DALLAS, Texas — Some folks may consider the new $265,000 Aston Martin DBS too gorgeous to drive because it looks more like a million bucks.
But the shapely, mechanically advanced DBS coupe is designed to be driven daily, even if it can hit 191 mph with its hand-assembled 510-horsepower V-12 engine, said John Walton, vice president and general manager of Aston Martin North America at a recent media preview of the DBS here.
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Dislikes: Small gauge numbers. No automatic transmission yet. No fuel miser.
“One customer puts more than 30,000 miles annually on his Aston and doesn’t worry about such things as stone chips from roads because our dealers can fix anything,” Walton said. “Most Ferrari owners don’t drive their cars daily. For one thing, a Ferrari is an ‘in-your-face’ auto, while the Aston is not.”
Not that the Aston doesn’t look exotic, but it’s a model of stylish discretion. Every flowing body curve, line and crease of the aluminum, magnesium alloy and carbon fiber composite body is functional. Deep spoilers, flared wheel arches and scoops and vents convey athleticism without compromising the car’s sculptural beauty. It’s like a champion boxer in a nice-fitting tuxedo. (However, the front spoiler is a little too low, and thus easily scraped.)
Aston Martin is virtually a British institution that has been building cars since 1922 and has had several owners. But most Americans didn’t know much, or anything, about it until it was featured in James Bond movies in the 1960s. Other Astons include the entry $117,400 V8 (a Porsche 911 rival that has brought Aston younger buyers) and the DB9 V-12, which starts at $171,600.
Aston makes about 7,000 cars annually and 2,100 came to America last year, sold by 35 dealers. One-third of world production goes to the U.S. A new Ferrari buyer waits for a year or more after ordering his car, but Aston believes in more immediate delivery of a new car.
Aston, which once went for years without introducing a new model, has introduced 14 models in the last four years and has new ones on the drawing board, including a sedan that arrives in 2010, Walton said.
Aston’s largest market long was in the Northeast, but the car has become more popular in California, Florida and Texas in recent years. Walton said the Chicago area is the automaker’s “fourth or fifth” largest market. The oldest (and only) Aston dealer in this area is Rick Mancuso’s Lake Forest Sports cars, which also sells Ferraris. It has moved from Lake Forest to an elaborate facility in Lake Bluff. (Walton said Aston is considering opening another dealership in the Naperville area.)
“We get Aston customers from a 300-mile radius, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan,” Mancuso said. “Some 70 percent own their business, 10 percent are specialist doctors such as brain and cosmetic surgeons, 10 percent are attorneys and the remainder are such people as athletes and celebrities.
“One thing about Aston customers is that they’re a little more dressed up than Ferrari customers, who could be wearing any type of clothes. Also, women love Astons but seem a little wary of Ferraris. We sold approximately 100 new and used Astons last year.”
Walton said many Aston customers “aren’t really interested in the 0-60 mph times of our cars. Rather, they view them as a lifestyle experience. They like articles, for instance, about Astons being driven to interesting destinations.”
Aston likes to have customers visit its factory and talk to the people who are building their cars, said Francesca Best, Western region marketing manager for Aston Martin North America. And it offers driving schools, where professionals explain how Astons are designed to buyers and familiarize them with the car’s handling.
The DBS last week drew admiring looks and questions from both sexes during several hundred miles of driving through the rural Texas countryside. Its 5.9-liter V-12 lets the car do 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The engine allowed effortless high-speed cruising and was docile in heavy Dallas traffic. You arrive in style anyplace you care to stop.
The car’s firm-but-supple suspension makes it feel nailed to the road at all speeds and can be switched to a firmer “sport” setting, which mainly seems for track use. Steering is firm and precise, and powerful race-bred carbon ceramic brakes (a first for an Aston road car) stop the DBS quickly and surely via an easily modulated pedal.
With an enormous 420 pound-feet of torque, response is good in all gears of the six-speed manual transmission, which has a short-throw shifter and works with a moderately heavy clutch. (A transmission with manual/automatic operations is planned.) For maximum performance, a driver must be in the right gear at various engine and road speeds. For instance, you get the best acceleration at times in fourth gear instead of sixth gear.
Estimated fuel economy is 11 mpg in the city and 17 on highways, which is about right for such a high-performance two-seat luxury sports car that weighs 3,737 pounds.
The DBS driving experience begins when the engine is fired up by inserting a stainless steel and sapphire cigarette-lighter-sized ECU (Aston calls it an “Emotional Control Unit”) in the dashboard ignition slot. The superbly tailored front seats provide good long-distance comfort and support, but small numbers of the speedometer and tachometer are difficult to read quickly.
Outside door handles have an unconventional, aerodynamic design that calls for a push on one end of a slim, lever-style opener to cause the opener to fully pop out to be utilized. Inside door handles are so carefully integrated with the sides of the doors that I occasionally had a hard time finding them when in a hurry.
It helps if a DBS occupant is nimble because one must “drop in” and “climb out” of the low-slung car’s seats, although visibility is good from the driver’s seat.
The beautifully finished trunk is decently sized and is shaped to handle a variety of objects. A few small pieces of luggage also can be tossed in an area behind the front seats.
The best spot in the car, of course, is in the driver’s seat, which many DBS owners will surely be reluctant to leave.