A criticism perhaps, but no-one’s perfect, are they? Watch the long nose, it’ll ground if you are not careful, but that apart, the DB9 Volante will hustle along A-roads with the best if them, aided by the ‘Touchtronic 2’, 6 speed gearbox that responds well to knocking up and down manually better than it does in Auto, even in ‘Sport’ mode. Aston martin db9 volante driver#The engine seemed crisper on this car - and quieter - than last year’s but the driving experience was much the same the 450 hp V12 propelling a car that will do pretty well anything the driver wants. That said, I couldn’t feel any lack of stiffness or poise in the chassis – it’s one of the best out there and if you want a really hot handler and fresh air get the V8 Vantage and use the spare cash to buy an Audi convertible. Astons quote the same kerb weight for both cars (1800 kgs for the automatic) but you do get the impression the open car has been softened just a touch to allow for the inevitable lessening in rigidity. The company did such a good job on the dynamics of the car from day one that building a convertible had clearly been engineered from the start. Very clever, and the Volante even offers the same boot space as the DB9 Coupé, despite having to store the roof and its rear screen – but don’t get too carried away with that feature, it’s very small (186 litres vs 300 litres for the V8 Vantage) anyway… There’s just a smooth transition from rear ‘seats’ to the boot top proper. There’s no doubt about it – it’s a fabulous looking car from any angle and despite not being a fan of open-tops in general, the way Astons have integrated the hood mechanism under the flat metal panel is an engineering and styling masterpiece. Trying to catch the last of the English summer, we headed east towards the coastal reaches of Essex and Suffolk a long enough journey to test the car hood-up and -down, as well as fast A-road and motorway work. We last drove a DB9 in 2005 and that was an early production coupé, this time it’s a Volante and it’s not only an example of open-air Aston Martin motoring but also the latest version of the ‘9, with one or two development improvements under the skin. So, remove the top from a car and it crosses the barrier from performance coupé to fashion accessory, right? Not necessarily, and may I remind readers of a string of racing cars of the 1950s and ‘60s that won events such as Le Mans or the Mille Miglia in open form and personify macho-performance unlimited. Witness a succession of top-of-the-range desirable Aston Martins bearing the ‘Volante’ name tag, and the fact that whether you are in St Tropez or Portofino, the car of choice is more than likely to be a soft-top with the roof most certainly down. The DB9 Volante is a fine looking car with the hood up, yet when you press the ‘open-air’ button, 17 seconds later the car becomes irresistible.įor many people a cabriolet is the luxury sports car, and it’s an essential part of the car manufacturer’s armoury. To successfully convert one of the automotive world’s most sublime profiles from coupé to convertible is yet another achievement for Aston Martin.
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