I've owned my 2007 V8V for two weeks, and while there's much to be said for it--it's beautiful, the exhaust note is wonderful, the interior is mostly great (seats, quality of the leather, the instrument panel)--I'm having some regrets. For perspective, I sold a BMW 335i coupe when I bought the Aston, and my other car is a 2001 Audi S8.

Some of the issues are fixable: brake squeal, rattling steering wheel air bag on rough roads, and finicky handbrake light on the dash. I've seen lots of posts about all of these, and I'll take the car in to have them addressed.

Other issues, not so much. On the way home today, I started to feel like I was driving a truck. That's an over-the-top statement, but the car doesn't feel nimble, the transmission is somewhat clunky, and there's an overall sense of heaviness--both in the mass of the car and in the inputs it requires (steering, clutch, shifting, and very un-aggressive throttle response). Also--and I feel like a wimp saying this--it's a pretty harsh ride over the crappy roads I drive on between home and work. I like a stiff suspension--I've always had sport suspensions on my cars, including the 335i I sold, but this is an order of magnitude stiffer than the BMW. It's bone-shaking, and that air bag rattling doesn't help the experience. Maybe some of it is driving on summer tires which, at 35 degrees, turn into hockey pucks. We'll see when it warms up. I got back in my S8, which has aftermarket springs and shocks, giving what I've always considered to be a nice firm ride, and it felt *so smooth* compared to the Aston. It's also faster, in an effortless sort of way, and despite its size, it almost feels more nimble than the Aston. Maybe it's just because I'm used to it.

Other things are nitpicky: somewhat cheap switchgear, particularly the turn signal stalk; a lack of front parking sensors when you can't see the front of the car; and a somewhat uncomfortable steering wheel because of the prominent seam around the inside.

I suspect I'll warm to it once the fixable problems are fixed and I get used to the feel of driving it. At least I hope so.

 

Did you take an extensive test drive before your purchase. Sounds like your car is not well sorted. I drive mine in Chicago (suburbs) and think the ride is great. Handles well, very nimble, etc. Do you have a sportshift? Are you driving it in auto mode? If so, that will likely be the cause of some of your issues. I have an '07 SS and did the RSC TCU upgrade and it transforms the car. Do a search. Plenty of info out there on this subject.

Adam

 

I have a 6-speed manual, not the sportshift. I also have to admit that my driving has been in stop-and-go urban traffic, where the Aston is certainly out of its element.

 

Also, I'm probably being unfair in saying it doesn't feel nimble. I think a lot of that has to do with getting used to the feel of steering and shifting, as well as driving on more open roads.

 

Everyone will view it differently based on what they are used to, but I'd be hard pressed to see how a 2001 S8 could feel more nimble. The 335 I can see since the 3-series is so well sorted, and it's a smaller car. The Vantage has a stiff suspension, but the handling is very buttoned down...much more so than my M3 which feels sloppy in comparison. It is faster than the S8 but you have to keep it in the power band, which is up top. The S8 is an automatic which makes it a lot easier to drive, and it probably has more torque down low. If you never get the Vantage over say 4000 rpm then I can see how you would think that the S8 feels faster in normal driving...although its 0-60 time is over a second slower than the Vantage.

 

To me it is more of a frame of mind thing. I go from the Lotus Elise to the Aston and it is like a shift of cosmic proportions. The Lotus is bare bones true to form sports car be it on a track day or daily driver to work. It is beyond nimble, no power steering and very very deft/light touch on the steering. I don't mean to gush but it takes an effort to undo that (specially after a track session) and drive more 'normal' sports cars. What has helped me is to treat the Aston in the light of 'a GT car that is sporty' instead of expecting the Vantage to be a through and through sports car.

 

I know that's true, and a lot of it is perception. The S8 has an aggressive throttle response, taking off fast with a slight press on the gas--it feels like it's waiting to break free. The Aston is at the other end of the spectrum--you definitely need to mash it. That doesn't really bother me, and I'm fine with the relative lack of low-end torque on the Aston. I probably shouldn't have brought up the point, since it's not a big issue for me.

I'm sure I'll feel better about the driving experience once the brakes aren't screeching at every light and stop sign--that really detracts from any feeling of suppleness. The car also feels great on smooth roads, but unfortunately my route to work is a suspension torture test.

 

I think you'll be very happy with a throttle remap, which helps with throttle response. The other solution is to just get on it more, revving it up where it likes to be. The cams on this car really seem to be set up for high-end power at the expense of low-end torque. As for the brakes, I had the same problem but with the shims it went away and hasn't returned. I do get the e-brake squeal but that goes away when I bed down the brakes with some light use of the e-brake with driving.

 

Perhaps a power pack?

 

Thanks for the advice. I did some driving today, and I'm feeling much better about it. I think I had a bad day yesterday, in combination with the bad roads.On normal city streets today, it felt fine. I also had it out on the highway, which was good on the asphalt, if a bit nervous on concrete sections. The main thing I noticed, though, was that the harshness I felt yesterday isn't really the suspension (although it is indeed firm). It was really the strong thwack I was feeling through the steering wheel (and also hearing) when the airbag rattled as I drove over bumpy pavement. So, it was my arms being shaken, not my whole body. Now that I'm aware of it, it's pretty obvious.I have an appointment to take the car in Tuesday for that, as well as the brake squeal.

 

I agree with a lot of what has been said by others here. As for power, it's true that you really need to be up in the higher revs to get the most (okay, anything) out of the car.

As for "nimbleness," the car felt big and heavy to me also, until I took it to a curvy mountain road and pushed it -- I was amazed at how well the car tracks. It seems to me that the heaviness is more perception than reality and may have something to do with the seating position within the car and how the car seems so big from that vantage point. I even noticed that raising my seat up a bit made the car feel smaller and more under my command.

It's good to evaluate whether the car is right for you or not. I would give it a few weeks, however, to get accustomed to the car before you make any final determinations. Good luck!

 

I run a 2006 Audi A8 and a MY2010 Vantage, and they are such different cars.

The Audi is a sort of 'low input' car, everything is light and easy, you don't have to do any work to move along quickly. But even with the sport suspension, it never really rewards, never gives that 'laugh out loud thrill', it just does its job without troubling you.

The Aston is very different, you have to put more into driving it, but it really rewards you when you do.

When the front grip starts to go in the Audi, the steering goes light, but it was light already so you can't really feel anything, whereas the Aston steering tell you exactly what is going on, you can feel the road, and feel the level of grip its giving you. The brakes are harder so you can modulate them more accurately ...

Whereas the Audi is Ok but unfulfilling, like a standard, weak Starbucks coffee, the Aston is like an Italian espresso, if you're not ready for it, it will be a bit of an unpleasant shock, but if you really want a powerful kick, then it has to be the Italian espresso.

 

thats odd i was just thinking how amazing the balance between tight cornering and rough road tolerance this car has!
granted not alot of potholed roads in orange county here but when i encounter them, its really absorbent, for lack a better term.

im coming from an s2000 and while that car is easier and more effortless to drive (lighter clutch, lighter shifter, lighter more tossable chassis) the aston is more rewarding an experience.

im wondering if some people place the aston in this no mans land of class. not quite a strung out light racer like an elise, and not quite a solid sleepy luxo monster like an s8, and therefore dont really like it for what it is.

im not sure what to classify it as either but i really love the experience. james may said it had a sense of theater or occasion when you drive it. i agree.

 

111R:

Just curious, your signature indicates you have an '07 4.7L Vantage. I thought the 4.7L was not introduced until 2009?

 

Correct. However, a dealer installed 'powerpack' upgrade was released by AM that upgraded the engine to the 2009 specs.

Here is the old thread when it was announced:
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...t-4-3-ltr.html