DRIVING THE DBS
Discussion
Today, courtesy of Aston Martin Hagley, I visited the AM Factory for a tour and a drive of this.....!!!!!
My wife came along for moral support and found herself whisked away for an hour to drive this.....!!!
She's now driven a DBS for longer than she's driven 'our' V8 Vantage and is convinced she needs to do the PDC at Millbrook. It could have just been a very expensive day out.
Driving impressions to follow.
My wife came along for moral support and found herself whisked away for an hour to drive this.....!!!
She's now driven a DBS for longer than she's driven 'our' V8 Vantage and is convinced she needs to do the PDC at Millbrook. It could have just been a very expensive day out.
Driving impressions to follow.
I was expecting the DBS to be a fire-breathing, exhaust-popping beast of a car but it was a bit of a pussy cat to my huge surprise. Leave the Sport button and adaptive dampers alone and it felt like you could quite happily drive it all day with minimum effort. It was the Touchtronic version so you could leave it in ‘D’ and just cruise about and it felt remarkably relaxed. Sport in, adaptive dampers on and playing with the flappy paddles was a different game though. Hugely fast and very firm, even a bit jiggly on Warwickshire’s minor roads (not the ideal roads for maximum attack in someone else’s very expensive motor). I suspect that I would have Sport on and leave the adaptive dampers alone for 90% of the time. It was also very easy to drive after a V8 Vantage as everything just falls into place.
My wife was hooked by the DBS, probably more than I was. The convertible roof must be a damn good seal as she didn’t even notice it was a soft top until later when we took the pictures (she is used to a Lotus roof though – 5 yards of canvas, lots of bare metal and a couple of elastic bands).
I suppose it reinforces the differences between the Vantage and DB9/DBS models that everyone mentions. Ones a sports car, ones a GT but to a certain extent you can turn the DBS into what you want.
My overriding impression at the end of the day – the DBS is an amazing thing and at £85K for a 2008 model unbelievable ‘value’. But also, what a great car the basic V8 Vantage is.
My wife was hooked by the DBS, probably more than I was. The convertible roof must be a damn good seal as she didn’t even notice it was a soft top until later when we took the pictures (she is used to a Lotus roof though – 5 yards of canvas, lots of bare metal and a couple of elastic bands).
I suppose it reinforces the differences between the Vantage and DB9/DBS models that everyone mentions. Ones a sports car, ones a GT but to a certain extent you can turn the DBS into what you want.
My overriding impression at the end of the day – the DBS is an amazing thing and at £85K for a 2008 model unbelievable ‘value’. But also, what a great car the basic V8 Vantage is.
yeti said:
I'm looking forward to our factory visit at the end of next month as well!!
Shame no other cars to thrash about, but I'll be happy in my own one. Hoping for a good route to the Groes Inn with my blueskinned fellow Astoneer
Le Yeti, you shall be following Mr K on any backroads he is pondering - I shall continue up the M6 to collect my maiden then rejoin you at the Groes Shame no other cars to thrash about, but I'll be happy in my own one. Hoping for a good route to the Groes Inn with my blueskinned fellow Astoneer
The last time I was at Gaydon, that display wasn´t there - should be interesting.
That classic comedy moment is rivalled only by Eric Morecambe and Andre Previn´s ´right notes not necessarily in the right order´ scene
As for, the OP, I´m getting myself a wee bit confused as to driving a TT DBS (you lucky man) then alluding to it perhaps being a 2008 model. Did they make TT in 2008 ?? Apologies if I have misread
Jockman said:
As for, the OP, I´m getting myself a wee bit confused as to driving a TT DBS (you lucky man) then alluding to it perhaps being a 2008 model. Did they make TT in 2008 ?? Apologies if I have misread
I drove a new model DBS, about 4000 miles on the clock, at the factory tour. I've been looking at early DBS models to buy, hence the £85K comment. Its one of those occasions when you know what you mean but don't necessarily communicate it to others (old age I think its called).Now I don't know if the 2008 models had Touchtronic? Certainly the ones I have been looking at all seem to be manuals.
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