First Impressions 996TT to AMV8
Discussion
Just arrived home with the AMV8, drove out in a 911Turbo & back in the Aston!
Initial impressions are mixed.
1/V8 Far better looking than the 911, an automotive jewel to behold.....FABULOUS is the only word. The dealer treatment was also vastly superior to that of Porsche, nothing was too much trouble, they made us feel special.
2/ Inside is a much nicer place to be, the whole quality of the leather, alloy dials, flip out nav, great seats is superb & has a bespoke feel. Air con is great, the standard stereo is very good & far far better than expected,there are numerous special touches that make it, well "special".
3/ The driving position is far better & the seats are more supportive, it feels rather like a leather covered go-cart!
4/ intitially the performance was far better than I expected it to be, but as the miles piled on it seemed to loose some grunt, maybe it did, maybe my imagination! It certainly needs over 5000 to really go. But overall I am impressed with the grunt & of course that lovely V8 sound, although clearly not as quick as the Turbo.
5/ the steering isn't as feelsome as the 911 & the car moves around more, but the steering wheel itself feels far better, nice & chunky & it does have a great positive action, feels nicer than the lighter steering on the 911, although less accurate & involving!.
6/ Th V8 has a really agravating habit of pitching all the time when it hits expansion joints. It is firm & well controlled on bumpy B roads, great infact, but on A roads & motorways it pitches so much it made me feel car sick.So it isn't GT or fully focussed drivers car, but a mix of both. The 911 has a firmer less comfortable ride, but it has better control. I also don't like the way the car is hard to place as the edges drop from view.
7/ The gear box is very clunky & isn't happy being over rushed, but it does have a nice solid, chunky feel missing from the 911's which was a bit sloppy, but ultimately quicker to change!
8/ So initial impressions are in summary............
I think "I will need time to adapt to this cars style", I have a feeling it isn't going to be quite as good as drivers car and the constant unsettled pitching is intially very poor, but I think it will compensate in the pleasure of owning such a fabulous looking car inside & out. Of course, once I get used to that high revving V8 & it's howl, no doubt that will be the N01 source of my pleasure in ownership!
I'll let you know in a few days once I have settled in to the car & hope this "first impressions" is useful to potential buyers. i am also interested to know how it compares to other owners views?
Initial impressions are mixed.
1/V8 Far better looking than the 911, an automotive jewel to behold.....FABULOUS is the only word. The dealer treatment was also vastly superior to that of Porsche, nothing was too much trouble, they made us feel special.
2/ Inside is a much nicer place to be, the whole quality of the leather, alloy dials, flip out nav, great seats is superb & has a bespoke feel. Air con is great, the standard stereo is very good & far far better than expected,there are numerous special touches that make it, well "special".
3/ The driving position is far better & the seats are more supportive, it feels rather like a leather covered go-cart!
4/ intitially the performance was far better than I expected it to be, but as the miles piled on it seemed to loose some grunt, maybe it did, maybe my imagination! It certainly needs over 5000 to really go. But overall I am impressed with the grunt & of course that lovely V8 sound, although clearly not as quick as the Turbo.
5/ the steering isn't as feelsome as the 911 & the car moves around more, but the steering wheel itself feels far better, nice & chunky & it does have a great positive action, feels nicer than the lighter steering on the 911, although less accurate & involving!.
6/ Th V8 has a really agravating habit of pitching all the time when it hits expansion joints. It is firm & well controlled on bumpy B roads, great infact, but on A roads & motorways it pitches so much it made me feel car sick.So it isn't GT or fully focussed drivers car, but a mix of both. The 911 has a firmer less comfortable ride, but it has better control. I also don't like the way the car is hard to place as the edges drop from view.
7/ The gear box is very clunky & isn't happy being over rushed, but it does have a nice solid, chunky feel missing from the 911's which was a bit sloppy, but ultimately quicker to change!
8/ So initial impressions are in summary............
I think "I will need time to adapt to this cars style", I have a feeling it isn't going to be quite as good as drivers car and the constant unsettled pitching is intially very poor, but I think it will compensate in the pleasure of owning such a fabulous looking car inside & out. Of course, once I get used to that high revving V8 & it's howl, no doubt that will be the N01 source of my pleasure in ownership!
I'll let you know in a few days once I have settled in to the car & hope this "first impressions" is useful to potential buyers. i am also interested to know how it compares to other owners views?
Edited by grant3 on Saturday 8th July 00:37
I test drove an AMV8 yesterday at Long Stratton in East Anglia and agree with the comments re the dealers attitude , very helpful indeed. I too arrived in a black 996 t so had a direct comparison was fresh on the return journey. The pedals on the AM are not positioned as well as the tt so heel&toe not easily maintained and of course visibility is a compromise which I`m sure I could adopt to eventually , apart from those two comments I thoroughly enjoyed the experience although I would not change the 996 for one, instead I`m taking the 360 there next week for a valuation against a silver metalic example they have in stock.
(As you know) I too came from a 996tt to the V8 and I'd agree with your comments. (although I was very pleased with my Porker dealer).
IMHO It just needs a few more horses (lets say 70!), perhaps better manners over rough surfaces - and it's knocking on perfect. A real hoot to drive and drop dead fab looking.
BTW I find the heel and toe fine on mine. (But I'm a 'roll the foot over' man.. never having managed the heel, so that may be why).
In case people missed 'em... pics of mine here:
www.stevecarter.com/astonV8.htm
(edited to add the last three are Matts... I'm driving!)
IMHO It just needs a few more horses (lets say 70!), perhaps better manners over rough surfaces - and it's knocking on perfect. A real hoot to drive and drop dead fab looking.
BTW I find the heel and toe fine on mine. (But I'm a 'roll the foot over' man.. never having managed the heel, so that may be why).
In case people missed 'em... pics of mine here:
www.stevecarter.com/astonV8.htm
(edited to add the last three are Matts... I'm driving!)
Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 8th July 19:43
GetCarter said:
(As you know) I too came from a 996tt to the V8 and I'd agree with your comments. (although I was very pleased with my Porker dealer).
IMHO It just needs a few more horses (lets say 70!), perhaps better manners over rough surfaces - and it's knocking on perfect. A real hoot to drive and drop dead fab looking.
BTW I find the heel and toe fine on mine. (But I'm a 'roll the foot over' man.. never having managed the heel, so that may be why).
In case people missed 'em... pics of mine here:
www.stevecarter.com/astonV8.htm
IMHO It just needs a few more horses (lets say 70!), perhaps better manners over rough surfaces - and it's knocking on perfect. A real hoot to drive and drop dead fab looking.
BTW I find the heel and toe fine on mine. (But I'm a 'roll the foot over' man.. never having managed the heel, so that may be why).
In case people missed 'em... pics of mine here:
www.stevecarter.com/astonV8.htm
Just viewed your pictures, really do the car justice ,fantastic.
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