements from my hands to the front wheels, but of all things, this is the part I (we) touch the most. Shoudn't it be the very most Aston part of the whole car?

That is all:
2008 V8