You can unleash your inner Bond with the Aston Martin DBS, if you've got the wallet to match. Paddy Comynreports.
YOU WILL remember the Aston Martin DBS primarily from Casino Royale, where the latest Bond, Daniel Craig, both jump-started his heart and barrel rolled himself into the Guinness Book of Records in his gadget-laden version. But there is nothing secret about the beauty of Aston Martin's current flagship model. It is nothing short of magnificent and I, for one day at least, have the keys.
Thankfully, the key, this time around, is a good place to start. Last summer, we drove the V8 Vantage Roadster and apart from the roof going a bit mad, the other thing that annoyed us was the Volvo key that went along with the very expensive sports car. Things are different now with this €350,000 DBS. The key - or Emotional Control Unit as Aston Martin calls it - is now made of sapphire and looks more like something you should find in a car of this class. It slots neatly into the dashboard to become part of the starter button.
The DBS is based on the DB9, but while that car is a comfortable, albeit seriously fast, grand tourer, the DBS is aimed at being a little more hardcore. It sits lower to the ground, on mammoth 20-inch wheels. Many of the external and internal components are made from carbon fibre to save weight and the many air vents dotted around the car are not just for show; they cool the engine and make it breath better, as well as cooling those carbon ceramic brakes. This is a breathtakingly beautiful car in the flesh - imposing, aggressive, magnificent and a little intimidating, too.
Under the bonnet is a 6.0-litre V12, similar to that found in the DB9, but this time, power is up to 510bhp and once you pop your key into the dash and push it in, the engine barks and snarls into life. The cabin design is pretty special, with lots of dark graphite in evidence, and you can choose between the standard comfort seats and specially developed lightweight seats for the truly "driven". Unless you have a very good relationship with your back, then I wouldn't recommend them.
What is somewhat surprising, is the six-speed manual gearbox, which is perfect for purists who still don't quite like the paddle-shift gearboxes that are usually found in models of this type. When you move off, you do feel like this car is absolutely huge. There are acres of bonnet in front of you and this is a little unnerving when you have signed your house away to the Aston Martin PR man only minutes earlier.
However, it is very easy to drive, with a light and very smooth gearbox and equally fluid steering. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of this car as it feels almost too light at first, but what doesn't take long to appreciate is the tingle-inducing bark from the V12 and the rate at which the horizon comes ever closer. 0-100km/h takes just 4.3 seconds and that is very, very fast. Unrestrained by laws and physics, the DBS will run out of puff at 307 km/h.
This is a car that you really have to spend some time with and my time was to be one short day around the back roads of Gaydon, where Aston Martin likes to call home. But you quickly get used to the car's dimensions and realise that it is absolutely glued to the tarmac. The adjustable dampers allow you to vary between squidgy and bone shaking, but this is never at the expense of true grip from those enormous wheels. That engine is staggeringly good, offering a great bonnet full of torque when you stamp down with your right foot, even in fifth gear. Even in town, this car is a peach to drive, although parking can be tricky and you need to make sure the clutch doesn't get too warm.
This car causes a flurry of commotion everywhere that you go. While the south of France would be more fitting to a car of this sort than Birmingham, the effect is not lost on the crane-necked passers-by.
Things I didn't like were the door handles, which are a little fiddly, and the lightweight seats, which are just too hard to cope with for any great length of time. And those adjustable dampers take a bit of getting used to. You are either at the very soft setting, which helps your back but makes the car feel a lot more wayward, or else your fillings are working themselves loose.
However, for the lucky few who will get their hands on a DBS, the grumblings of someone who couldn't afford the brakes of the Aston Martin, never mind the rest of it, are going to matter little. This is a simply incredible machine. Whether it will be good enough to persuade the really discerning buyer at this level out of a Ferrari 599 remains to be seen. I have driven both and I'd choose the Ferrari by a whisker.
This car is likely to cost you upward of €350,000, and €160,000 of that is going straight to the Government in taxes. However, you are probably going to have to wait about two years. But then again, sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for.
Factfile Aston Martin DBS
Engine:5835cc V12 putting out 510bhp and 570Nm of torque, six-speed manual transmission, four-wheel drive
Max speed:307 km/h 0-100km/h: 4.3 seconds
Fuel economy:16.3 l/100km
CO2:388g/km
Price:€350,000