Post by franki68 on Sept 3, 2024 13:59:07 GMT
Seems I have neglected to say much about this machine which has now been in my possession for the last 14 months so I thought a write up due.
The first thing I have to say is I have not had the opportunities to drive it as much as I would like.The weather ,some physical issues with my back and the god awful roadworks they have plonked in front of my house for 4 months meaning some very tricky diversions down farm roads has made my time with the car limited and to add to that there has been a reliability issue keeping it off the road.
The car has worked well,the only issue being the centre screen decided one day to turn off and not come back on. I sent it to the Dealer who then had the car for nearly 3 months whilst they waited for a loom which Aston do not stock so it had to be made. This has left a rather sour taste with regard to the dealer not that they could do much as it was down to Aston but they ignored my request for some form of compensation given the time the car was not useable.The Dealer (Aston Martin Birmingham did £7000 worth of work to it before I took delivery ) so to get such a problem was even more infuriating.
But aside from that it is wonderful as you would think but it does have flaws.
Because it replaced the Gt3 I will be comparing it to that but it's not really a fair comparison as they are so different .
So firstly dynamically it is not on the same planet as the gt3 ,but it does offset that with the fact that I do think as a road car it is a more enjoyable and special experience as the gt3 just makes you want to drive at 125mph everywhere due to the nature of the engine. The Engine is the Aston is obviously very different but there is so much torque you just smile every time you press the throttle, I can literally drive everywhere in 3rd or maybe even 4th ,it pulls from standstill in those gears.It also sound sensational and it does like to rev.
I have said this before but the steering in the 991.2 gt3 is the best electric steering I have encountered and if you told me it was hydraulic I would accept that ,the Aston is a hydraulic system and just lovely as are the brakes which are just stupendous being CCB's . The handling is not up to gt3 levels ,but considering what it has upfront it is very impressive ,I think it fails a bit with the damping compared to
the gt3 and also very obviously with the traction .A very good driver could keep up with a gt3 on the road I think but you need far less skill in the gt3 such is its grip and traction.
The ride is maybe a bit better in the Aston ,the gt3 was not as bad as most people would think.
One thing that really stands out is how small it is compared to current cars, it is tiny and this makes it far more enjoyable down a country road than most other modern cars I have driven. The other thing is although I hate touch screens the system is antiquated in the Aston and although my model year has carplay as standard (something you actually cannot get on the pre facelift new Vantage or DBX etc etc) ,it is very fiddly to navigate whilst driving and it does not have the hands free option to use the phone .
I think for many though the gearbox is offputting and to be honest I think they messed up, if this car had a say manual box from a Porsche you would be talking about one of the very best cars ever made but it hasn't. The box takes a lot of getting used to but even now I make plenty of mistakes using it ,it is not so much the dog leg pattern but the way the gears are spaced (1 is directly below reverse and the rest of the gears are very close together so it's too easy to slip it into the wrong gear) ,it just irks although when you get it right it is very rewarding . I find myself thinking about the gearchange too much but it is somewhat rescued by the fact that due to the engine you pretty much do not need to change gear very often at all, but then that leads me to ask why Manual if you don't use the gearbox so much ?
I do think it may not be with me much longer ,I have an urge to step into a ferrari since I have never owned one and I do love the look of the Roma and want to experience one before I get too old but my mind changes on this matter on a regular basis so I could easily keep it for a fair while longer as there are no current manual v12 cars in existence so it feels even more special (they did not make that many anyway).
The first thing I have to say is I have not had the opportunities to drive it as much as I would like.The weather ,some physical issues with my back and the god awful roadworks they have plonked in front of my house for 4 months meaning some very tricky diversions down farm roads has made my time with the car limited and to add to that there has been a reliability issue keeping it off the road.
The car has worked well,the only issue being the centre screen decided one day to turn off and not come back on. I sent it to the Dealer who then had the car for nearly 3 months whilst they waited for a loom which Aston do not stock so it had to be made. This has left a rather sour taste with regard to the dealer not that they could do much as it was down to Aston but they ignored my request for some form of compensation given the time the car was not useable.The Dealer (Aston Martin Birmingham did £7000 worth of work to it before I took delivery ) so to get such a problem was even more infuriating.
But aside from that it is wonderful as you would think but it does have flaws.
Because it replaced the Gt3 I will be comparing it to that but it's not really a fair comparison as they are so different .
So firstly dynamically it is not on the same planet as the gt3 ,but it does offset that with the fact that I do think as a road car it is a more enjoyable and special experience as the gt3 just makes you want to drive at 125mph everywhere due to the nature of the engine. The Engine is the Aston is obviously very different but there is so much torque you just smile every time you press the throttle, I can literally drive everywhere in 3rd or maybe even 4th ,it pulls from standstill in those gears.It also sound sensational and it does like to rev.
I have said this before but the steering in the 991.2 gt3 is the best electric steering I have encountered and if you told me it was hydraulic I would accept that ,the Aston is a hydraulic system and just lovely as are the brakes which are just stupendous being CCB's . The handling is not up to gt3 levels ,but considering what it has upfront it is very impressive ,I think it fails a bit with the damping compared to
the gt3 and also very obviously with the traction .A very good driver could keep up with a gt3 on the road I think but you need far less skill in the gt3 such is its grip and traction.
The ride is maybe a bit better in the Aston ,the gt3 was not as bad as most people would think.
One thing that really stands out is how small it is compared to current cars, it is tiny and this makes it far more enjoyable down a country road than most other modern cars I have driven. The other thing is although I hate touch screens the system is antiquated in the Aston and although my model year has carplay as standard (something you actually cannot get on the pre facelift new Vantage or DBX etc etc) ,it is very fiddly to navigate whilst driving and it does not have the hands free option to use the phone .
I think for many though the gearbox is offputting and to be honest I think they messed up, if this car had a say manual box from a Porsche you would be talking about one of the very best cars ever made but it hasn't. The box takes a lot of getting used to but even now I make plenty of mistakes using it ,it is not so much the dog leg pattern but the way the gears are spaced (1 is directly below reverse and the rest of the gears are very close together so it's too easy to slip it into the wrong gear) ,it just irks although when you get it right it is very rewarding . I find myself thinking about the gearchange too much but it is somewhat rescued by the fact that due to the engine you pretty much do not need to change gear very often at all, but then that leads me to ask why Manual if you don't use the gearbox so much ?
I do think it may not be with me much longer ,I have an urge to step into a ferrari since I have never owned one and I do love the look of the Roma and want to experience one before I get too old but my mind changes on this matter on a regular basis so I could easily keep it for a fair while longer as there are no current manual v12 cars in existence so it feels even more special (they did not make that many anyway).
