2007 Aston Martin DB9 Coupe Road Test
25 Jul, 2007
34 Comments 
The Look
- A bit of history
- The Look
- Inside the DB9
- The Drive
- Safety Features
- Owning a DB9
- Future Aston Martin Cars
To be fair, the Aston Martin DB9 is perhaps the most understated looking supercar there is. Aston Martin don’t even want to call the DB9 a supercar as they feel it attracts a different audience, those who want the elegance and brand value of an Aston Martin with supercar performance and styling to die for.
To put it plainly, while Ferraris and Lamborghinis are almost toy-like and tend to put out that “compensating” image, Aston Martins are beautifully crafted confidence machines. Sitting behind the wheel of the DB9 oozes one thing. Confidence. And that’s mainly due to the car’s subtle yet outstanding looks.
Think of it this way, the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of today will look outdated and ridiculous in 10 years time, while the DB9 will still look the part. Instead of going for a futuristic look, Aston Martin has styled the DB9 to be the best looking Grand Tourer on the planet today. A timeless shape.
The DB9 doesn’t have to shout with its looks, like a patient predator, the DB9 can sit calmly next to a café as you enjoy a drink, but when its time to go, it will turn every head with its presence. Initially when we picked up the Aston we nearly walked right past it, it’s a case of a double-take with the DB9, you look, and then you look again and realise that you have just laid eyes upon a masterpiece.
The design was started by Ian Calum and finished by Henrik Fisker. What these two men created is arguably the best looking Aston Martin to date. Far more sophisticated and graceful than the DB7. You can look at it in every which way you want, you can even hang upside down from a tree if you want to, the DB9 is stunning from the front, side and rear.
While driving around Sydney, it was obvious the DB9 was a little more conspicuous than our last supercar, the Murcielago. If you’re wondering why you would fork out $350,000 for a subtle looking DB9 over, say, a Lamborghini Gallardo ($400,000) which looks like a spaceship from Area 51, it’s good to stop here and put a big line between the Italian supercars and the DB9.
Here is the truth, while the Murcielago, Gallardo and F430 are all exceptional cars in their own right, the DB9 is a different car altogether. For so long Porsche has dominated the everyday supercar market with the 911 and although the DB9 sits above the 911 in every respect, the concept is the same. The DB9 is what 911 owners dream of and what Ferrari/Lambo owners wish they had bought, it is the ultimate GT car that you can drive from Brisbane to Sydney (try that in your Gallardo) and straight onto a race track the next day.
If you want to compare looks to Grand Tourers from the Italians, let’s have a look at the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti:
Not only does it cost over $200,000 more, but when it comes to a beauty contest, the oddly shaped Ferrari doesn’t win too many votes either.
You can’t help but associate the DB9 (Aston Martin in general) with the James Bond franchise and it is an excellent association. As a secret agent what you need is a super fast, beautiful, empowering yet comfortable car that can keep up with a jet while at the same time staying under the radar, what you need, is an Aston Martin.
If you’re still not convinced the DB9 is the best looking Grand Tourer on the planet today, all you have to do is park it in a busy street filled with trendy cafes and wait for the comments. Instead of the regular “Oh my, that looks nice & expensive… he must be having a midlife crisis” comments that you get with a Ferrari & Lambo, with a DB9 expect the “Sorry to interrupt sir, but I just wanted to tell you that I absolutely adore your car…” comments instead.
As if performance, handling, a remarkable interior and the sound of a V12 wasn’t enough, rest assured, the DB9’s mesmerising looks will win over not only the ladies but the respect of all car lovers and art critiques as well.
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July 25th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
guys we will have the video of the car up tomorrow night
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July 25th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
cool, automotive PORNO!!!
i will begin drooling now!
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July 25th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
PS put the pic of the new aston up as a wallpaper!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!
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July 25th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
The DB9 is toward the top of my list of dream cars!
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July 25th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Awesome review! Well done!
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July 26th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Love it.
Want it.
Great article - awesome car. Well done guys.
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July 26th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Man, how do you guys live with yourselves knowing that there are people out there like me that have to work all day while you are out there driving this - and calling it work!
The DB9 is easily the best looking supercar on the planet. I don’t understand why Aston don’t want to call it a supercar, because its the best there is, it looks so much better than the futuristic look of the Ferraris, not to mention that half of Ferrari owners tend to be in it just for the looks…
Long live Aston indeed…
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July 26th, 2007 at 10:11 am
How do you spell Jaguar XK clone? :-)
Cheers
F-O
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July 26th, 2007 at 10:24 am
The best and most beautiful car on the planet!
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July 26th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Frugal, it is actually the other way around ;)
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July 26th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Automotive art.
I’m heading down the shops for a lotto ticket.
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July 27th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
I would be worried driving one of these after seeing how easily 007 flipped this car….. a slight turn of the steering wheel!!! Quite good looking, but for a ’supercar’ it doesnt have bold looks.
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July 27th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
it has all the bold looks Paul!
its not a futuristic Jet, thats the difference
as for bond flipping his car, firstly, daniel craig can’t even drive stick… so no one should be allowed to play bond without a manual license.
there is a HUGE story behind that, I’ll sum it up briefly.
Initially the producers did the testing with some 5-series BMWs, and they realized that it was pretty easy to flip the car with just a little help, but when filming for the actual thing took place, no matter what they did, they couldnt flip it, they kept using bigger and bigger ramps, but still, the damn thing was so low it wouldnt flip..
so…….
the strapped some small explosives to it to get it to flip over - that did the trick.
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July 27th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
^
Lol. A waste of a car!!! Id still pay for the damaged shell of it.
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July 27th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
yes, I actually initially thought it was CG, but no, they took the car on a race track and flipped it good
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July 29th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Dont get me wrong it is a beautiful actually the best looking, but I would’nt call it a supercar either. Sure the price and top speed of well over 300kh (312kh well tested I think)is supercar territory, but the engine is at the wrong spot, its very heavy and its slower to a 100 then 911 turbo.
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July 30th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
you’re right on all points SRT BUT, All 911’s look the same. The DB9 is a supermodel. The 911 Turbo, in comparison, looks like a Target catalog model.
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August 1st, 2007 at 5:03 pm
damn you ablorz, you and your lucky life, you disgust me!
once again another fantastic write up and a good read.
definatly an underrated exotic that gets overlooked by most.
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August 8th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Aussies always get totally f****d over by car costs — how can you explain why the Vantage, which sells for in N.A. for US$112,000 (including dealer delivery + taxes = AU$130,575) costs us AU$245,000 !!!
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August 8th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
It sucks I say it ALL THE TIME. “Cant compare a Euro car against the local stuff too as the price difference is so great”. Well every one else in the world does against their local market,in a resent mag I read in the States they compare an Infinity {Nissan thing} against the BMW 3 series twin turbo Coupe . Of course the BMW beat it but there was little or no difference in price there.
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August 8th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Oh and the DB9, is pure sex,orgasmic,classical and I want one ! I cant fit the shopping in boot of the M3 not that I like too take it shopping,thats what the GT is for but how big is the boot of the Aston ?
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August 13th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
the boot is tiny, almost non existant. But that should never stop you buying one
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August 23rd, 2007 at 12:01 am
A mate of mine spotted one of these when he was staying up at a farm in the adelaide hills! He chatted to the owner and took a bunch of photo’s on his phone. The guy went over to the factory in the UK to pick it up and all. The photo’s are half decent (if u call 2 megapixels decent lol) so I might send them to the site. Not that they are as good as the pics up here, they are still nice, because this is the most beautiful car EVER!
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August 31st, 2007 at 11:11 am
it’s the maddest car around, i reckon it would go like a shit off a shinny shovel.
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August 31st, 2007 at 11:11 am
does it go like a shit off a shiney shovel?
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September 16th, 2007 at 9:37 am
The paragraph that stood out referred to be being cut off by someone in heavy traffic.
Reality in those conditions,just another slab of sheet metal with four wheels.
Like all performance machines of this calibre they are not the every day driver & nor should they be.
For me something to be cared for & cherished.
WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A GO……ONE DAY
Dream on.
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October 5th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
i have this car in my garage
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October 5th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
as well as all exotic and luxuryz
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October 5th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
love to chat P Unit. Any chance having a look at your cars and taking a few pics? All in good taste of course.
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October 29th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
I spotted one of these in Metallic Grey on the freeway this weekend here in Perth!
It is an AWESOME looking machine from any angle!!!
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November 14th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
[…] most iconic super car manufacturer, a poll of over 3,000 UK motorists has found that the stunning Aston Martin DB9 tops the list of ‘ultimate dream cars’ outshining the likes of the Ferrari Enzo and […]
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January 5th, 2008 at 11:17 am
What a laugh!
When finally some british car maker comes up with a good-looking car design in 2007, suddenly reviewers like these clowns compare it with Ferrari saying it looks better.
They remind me of the Yank car review that came to the conclusion that the Ferrari cost so much more but could only go a few miles an hour faster than an american-built muscle car (in a straight line)!
And imagine calling the 612 Scaglietti oddly shaped!
Not that I think it’s the best looking car in the stable, but let’s concentrate on the DB9.
There’s no denying it’s a good looking car, but before clowns start to vaunt its beauty, let’s not forget where those design principles which have produced such a car come from.
Given the extent of good designs available historically, it’s about time someone put them together properly to design a good looking car.
As for the car itself, I have seen that front in previous cars. The hip treatment is not new. the melding of its lines and some of the lines themselves are not new.
What these clowns are calling ‘odd shapes’ is actually an attempt at innovation, so the design is recognisably new, not like the DB9 which looks like a (pleasant but old!) melding of previous designs.
Moral for the reviewers: Please scan historical car designs from Bertone, Pinin Farina etc. before making such silly statements.
I know it’s a relief to finally be able to call a british car good-looking, but really…
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January 7th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
The Aston Martin is a great looking car probaly one of the most lovely designed cars in the world. But Aston Martins arent that fast for the price!
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September 11th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I saw one of these the other day, just driving around town like a normal car. It’s amazing how hardly anyone was taking any notice of it. I on the other hand nearly rear ended an L-plater because I was staring at it (that’s no joke either, it was only the ABS that saved me). But that’s really only because I know what it is.
The biggest thing I found though was the ‘wank’ factor, as I call it. It was nil. Zero. Nothing. The only other supercars I’ve seen in real life are a Gallardo, a Murcielago and an f430, so while it’s not the biggest sample I would have to say they all stand out in a crowd as, well, wanky. Don’t get me wrong I’d own one in a second, and drive it everywhere looking like a wanker.
But the Aston, as beautiful as it is, just somehow isn’t a wanky car. Of all the cars in the world if I could own any it would be a DBS, but most of the points stand for the DB9 as well, especially the looks. Just a gorgeous, gorgeous car.
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