For all you "Car Nuts"...http://www.astonmartinsydney.com.au/aston_martin/
Aston Martin DBS Touchtronic at a cool $466,000.00
- Balls...Aston Martin have a lot of them. The DBS is created! But only a manual gearbox available at the launch. Ballsy, because all other major names in this market offer at least an automated manual. Even the Aston DB9 sales have been 90 per cent automatic. Can you imagine a Ferrari being launched without the fabled F1 box?
Reason behind this ballsy maddness...Aston thought the DBS was a sporty car. And all sporty cars were deemed to be manula. It does seem like an honest and logical reason. The US of A, surely the most pro-auto nation, buys most of its Astons as manuals.
However, this can only be maintained for so long. The Middle East, with is air saturated in $$$, only want Automatic DBS's...this meant the Auto was crucial!
This isn't no automated manual -this is a full torque-convertor - a concept of the DB9. But because the DBS is at present the Majestic Aston and intended to be hardcore, it's not exactly a straight swap. ( Crucial differences: the shift changes are 20% quicker in normal shift mode, 25% in Sport, and the final drive ratio has been altered to give more punch.)
The reason Aston has stuck with a torque-convertor is it feels the alternative is too clunky in the automatic mode. But the problem with most torque convertors is that frequently there's no point in the paddles. They don't add any enjoyment to the experience of physically driving the car.
Not in the DBS though. The new 'box is smooth in full auto, even with the Sport mode selected, and crucially it doesn't hunt for a gear when you come into a roundabout on a trailing throttle.
Aston is Manual Mode...is where the dream lies! Press the Sport button (something you need to do whenever you drive this car - the car is far sharper in both auto and manual with it selected) and the DBS won't up-shift for you. You can really drive this Aston as hard as you want. The shifts aren't anywhere near as ferocious as Ferrari's 430 Scuderia,(nor do they feel as quick), but they are seamless. There's enough pause between the ratios to let you feel like you're connecting with the DBS. It adds to the experience of driving this car. The touchtronic layout is sweet. It does feel more expensive. Which it is, by $7,000, when you're already spending $466,000. But is is worth it! Another incentive to get this latest DBS is the new Bang&Olufsen stereo(http://www.bang-olufsen.com/ ) There are now 13 speakers inside the cabin, some of which have been made from a solid aluminium billet to reduce vibrations. It's all very technical, as the B&O set-up can tell what speed you're doing, how much wind and road noise there is, how many people are in the car and adjust all the levels so that you never have to fiddle with volume or directional controls.
Aston Martin face-lifted the DB9 recently; even without a face-lift, the improvements on this DBS are far more noteworthy.
No comments:
Post a Comment