The 2012 Aston Martin Virage Volante, which slots in between
their the DB9 and top of the line DBS model, is filled with all manner of
amenities and gadgets which even James Bond couldn’t have imagined, including a
real pop-up navigation screen, but it lacks the anti-personnel features of the
DB5 movie car. Today, all one has to do is depress the accelerator pedal, and
unleash the 490 horsepower from its 6-Liter V-12 engine, which scoots from zero
to 60 in only 4.6 seconds, and then keep charging up to the top speed of 183
miles per hour, to leave anyone chasing you in the dust. It’s much simpler and even more fun.
LOOKS LIKE A MILLION BUCKS
2012 Aston Martin Virage Volante Wheel
2012 Aston Martin Virage Volante Wheel
Automotive journalists are not supposed to get hung up on
the price of a car, nor the marque, when evaluating it for review. But it is
almost impossible not to be taken it by the aura of a car like this. And let’s face it, that’s part of what the
well heeled buyers are looking for when they write a check for nearly a quarter
of a million bucks. They want to feel like James Bond every time they enter the
car, and want to promote that mystique to everyone else on the road who sees
them driving it.
The Volante is a treat for the eyes with its bold sleek
styling that oozes sex appeal. The familiar six sided grill with its five
aluminum slats sits low across its nose, just above the trapezoidal lower air
intake with flared corners that flow into the upswept creased side sills. The
single bi-xenon headlamps, which feature a strip of trendy LED lights follow
the lines of the car’s flanks to give a more crisp and modern look from the
front. Just behind the front wheel arches surrounding the 10-spoke, 20”
graphite wheels, are the iconic Aston Martin side strakes, with 6 LED lights
that activate with the turn signals, and flow into the swan wing doors. The
car’s rear haunches are accentuated with wide rear wheel wells and the body
colored rear diffuser enhances the wide look of the rear deck. Dual chrome
exhaust ports peek out from the blacked out rear fascia. This is a special car,
and it looks the part.
ASTON’S FINEST INTERIOR
2012 Aston Martin Virage Volante Right Side Drive
Slip into the Virage’s cockpit and you are immediately
greeted by the smell of seven of the finest Bridge of Weir leather hides that
make up the interior, and contrasting double stitching accents the entire
cabin. Seventy man hours of bespoke craftsmanship goes into each interior, and
it shows in the fine details. The heated seats are supportive and comfortably
bolstered to caress the driver’s body. Black lacquer and brushed aluminum serve
as contrasting appointments rather than traditional wood trim. All the controls
are well laid out and easy to use, and feel right to the touch. The one
exception is the round dial “joystick” control for the Garmin Nav System.Trust
us; there is no joy in trying to operate that dial.
Cylindrical Bang & Olufsen speakers pop out of the
corners of the dash when the radio is turned on and recede when turned off. The
headliner for the cloth top feels luxurious and insulates the cabin from noise
and cold quite effectively. A simple push button drops the top quickly where
it’s hidden beneath a hard cover. While the Virage is technically a 2+2,
equipped with rear seats, it would be almost impossible to have anyone other
than small children to actually use them. A parcel shelf would be a better use
of the space.
HARDLY A BOULEVARD CRUISER
Insert the elegant crystal key fob into the dash to power up
this Aston Martin and the V-12 sings a pleasant song. Mash the gas pedal and it
turns into a nasty growl as the ponies and torque push you back into the seat
all the way up to the 8000rpm redline. All that power and torque is sent to the
rear wheels via a carbon fiber prop shaft and mated to a 6-speed Touchtronic II
automatic transmission mounted on the transaxle contributing to perfect 50/50
weight balance.
2012 Aston Martin Virage Volante Dash
Aiding driver control, a ‘Sport’ button on the facia allows
the driver to select a sharper throttle response and faster gear changes while
also holding the gears without automatically shifting up at the rev limiter.
With all the power and torque of the engine, there is always plenty of grunt
available for quick passes, regardless of what mode you set it for. Of course
if you choose to handle all the gear changes yourself, stationery paddle
shifters are mounted behind the wheel, and since they don’t move with the
steering wheel, it takes a little time to get used to. But all shifts are quick
and immediate, and it is fun to flick through the gears yourself.
The Virage’s dynamics have been tuned to deliver an engaging
yet more refined driving experience, where the driver can extract the maximum
performance from the car with greater ease. A newly developed Adaptive Damping
System (ADS) intelligently ‘reads’ the road to provide optimum road holding,
adapting to different conditions. The system now selects up to five different
stiffness settings within normal mode, and five stiffer settings within sport
mode.
On the road, the Aston Martin Virage Volante handles
extremely well. While the car generally feels solid, with the top down it still
had more cowl shake and judder than we would have liked or expected in a car of
this price. The Virage corners with confidence and despite the 4166 lb. heft of
the car there is not much body lean. And knowing that all the electronics are
working to keep you out of trouble, the driver can explore the handling
capabilities to its fullest, without fear of trashing their large investment. A
heavy throttle powering out of a turn will both delight and frighten you until
the traction control takes hold and gets everything back into shape before the
next turn arises. This car loves to play
on twisties, and it will eat up the miles eagerly.
Of course, with all the power and cornering capabilities,
brakes are an important part of the equation.
The Virage comes equipped with Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes as
standard; other cars in this price range usually offer ceramic brakes as an
option which usually cost more than a compact car. These brakes deliver
progressive and tremendous stopping power. Powerful, and resistant to fade and
much lighter than conventional cast-iron discs, the CCM braking system means
that not only is the overall vehicle weight reduced, but the weight saving at
each wheel means that a better balance between ride comfort and handling can be
struck. Lower rotational mass also provides improved acceleration.
THE VERDICT
It would be impossible not to like this car. It is a unique
and thrilling visceral driving experience because of the power and handling
capabilities, but also because of its price and heritage. Each owner will bring
his own unique set of mental images and attitude to the driving experience and
it will be reflected back to him while driving the Aston Martin Virage Volante.
And just as with any car in this price range . . . that is a big part of the
ownership satisfaction.
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