Aston Design Con ?

[hartley]

Just a thought chaps/chapesses but as time goes by the similarity of all the Aston designs is beginning to annoy me.
I was quite excited by the DBS when I first saw it bu as time goes by it looks more and more like a tarted up DB9 - of course that means it looks great, but I already have a DB9 and it is just too similar to justify taking a massive depreciation hit and then forking out a huge sum more all to get a car that looks and sounds so similar - albeit better. At least the Vanquish looked different ?
Has Aston lost it in the design stakes ( Lagonda/iQ not encouraging ) - which would be understandable as they have the best looking cars on the road ,or have they simply not got the budget to produce a truly new design ? Maybe they should do a 911 - accapt they have a great shape and produce lots of variants without trying to pretend they have a different model ?

[Adam2S]

Thats very true but they are all beautiful, its just now in varying degrees!

The real risk I see with this strategy is that when they do finally replaced one of the models (perhaps the DB9 will be due first?) then the whole range could look out of date overnight! eeekkk....

[simonrockman]

The One-77 might be a better idea of future direction.

[runway78]

I used to be of the same opinion. That it was all getting abit samey. But the DBS has really grown on me having been up close and personal with one. To my eyes it makes the original DB9 look a little plain, dare I say it. The DBS visually, and dynamically, is the car the origianl DB9 should have been from day one.

But your later point is a valid one - what next? Is it possible to trump the DBS and V8 Vantage aesthetically? No Mr Fisker on hand this time either.

Edited by runway78 on Monday 20th July 23:17

[Murph7355]

runway78 said:

I used to be of the same opinion. That it was all getting abit samey. But the DBS has really grown on me having been up close and personal with one. To my eyes it makes the original DB9 look a little plain, dare I say it. The DBS visually, and dynamically, is the car the origianl DB9 should have been from day one...

Tend to agree with one exception. Well, two actually.

1) The wheels. Not nice. Better in anthracite, but still not nice.

2) The gear knob. Looks like a reject prop from Terminator 1.

[Grant3]

The range may look very similar, but credit where credits due, they are some of the best looking cars ever produced & that is no mean feat!

I bow down in front the Aston design team (4WD concept aside )

Just look at the sad inbred gene pool that has become Porsche design, I love those cars but frankly the design studio needs a large rocket up its rear end

[Murph7355]

Grant3 said:

...
Just look at the sad inbred gene pool that has become Porsche design, I love those cars but frankly the design studio needs a large rocket up its rear end

Indeed. Two better examples to show either end of the "family look" spectrum would be hard to find.

Lotus I would put in the middle of the spectrum, but descending rapidly toward the Porsche end IMO.

Aston just need to be careful not to build the 4x4 and to can the stupid iQ facelift! Otherwise they'll end up in the gutter like Porsche. The Rapide is, on the other hand, looking quite lovely. If Porsche needed to understand how the Panadolextra should have been done, they need look no further.

[Speedraser]

I think the current Astons are the best looking cars on the road. It doesn't bother me that they haven't changed recently, or that they look similar to each other. I do wonder if the next generation of cars can look as good -- the current cars will be a hard act to follow. Certainly, the Lagonda concept is not encouraging. And I don't even want to think about the iQ abomination thing -- for me, that would be the end of a great marque.

[nickco201]

Aston is one of the few companies that in my opinion doesnt make a ugly car. Ok the toyota thing and the stupid lagonda dont count. But seriously what other company does not make 1 ugly car in the range ?

[XXXAngelXXX]

the DB9 looks a bit *yesterday* compared to the DBS now no offence to anyone

[Soul Reaver]

Grant3 said:

The range may look very similar, but credit where credits due, they are some of the best looking cars ever produced & that is no mean feat!

I bow down in front the Aston design team (4WD concept aside )

Just look at the sad inbred gene pool that has become Porsche design, I love those cars but frankly the design studio needs a large rocket up its rear end

Come on a bit harsh! They change the wing mirrors sometimes

[simonrockman]

XXXAngelXXX said:

the DB9 looks a bit *yesterday* compared to the DBS now no offence to anyone

I don't agree. I prefer the shape of the DB9 to the DBS. The first time I saw a DB9 I stopped and stared. It was dark blue on Regents Park Road in Finchley. I think it's The Most Beautiful Car On The Road.

I think the preference for the DBS is the petrolhead in us which knows that it has more power. I don't think anyone really likes the look of the extra vents in the V12V but because we know what they mean it's exciting.

Yes the Aston look is derivative, but a lot less so than Porsche. And starting from TMBCOTR is always going to be better than starting with something that looks like a squashed Beetle. I've yet to see a Rapide in the flesh, but you know that it's going to be a lot more successful than a Panamerica. Not that I've seen one of those either but the pictures of the gold one in this month's EVO are ghastly.

I mentioned the One-77 in an earlier post, and I'm not sure that the aggressive look works on the elegant base of the DB9, but I'll hold judgement on that until Thursday as I'm off to Salon Prive.

Simon

[oblio]

I struggle recognising any of the modern ones from each other tbh...

Normal conversation goes:

"Oh look theres an Aston"

"Which one?"

"Um...Um...I cant see the rear number plate to see if its a V8V or a DB9"

12 year old son with much sharper senses attuned to such things normally provides the correct answer!

[:J:]

hartley said:

I was quite excited by the DBS when I first saw it bu as time goes by it looks more and more like a tarted up DB9

So you are saying the tarted up DB9 looks like a tarted up DB9 ?

I guess it would as thats what it is ?

Edited by :J: on Tuesday 21st July 11:46

[Zod]

It's hardly a con. It's just successful range identity.

The challenge is how to move onto the next generation. As someone said above, perhaps, the One-7-7 points that way.

[XXXAngelXXX]

@ simonrockman: I loved the DB9 before and when they showed the first pics of the DBS - i thought: dammit why ? but since i own a DBS now it has grown on me and when i get back to drive a DB9 loaner it feels a bit outdated but that's just MHO and the DB9 is still a nice car to own

[Grant3]

Soul Reaver said:

Grant3 said:

Just look at the sad inbred gene pool that has become Porsche design, I love those cars but frankly the design studio needs a large rocket up its rear end

Come on a bit harsh! They change the wing mirrors sometimes

[AKA8]

They are a bit too similar and perhaps a case of the DB7's design being used as a basis and flogged to death. The V8 has fantastic proportions and is one of the tightest looking designs on the road - albeit not in the most avant garde way - but the DB9 now just looks horrendously anonymous. Not sure about the DBS either, maybe they ran out of ideas? I've seen 6 or 7 on the roads now, and it's not interesting enough, even if it looks pretty good at first glance.

Without trying to be provocative, how do you dramatically redesign the 911 given the layout?

[Zod]

[quote=AKA8but the DB9 now just looks horrendously anonymous.
[/quote]No matter how I try I cannot comprehend this statement. I live in London and drive through Central London every day. I have never felt more conspicuous than in the DB9. If you want anonymous, drive my M5 or if you really want ot disappear drive an Audi (not an R8).

[Grant3]

AKA8 said:

but the DB9 now just looks horrendously anonymous. Not sure about the DBS either, maybe they ran out of ideas? I've seen 6 or 7 on the roads now, and it's not interesting enough, even if it looks pretty good at first glance.

Without trying to be provocative, how do you dramatically redesign the 911 given the layout?

While I prefer the looks of the V8 I think the DB9 is also stunning as is the more muscular DBS, anything but anonymous IMO, in fact the reverse is true it has a unique "Aston" style. That doesn't mean you have to like it , but anonymous is plain wrong (sorry)

With regards to Pork the series 996 started off in the right direction heading towards a modern sleek supercar Carrera GT style progression next (alla R8-ish!!!), then the die hard old school cried foul, so we got the 997 which is a mix of sleek 996 & retro 993, that is also fine, looks great but where next as we have ever bigger bolt on wings & side skirts, larger gaping holes, flasher colours, Porsche has lost its way with design & every new model is being hit with a HUGE ugly stick.
I simply love the cars & their dynamics & engineering is the very best out there, so far this overcomes the aesthetics, they are THAT good, but its now wearing thin with such good competition out there from Aston, Maserati, Jaguar, Audi (etc), then to cap it all even Nissan are doing the ugly with amazing engineering thing even better than Pork .