I've been looking for a 2nd gen Vanquish for a while now, and there are multiple 2014 model year cars on the market right now that I would consider buying, but they don't have the 8-speed transmission and the AM29 engine with the variable cam timing that Aston put in the 2015-and-newer models.

I have a variant of the same 6-speed as the 2014 cars in my XJL Supercharged, and to be frank, it's not very good. It stutters, often doesn't know what gear it's supposed to be in, inexplicably shifts hard when you don't want it to, the gears are super long, and even then it doesn't get great mileage on the highway, which is what a GT car is meant to do.

But I'm still struggling with the prices for the newer cars. Is it worth the extra $35-45k to get these features? How much would it cost to swap the 8-speed into a nice 2014?

 

The 6 speed is perfectly fine. It doesn’t behave anything like you describe. I had a RR Evoque, and it had a goofy shifting ZF like your Jag. I suspect it is a JLR thing instead of a ZF thing. And the Vanq has variable cam timing for all years. The difference in hp between the 14 and 15-on models is a measely 3 hp: 565 vs 568. The S has 595.

With fewer gears, the 14 is more fun to use with the paddles than the 8 speed. However after playing around with the paddles, you quickly get bored and just let it do it’s thing. Unless you want an S, I would get the Vanq you like the best regardless of trans.

 

I agree that you should buy the the Vanquish that you are drawn to regardless of year but please note that there were more changes starting in 2015. Other changes, besides the (lighter, quicker shifting) ZF 8 speed include:
- Bosch engine management
​​​​​​ - Lower final drive ratio (which cuts a half second 0-60 time)
- 15% stiffer front dampers
- 35% stiffer rear dampers
- 20 stiffer rear suspension bushings
- Retuned brake booster and DSC system
- Retuned steering ECU

All these changes were intended to make the Vanquish a more engaging car to drive which I found to be the case. You need to drive examples from 2014 and 2015 to see if the changes are worth it to you.

 

Hi @Kalepsis

I have the ZF8HP in my DB11 and like it very much. I've also had numerous other cars with the 6HP, even one with a 5HP.

Regarding your last sentence - I don't think a swap would be possible at any cost as the 8 speed TCM is going to need to be supported by an 8 speed firmware infrastructure.

 

listening...

 

I have a 21 DB11 and a 14 Vanquish. I do not feel any great advantage with the 8 speed in the DB11. Using the paddles with the 6 speed is more fun and I feel it fits the car better. I am rarely out of 6th gear in the DB11. I am sure the Vanquish 8 speed is smoother and gives better gas milage but I would not pass up a good deal on a 14 Vanquish.

 

In my DB11, when cruising around town at typical surface street speeds, which is about 90% of my driving with it, I find the shift protocol is to get to 8th gear as quickly as it can. I know the reason is fuel related (EPA). This is not unique to AM. Same with my Bentley Continental GT, and my AMG GTS. Even my Corvette 6 speed manual had a forced shift first to fourth as a fuel saving protocol dictated by the EPA. The 6.2L V8 would literally lug when it forced shifted.

From my personal perspective, I don't like running an engine (especially bigger engines and V12s) constantly at 1200, 1500 RPMs with a shift max of 2000/2500. Therefore, I like to paddle shift manually where I hold each shift to a higher 3K (and plus) RPMS, and stop shifting at 4th or 5th gear so the RPMs are elevated. Cruising RMS I hold in the DB11 are usually 2500 or +.

 

Jaguar does a good job on the transmission shifting when in Automatic. The Rapide is 4th gear at 30 mph leaving my house. I keep it in Auto until the the diff feels warmed up.

 

Thanks for the replies, everyone. It's great to hear your perspectives. I'm going to keep an eye out for the ideal 2015+ spec'd car, but if I come across a great deal on a '14 with the right options I won't hesitate.

There's one in Kopi Bronze with Chestnut Tan interior that I think looks nice, despite the photos making the leather look dirty or discolored. I think most of it is the lighting/shadows.

Hopefully I'll be posting a new car thread in the next few weeks. Assuming, of course, that I actually receive the check from the insurance company for my Vantage.

Still very angry about that.

 

I was looking at that one too.

 

If you don't like the gearbox in your XJL, you will hate the one in the Vanquish! My 5 litre XKR has the same gearbox as your XJL (ZF 6HP28) and that is a big improvement on the one fitted to the 6 speed Vanquish and my Virage and was also in my old 4.2 XKR (ZF 6HP26).

I don't experience the same issues you describe in my XKR, though, so your gearbox might need to have a filter and fluid change.

 

I have a '14 Vanquish in Kopi Bronze. A very early serial number, too. According to my cert, only 44 Vanquish coupes were done in Kopi, so this is a fairly rare color.
My Range Rover SVR has the 8 speed and is drastically different from the 6 speed in the Vanquish. However, if you are manually shifting in the Vanquish, the gears really don't matter. I've not felt I need the Vanquish with the 8 speed, although at the time if I could have tipped the extra for the 8 speed I would have gone that route mostly to get a more updated car.
The entertainment unit in the '14 can have the firmware updated to be less buggy, plus it gives you the hp/torque meters. I just did this update a few weeks ago. There may be updates to the other modules like transmission or engine, but I didn't want to mess around with it at the time.