Thanks all!

I am still trying to see if I can somehow join you guys after C&C for a drive if our kids' soccer game ends in time.

 

Nice! I believe this makes you the first on this forum to pick one up. Give us updates as you spend more time behind the wheel. Again, congrats!

 

Congrats on the new acquisition! I can say that my 3rd Aston was a charm (V12V) and glad you back with the brand. Looking forward to pictures!

 

Today was the day I picked up the V12VS!! I have to give high commendations to James *** at Aston Martin of Newport Beach. He is a true Aston enthusiast and made the transaction as smooth and seamless as possible.

My first remarks are regarding the astonishing paint work. Aston has always been in the top leagues regarding their paint finish. I've always been in awe when admiring the brilliant sheen of their metallurgy.
Morning frost white is a shimmering, pearlescent white that has the characteristics of different shades of white depending on different light angles. It's sheer brilliance.
Here are some iPhone pics to try to capture different shades.

 

Beautiful car. Congratulations!!

 

Beautiful! Enjoy it in good health.

 

Gorgeous! Can't wait to hear your impressions, particularly of the transmission.

 

hot damn, congratulations!!

 

Looks very tasty! I'm sure you'll love it.

And I'm very jealous of the blue sky. Here in the east, I don't think it'll ever warm up.

 

Amazeballs. I'd love to hear it in the flesh

 

So here is how my Saturday went...after running some morning errands, I fired up the V12VS to cruise over to the mall to get a haircut, then run some more errands in the car, and finally ended with a short spirited run through some canyons. This allowed me to get some varied driving experience with the car. I will also try to make some comparisons with other cars that I'm familiar with. Here is what I am impressed about the V12VS:

EXTERIOR: I've always been a sucker for Aston's seductive lines....they just draw me in, and it's a timeless design. I've commented on the paint process previously, and it shows radiantly. The V12VS possesses a different appeal than say the Vanquish, as it should. It is much more aggressive and balanced. It could rightfully be more of a beast than elegant, but yet possesses both grace and brutality. It is not as aggressive as a Ferrari or Lambo, but closer to the seductive nature of the CGT. Parked at the mall, it attracts males and females alike, both young and old. It is also understated enough that I feel comfortable with not too many gawkers....well.....
Conclusion: I'm enamored by the artistic design....10/10.

POWER: This is the fastest street car Aston has made (save the One-77), and 565 HP, with 457 lbs-ft TQ is no slouch. On the freeway over, I just kept feeling the car pull with a very linear power band throughout the RPM
gauge. Part of this is due to the fact that 376 lbs-ft TQ is available at 1000 RPM, so there is a lot of power down low. This is one of the few cars I feel has a lot of power at low RPM. As a point of reference, the Scuderia has 508 HP and 350 lbs-ft TQ (but the V12VS weighs 3600 lbs, whereas the Scud is 3100 lbs.). Most cars I have driven, Scud, M5, M6, have peak power in the higher RPM range above 4000. Even in the Lotus, 2nd cam comes on at around 5000 RPM. Only other car that feels this linear to me is my CGT, which has 612 HP, and 435 lb-ft TQ (3000 lbs.).
Conclusion: plenty of power......9/10.

INTERIOR: OK, some say the interior is in need of a refresh, and not much has changed. But something about Aston leather and the interior makes for a very special occasion just even sitting in the driver seat. The seat is Extremely comfortable, and excellent for long trips. I have white contrast stitching against black leather. CF upper dash, CF paddle shifters, Alcantara roof....all nice touches. The Nav has been updated to Garmin, but still looks antiquated.
Conclusion: best interior over Ferrari and Porsche in terms of feel and ambience. Antiquated tech....8/10.

BRAKING: The 3rd generation Carbon Ceramics has the largest surface area made for an Aston, and the braking feel is phenomenal. Better than my 16M and even better than the CGT - for which both, I have to press fairly hard on brake pedal for response. The V12VS CCB's are the best I have ever felt on any car. Smooth, progressive and enormous stopping power.
Conclusion: best braking I have experienced.........10/10.

SUSPENSION: The 3 stage adaptive damping system is done right. In normal mode, for daily driving, it feels more comfortable than my previous DBS or V8V. No stiffness, just a comfortable ride. Sport suspension really stiffens things up and the steering feels much more responsive. The tighter steering ratio at 15:1 also is a huge improvement, very direct. No significant understeer or oversteer. Better than my Scud - the Scud on track has significant understeer (but this can all be due to setup as well). Track mode makes things real stiff and tight - really for carving turns aggressively. In this mode, steering is close to CGT, but can't compare to a CF monocoque/chassis.
Conclusion: Different modes really adjust to different driving styles....9/10.

TRANSMISSION: Aw the talk around town, as if it is the misguided stepchild. So let's compare some SCT's. Average manual shifts are around 500 ms (my CGT or Lotus). BMW SMGIII (2007 M6, 2008 M5) is around 250 ms, Enzo is 150 ms. The F1-Superfast 2 in the Scud is 60 ms. BMW M3 92 DCT is 80 ms. So the Graziano Sportshift III in the V12VS is around 80 ms.....so it is pretty darn quick and feels as such. When driving aggressively in Sport mode, the shifts seem even quicker (hypershift). The upshifts are smooth and fast in all forms of driving - cruising or canyon carving. The downshifts are a bit slower, but again are smooth in all modes of driving. There is no lag or "whiplash" sensation in any shifts that I have experienced. It is not as fast as the Scud, but it is smoother. Redline is around 7500 RPM, which is a little lower than I'm used to.

Here is where the transmission is LAME: In "automatic" Drive mode. But I will say this: You are LAME to be driving in this mode, Ever! I tried it once and will never push the "D" button again. This is where the transmission lags and lurches and just feels downright confused and slow....very much reminded me of the SMG's in the "auto" mode, horrible. But I will say that of all paddle shifters I have owned, I NEVER drive in "auto drive" mode. If you can't flick a paddle 2 inches, then you shouldn't be driving this car.
Conclusion: Not as fast as the Scud, but for all forms of driving (except D mode), it is fast and smooth for a SCT.....8/10. [What's all the fuss?]

OVERALL: I am thoroughly impressed by this car, and it's purpose for me as a daily driver. Cruising on errands (still in Sport mode, normal suspension), the car feels like a GT luxury car with a tinge of rawness. But as soon as you want the beastly nature of it to come out, the throttle response is right at your foot, and you can carve a corner with agility. This is a car I will drive to work, to the golf course, on a date with the wife, pick up my kid at school, occasional car meets, and even Home Depot. For me, it is all around that good. Stay tuned.
(I'll be taking more pics, and of course vids of the V12 sound )

 

^^^^^ Thanx for the great write-up. Now don't forget to update your signature

 

Gorgeous car! The white on black contrast is excellent as I expected. I completely agree that Aston are one of, if not the best with their paint options and depth.

 

I agree - of you never press D on the sportshift is not bad

 

Thanks for the thorough assessment! What's interesting is that you clearly delineate the differences between manual shifting and 'drive' mode, whereas virtually none of the magazine or video reviews make this distinction. Really makes you question whether the journalists understand the difference - one would think they should, in which case they are guilty of some pretty shoddy reporting.

Did you find when shifting manually under part throttle that a lift on the accelerator helped smooth things out?