Link Aston Martin's Upcoming V-6 Engine Is Dead and Replaced by the AMG V-8

 

Mercedes is in need of an exotic name plate to their corporate umbrella and AML is a great fit once financially sound.

 

To be honest, I hate the blatty, unrefined AMG engine but it's probably the right business decision on Aston's part. Now if only they could find an infotainment system that belongs in a $200k+ car...

 

I feel like they should be brave and go ultra-minimalist: Either a classy looking hide-able phone mount built into the dash or smartphone integration and a single screen + basic aux/radio controls, that's it. Have some premium finish wood/leather/metal to make it beautiful. Does anyone seriously use those dumb touch pads and scroll wheels on other cars? Does anyone seriously use built in GPS when Google Maps or Waze has far superior voice and keyboard input? I hate all of them, and they look horrible.

The way I see it, AM is basically a jewelry company, people should be glad to pay extra to have a beautiful watch-like dash instead of electronics.

 

I do not like using my phone for GPS. Only the car GPS when in the car.

 

I like the nav system in my new Mercedes wagon. All I have to do is speak the location I want to go to and it takes me there. It shows a map and speaks to me. So simple to use. The old nav system I think you need a degree in computer science to operate it.
I have never even tried to operate it in my SL55. The manual for the nav system is twice as big as the owners manual.

 

they should just ditch the infotainment period or at least make that an option

 

I like this perspective. This is what the Bugatti engineers did in the Chiron to prevent it from looking dated twenty years down the line, and it works well. The new Astons should follow suit, though maybe not exactly the same way.

 

I think it's interesting that no one in the EV industry is talking about what to do with all the toxic materials in the batteries once they reach end of life (~15 yrs or when the car is just 'old' and no one wants to buy it on the used car market). It's not so 'green' when you think about the toxic waste at the end of life. Clear marketing genius on the EV sales side.

 

👍you'll never see me in an EV until they can solve the energy storage and recharge issue.

I was reading and article on the new Taycan and toward the end there was a statement about range... the comment was that most EV buyers had another vehicle for long trips soo range was not an issue...LOL... It proves virtue signaling... what's worse than virtue signaling an EV to save thr planet when you have to have a whole other gas or diesel car to take a trip...

don't get me started on electricity production or distribution

 

It seems that you're only looking at one aspect of an electric car. They make lack the aural soul of a well tuned exhaust on an ICE automobile, but they have significant performance upsides, namely instant torque. My wife drives a 2020 Wrangler diesel, I drive a 2021 F250 diesel, and I have an 07 V8 Vantage. I'd still love to have an electric performance car (Taycan, Nevera, etc.). It doesn't have to be about the environment or range. It can be about performance too, and is in many cases.