Automotive

ThomasM
[PuristS]
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Quick looks - 2013 Aston Martin DB9

Pros: elegant gentlemanly lines - like the Maserati GrandCabrio, the body is so beautiful I WANTED to love the car.

Comfortable, easy to drive with lots of power in reserve.

Impressive quality and fit and finish, especially in the interior - the leather work and detailing are sublime.

The brand is respected and admired, with lots of brand appeal without the baggage of flamboyance bordering on the obscene - Aston Martin is about understatement and elegance.   

Cons: too soft, in many ways - too much lean and too wallowy given the drive train. "It's a GT car, not a sports car, dummy" - I know, I know, but still, I know the chassis dynamics potential is there, darn it, which makes it that much more frustrating.

Not a big fan of the ergonomics, especially the push buttons for transmission settings - a waste of valuable dash space and not that intuitive given contemporary conventions.

The driver ignition system - push the crystal "key" in all the way and hold it there to start the car - is also a bit counter intuitive and can be a bit clumsy. But at least the spring loading has been reduced so it doesn't eject like a bullet (!!!) like it did in a 2011 test car I had (Virage) if someone unfamiliar with the system doesn't push it in all the way and releases it too early.

The swan wing doors are cool and practical, but why or why are they so light? I know lightness is gospel today (and I'm an acolyte when it comes to performance efficiency) but these almost feel cheap - haptics should never be short changed, especially at this level.

General comments: I want to love it. Standing still, I do.

But when I drive it, I don't. And I hate it even more because of that.

Conc:  :-( 

Passion can be so dangerous - if I felt less passionately about the styling, I might not be so disappointed.