Aston Martin Turn 2012 Review
JAMES Bond drives an Aston Martin and that's almost enough for me. Nearly. But when the Aston's driveway price hits $470,000 - leave, there's nothing more to pay - the rules change a bit.
That kind of money can buy some really great cars, but I can't help but compare it to a Ferrari California. Aston features brilliant convertible styling, all the luxury you can really want from a two plus two convertible and unrivaled performance that includes two years as the coolest brand of all in Britain.
It sits next to the Virage coupe, which costs $371,300 in an 13-car lineup starting at the $8 Vantage. But the outdoor Ferrari is more tactile, more emotional, and doesn't have an automatic transmission with paddle shifters that somehow stops shifting for a while during a straight run to the newsstand.
VALUE
Again, the Virage's whopping price means the average person can't make the right choice. People with half a million for a toy car are more likely to buy one instead of a boat or other vacation home than 24 Hyundai i20s, or pit it against a California roadster or a Benz SLS in their neighborhood driveway.
But the mid-range Aston - yes, there are indeed other models that are even more expensive, up to and including the limited edition 1-77 priced at over $2 million in Australia - makes a reasonable case against a car like the Jaguar XK-RS. , California, Audi R8 Cabriolet and other exotics.
TECHNOLOGY
Aston has made a lot of noise due to the lightweight aluminum construction of the car, despite its weight approaching 1900kg. So imagine what it could be. What gives the alloy construction is incredible rigidity, especially for a convertible, and a solid feel that reassures you that the car will last a long time.
The same can't be said for the Maserati GranCabrio, although the R8 - with its racing layout against the Aston's front V12 - is impressively taut. The British car has a hand-built 6-litre V12 engine, adaptive suspension damping, carbon brakes and even a wastegate exhaust system, which means it can hum quietly in the city but howl out on the open road.
Or it makes noise all the time if the owner asks for a special switch. . . But the old school automatic transmission, even with paddle shifters and six speeds, is no longer in vogue in 2012.
Design
It's hard to fault the Virage Volante, except that it looks very much like every other Aston coupe and convertible. It's a great looking family, but it can be hard to tell if you're touring the city with Alec, Billy, or Daniel when compared to the Baldwin brothers. It's an eye-catching shape that's beautifully finished, down to the gorgeous side mirrors and giant wheels that sit perfectly on an almost rubber-wrapped body.
The dashboard looks great and the steering wheel and other controls look solid, but the details of the car are disappointing. The sat nav screen is too small, although the mapping system has been updated and greatly improved, and the digital readouts, including the speedometer, are heavily washed out in the scorching Australian sun.
And that's before you drop the top. The top itself works very well and seals well to keep the noise down. The trunk isn't particularly large, and the rear "seats" are barely suitable for people with legs, but they're pretty much the same as the others in the class.
SECURITY
ANCAP will never smash an Aston into a wall, so it doesn't have a star rating. Based on Carsguide's experience, it's likely to be a four-star car, and it does have a lot of nifty electronics to keep you out of trouble, and airbags for both front-seat passengers.
DRIVING
Time spent behind the wheel of exotics always becomes personal because the possible game objects - if you remember that it could be a Bentley, Porsche, Ferrari or something else - vary so much in character. The Aston scores points because of its Bond-like strengths, from masculine styling to the manly V12 and the way it sits on the road and handles corners.
Ironically, despite 365 kilowatts and a 4.5-100 km/h time of 8 seconds, it doesn't seem particularly fast. It's definitely not as powerful a striker as the AMG E63 bi-turbo VXNUMX currently sitting in Carsguide's garage, but it rides quite briskly. It didn't help that weight.
The steering is good, the brakes are strong, which is good as a tourer, but push harder in tight corners and the front end wants to push wide until you hit the gas. It's definitely not best in class if you want to pump it up.
But switch the adaptive damping to the sport setting and it wakes up and springs to life, with much more front end power, more overall composure and extra smile-inducing pace. With a sport-tuned engine and extra throttle crispness to match the barking exhaust, it performs much better.
But it's still no match for California in terms of drive or character. And when the stalk fails for a while, I think again about the famous British reliability. FM radio reception is also quite poor.
So, the Virage Volante is a good car, very distinctive, but a few pennies less than a pound. It's not great for a Bond-style arrival, but it's not like trying to outrun any villains. If I had money and choice, and I wanted a fast convertible to feel really good, I would choose a Ferrari California.
VERDICT
One of the most beautiful cars on the road today is not as good as it looks.
Aston Martin Turn Volante
Cost: approximately $470,000 for the road
Engine: 6.0-litre V12, 365 kW/570 Nm
Body: two-door convertible
The weight: 1890kg
Transmission: six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
