2007 Aston Martin DB9 Coupe Road Test
July 25, 2007 by Anthony Crawford
The Drive
- A bit of history
- The Look
- Inside the DB9
- The Drive
- Safety Features
- Owning a DB9
- Future Aston Martin Cars
Driving an Aston Martin DB9 is an experience unlike any other. Not only because of the size of the car, but more so the sheer amount of power available on tap from idle.
The first task is to acquaint one’s self with all the controls and gadgets required to operate the car. Initial gear selections are taken care of by four buttons located on the dashboard – ‘P’, ‘R’, ‘N’ and ‘D’. The handbrake takes the form of a regular handbrake lever – located on the right hand side of the driver’s seat.
The seating position is instantly comfortable and only small adjustments are required to tailor the position from the previous driver. Visibility is adequate in all directions, with speedometer and tachometer – along with digital speed readout – visible in the driver’s peripheral vision.
Steering is taken care of by a leather clad wheel that is amongst one of the best offered in a car. The size is of perfect dimensions and the paddle shifters are static and don’t move with the steering wheel.
Start the Aston up and the benevolent roar of the engine sends tingles down the spine. At idle, it doesn’t sound aggressive like a worked V8 engine – it sounds calm and subdued. After becoming acquainted with the car, we set off.
Driving in traffic is extremely daunting, not so much because of its girth – more so because of its height and price tag. On one occasion, we had an elderly lady leisurely merge into our lane, notwithstanding the fact that there was a sports car worth a cool $350,000 in the lane next to her!
After getting out of the hustle and bustle of inner Sydney, we hit the highway to surprisingly discover a quaint and subdued nature at highway cruising speed. It was hard to pick the ride differences on the highway between the Volvo C30 chase car and the Aston Martin DB9 we were driving – that’s how impressive the suspension compliance was. The Aston really is a GT (Grand Tourer) in every sense of the word.
Ramp up the speed on the eight lane highway – and I do mean ramp up – to a slightly less legal speed and the Aston remains unfussed with the situation. It soon became quite clear that the DB9 had split personalities, as the second we neared the bends – everything changed.
On approach to a corner, the entire physique of the Aston changes. Jam on the anchors and they comply with crisp precision and ample force, start feeding in the steering and every single bump and abrasion on the road is felt. The steering ratio is perfection, as is the weight to the steering. On exit of the corner, care has to be taken when getting back onto the power though.
Jumping onto the throttle in the Aston sends all of the 6.0-litre V12’s power (335.6kWs of power & 570Nm of torqque) through to the rear wheels in a hurried attempt, so gradual application of the power is necessary to keep the electronic nannies at bay. The V12, which sits right over the front axle emits an ear-drum tearing note north of 3000RPM which is impossible to forget and can only be synonymised with an Aston Martin DB9.
During cornering, it’s hard to not notice how stable the car feels. There is barely any body roll to speak of and throughout our ascent and descent of several hilly stretches of road, the entire package remained compliant – such as brakes, engine temperature and grip.
Although our example only had a mere 1000km’s on the clock, crisp acceleration and smooth power delivery were evident throughout the rev range. From a standing start, the Aston Martin DB9 rockets to 100km/h in just 4.9-seconds, and then moves onto a top speed of 300km/h.
The DB9 isn’t exactly a lightweight – weighing in at 1800kg – so throwing the Aston around mid-corner is not an option. As mentioned, gradual applications of the throttle and measured accuracy with the steering are required to get the best out of this road-tearing menace.
There is no gear lever, so forward gear changes are accessed via paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel. ZF Sachs manufactures the ‘6HP26′ gearbox in the Aston Martin and although it’s not as quick as a twin-clutch gearbox – similar to that used in many Audis – it still shifts with immense precision and can hold gears right up to redline if necessary.
The sport mode facilitates for enthusiastic driving by measuring the effort and input from the driver. If the gearbox is in sports mode and notices the driver accelerating with full throttle inputs, along with hard braking, it will actually downshift with braking input to both slow down the vehicle and have the appropriate gear on the ready to shoot out of a corner.
Generally speaking, the ‘Sport’ mode in the Aston does all the work and is a better option than attempting to change gears with the paddles all the time. I’m not really a big fan of paddles for gear changes; I much prefer a well sorted automatic gearbox – much like the ZF – or a traditional full-manual setup.
The noise is often what makes or breaks a car – in this regard it’s certainly not the latter. Below 3000RPM the DB9 sounds nice and throaty – but non intrusive. Head north of 3000RPM and heaven help anyone near the exhaust. The noise it bellows is just absolutely astonishing. It sounds like an F1 car trapped inside a large tin shed at 10,000RPM…it simply melts the ears.
And that about sums up the Aston Martin DB9’s on-road manners and ability. It is a GT in every sense of the word – but at the drop it a hat it becomes a psychotic machine which – just for the fun of it – exceeds every expectation anyone could ever have about a luxury Grand Tourer.
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guys we will have the video of the car up tomorrow night
cool, automotive PORNO!!!
i will begin drooling now!
PS put the pic of the new aston up as a wallpaper!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!
The DB9 is toward the top of my list of dream cars!
Awesome review! Well done!
Love it.
Want it.
Great article – awesome car. Well done guys.
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…
How do you spell Jaguar XK clone? :-)
Cheers
F-O
The best and most beautiful car on the planet!
Frugal, it is actually the other way around ;)
Automotive art.
I’m heading down the shops for a lotto ticket.
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.
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.
^
Lol. A waste of a car!!! Id still pay for the damaged shell of it.
yes, I actually initially thought it was CG, but no, they took the car on a race track and flipped it good
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.
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.
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.
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 !!!
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.
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 ?
the boot is tiny, almost non existant. But that should never stop you buying one
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!
it’s the maddest car around, i reckon it would go like a shit off a shinny shovel.
does it go like a shit off a shiney shovel?
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.
i have this car in my garage
as well as all exotic and luxuryz
love to chat P Unit. Any chance having a look at your cars and taking a few pics? All in good taste of course.
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!!!
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…
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!
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.
A bit girl-ish interior, if you ask me…
old and new Aston is so faster