Aston Martin DBS Volante

Summary
Soft-top Volante version lets you enjoy all the fun of Aston's hardcore DB9-based DBS with the wind in your hair

We like - Epic engine, beautiful looks, bespoke feel, ride, steering feel, plays the refined cruiser and extrovert supercar with equal aplomb
We don't like - Bodykit possibly a bit lairy, auto option dulls the excitement, more manic DBS engine less suited to the heavier cabrio, tiny boot, the price

First Impressions
The 'Power, Beauty, Soul' that flashes across the instruments when you fire up the £175K Aston Martin DBS Volante is, admittedly, a bit cheesy. After all, it's not like you need reminding of this.

Because if there's one thing an Aston Martin has in abundance it's character. Astons have always been a bit special, up there with Ferrari in terms of heritage and emotional appeal yet as British as James Bond, the quintessential Aston man.

And this new soft-top version of the DBS does everything in its power to tug at your heartstrings. Equally gorgeous inside and out, it's blessed with one of the great engines too.

Based on the DB9 but tougher, faster and louder in both voice and styling, the Volante version of the DBS has 510hp at its disposal, the better for chasing down Ferraris, Bentleys and Mercs.

A traditional fabric roof has meant no compromise in style too, especially compared to the contortions Ferrari has contrived on the California to accommodate a folding metal hardtop.

The Aston is a real beauty, but underpins this with real high tech. The chassis is made of bonded aluminium while DBS spec adds carbon fibre wings, bonnet and boot lid with the patented 'surface veil' to ensure a smooth paint finish.

Performance
Based on the same 6.0-litre V12 used in the DB9, in DBS spec power climbs from 470hp to 510hp. Interestingly torque is actually down, at 420lb ft from the DB9's 443lb ft.

This underlines the DBS's more racy nature, the engine tuned for high-rev horsepower rather than cruisey low-end pulling torque. And you need to get a few revs on the dial to really unleash its best.

Given the noise it makes when the exhaust valve opens at 4,000rpm this is no hardship though, this significant shift in character more enjoyable than ever with the roof down.

The optional Touchtronic automatic gearbox is smooth and effective too with a pleasingly punchy paddle shift override. But it's nice to see Aston still offers a manual option for those craving more involvement.

The lighter California's sub four-second 0-62mph sprint and 193mph top speed beat the Aston's 4.3 seconds and 191mph but not by much. Both lack the punch of the Bentley Continental GTC and Mercedes SL65 AMG though.

But in comparison with the normally aspirated Aston engine the turbocharged V12s in the Merc and Bentley are crude blunderbusses - all shock and awe. To continue the analogy, the DBS is more elegant, hand-crafted Holland & Holland shotgun.

Ride and handling
Though light on its feet there's a maturity and weightiness to the Aston's controls underlining the DBS Volante's position at the top of the range, at least until the One-77 arrives.

Like the Ferrari California and forthcoming Mercedes SLS roadster - another likely rival to the Volante version of the DBS - the Aston Martin has a front-mid-mounted engine and gearbox in the rear for improved weight distribution.

And though it's a big car its weight is kept within the wheelbase, making it feel more nimble and predictable than you'd expect. It also rides with real poise and comfort, with only a hint of cabrio shimmy on bumpy roads.

The Adaptive Damping System offers an additional, firmer setting Aston Martin says is "ideal for circuit driving", though it's doubtful any DBS Volante owners will be exploring this ability and it's best left alone on the road.

Interior
Modern Aston Martin cabins really are in a different league, owing more to top-end hi-fi design than conventional car interiors. A theme reflected by the exclusive Bang & Olufsen BeoSound stereo, complete with funky pop-up speakers.

These even automatically compensate for the additional wind noise when the roof is down, carbon fibre door fittings and even a lightweight weave to the carpets typical of the theme of weight saving with no compromise in luxury.

Lowering the roof lets you show off this fabulous interior to everyone too. Only the rather cheesy embroidered DBS logos on the seats impact on the otherwise classy tone, though you can of course tailor the trim to taste.

The Thinsulate-lined hood is cosy and, bar a bit of tyre roar, offers great refinement. And when the sun comes out it disappears in just 14 seconds at speeds up to 30mph. It does eat into boot space though.

Economy and safety
We'll gloss over economy because if you're in the market for a 500hp-plus cabrio it's unlikely to feature high on your list of concerns. But what about safety?

Well, ceramic brakes are standard and, once woken, offer massive, easily modulated stopping power. The stability control is kept busy in the wet too but, should the worst happen, pop-up roll hoops deploy from the rear deck.

MSN Cars verdict
If you're after an open top Aston you could argue the standard DB9's character fits the Volante mould better, the hardcore DBS accoutrements ultimately more suited to the more focused coupe. But we're splitting hairs.

Even with the more aggressive styling the DBS Volante has class, style and character the Ferrari California can't touch. Its sky-high price ensures exclusivity too, the DBS Volante reserved for those for whom only the best will do.

Aston Martin DBS Volante Road Test

I am aware that there are people in the world who can afford to buy an Aston Martin with about as much thought as they would buy a set of underpants, and I look forward to becoming one of their number in the near future, but for now the idea of any car whose price tag extends way, way into six figures is a slightly intimidating one, so I would expect the DBS Volante to be pretty damn special.

And so it is, even in Aston Martin's own terms. It is the more expensive of the two DBS models the company makes, the roughly £9000 difference between the Volante and the Coupé being accounted for by the Volante's folding roof, which incidentally reduces luggage capacity from a mere 186 litres to an even merer 135 litres. If that matters.

The two are mechanically identical, having a 510bhp six-litre V12 petrol engine and a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or, for an extra £2900 or so, a six-speed Touchtronic automatic. The Volante is 105kg heavier because of the strengthening needed to compensate for the lack of a solid roof, but strangely Aston Martin quotes identical performance (impressive) and fuel economy and CO2 (embarrassing) figures for both.

The Touchtronic gearbox doesn't seem to affect performance figures and actually improves fuel economy slightly, not that this is going to make any difference whatever to someone for whom the price of the gearbox is about as significant as the effect of being asked, "Would you like fries with that?"

All other considerations aside, I would personally go for Touchtronic every time, not because I dislike manuals (quite the reverse) but because I have a bit of a problem with the DBS Volante's clutch. For some reason I find it very difficult to feel the biting point, which means I either stall the car and look like an idiot, or move very slowly from rest with the engine roaring and the air becoming suffused with clutch smoke. I think I have managed about one decent start in four, so you can see why I find Touchtronic a tempting option.

Even so, this might seem a strange choice for such a high-performance car, but the DBS is not really intended for sporty drivers. Aston Martin itself describes the Vantage as its sports model, and considers the DBS to be more of a grand tourer. It's a fair point. The DBS looks very racy, and its straightline performance is appreciably better than that of the Vantage, but it is altogether softer and more suited to cruising along flowing roads than to being hustled along tighter ones.

The one respect in which the DBS has considerably more appeal to the Vantage to the enthusiastic driver concerns the sound quality. The V8 engine of the Vantage is a bit of a disappointment in this area, since it doesn't sound like much in particular until you start revving it hard, but the V12 in the DBS sounds great no matter what it's being asked to do.

Among its other qualities, the DBS has an interior which is a triumph of the art, though I'd be inclined to avoid choosing red upholstery myself. Too brash. In theory, four of you can revel in the sumptuousness at the same time, since the DBS has back seats, but there is so little space in the rear that they seem like a waste of upholstery. Maybe it's for the best, though - it would be difficult to maintain the feeling of superiority which the DBS undoubtedly provides with an audience of as many as three people.

2009 Aston Martin DBS Volante

First, you don’t call the Volante a convertible--it’s a Volante, a cloth-top car that’s reasonably quiet when shut, and because it has a soft lid, one with some useful trunk space that an erstwhile hardtop would’ve vaporized. (Also this is a nominal 2+2, and while not even children would find the backseat space viable there’s room enough in this car for overnight luggage which isn’t the case with many a super-sports GT.)

Second, though it’s equipped with a manual-automatic Touchtronic gearbox (an ordinary six-speed manual is also available), unless you’re stuck in traffic it’s far more pleasurably driven as a paddle shift manual than, say, Audi’s S-tronic, as the shifts are actually smoother when manually called for than in automatic mode. This is because they happen more quickly when under the driver’s control and because you’ve shifted, rather than allowed a computer algorithm to decide when to change gears, you can precisely anticipate when that instant will arrive when the tremendous muscle of the car’s 6.0-liter, 510-hp V-12 will pause, the bootheel of g-forces on your chest will lift for half a heartbeat, and then you’re mashed back into the driver’s seat, resuming the boost-phase mode of the DBS’s haul toward a nearly 200-mph top speed.

Third, should you happen to want to drive the DBS like a sane person, that is to say, calmly and coolly and within the constraints of suburban and even rural constabulary mores—you can do so, even as the V-12 under the hood and the metallic paddles that control the gearbox pretty much beg you to quit forcing the DBS to crawl around town on errands and instead mash the gas and let the car realize its full potential.

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

An amalgamation of remarkable contrasts, precisely juxtaposed to form something absolutely extraordinary, the Aston Martin DBS Volante both intrigues and enthralls in a way no other car I’ve experienced can.

Depressing the elegant and distinctive crystalline starter button unleashes an unexpectedly vicious bark from the exhaust system. Remarkably, while the sound is the unmistakable aural signature of a high performance car, the resonant burble the engine settles into exudes sophistication wholly evocative of the handcrafted consideration that went into its creation.

And frankly, the same can be said about every other aspect of the car.

On the one hand, every aspect of the DBS is set up to accommodate high-speed operation. On the other, it is all cloaked in a graciousness not typically associated with that purpose. The seats are a perfect example; deeply bolstered and supportive, seemingly straight out of a racing car, they are finished in leather so supple a newborn’s face feels rough in comparison.

One marvels repeatedly at the way the trappings of luxury have been bent to serve the needs of the enthusiast driver. And underway, I quickly came to understand why this is so.

Said succinctly, this car flat flies y’all!

Snapping the throttle to the floor releases that bark again, except this time it’s more of an enthusiastic snarl as the 510-horsepower, hand-assembled 6.0-liter V12 begins to deliver its 420 ft-lbs of torque. And while you’re relishing the sound's beauty, affording it a mere four seconds of your attention, the Aston is streaking past 60 miles per hour with lots of room left on the tachometer before the shift from first to second comes due.

Here’s the rub though, as vicious as it sounds, the DBS Volante accrues speed so smoothly and routinely you have to take in the blurring of the scenery to truly get a sense of the magnitude of it. And when you do, it all comes together in one great rush.

Braking for the first corner, the firmness of the pedal, combined with the ease with which the modulation of braking forces can be accomplished, simultaneously astonishes and instills confidence. The huge carbon brakes enable the Aston considerable generosity; the Volante relinquishes speed just as quickly as it amasses it. Turning into the curve, you’re treated to near mathematical precision from the steering, accompanied by tremendous adhesion to the tarmac.

As the Aston slices into the corner – displaying inimitable stability and control – your smile, the one you previously thought was a broad one, now spreads to encompass your entire face as you peg the throttle coming off of the apex and go racing off toward the next opportunity to repeat the process.

Yeah, it really is that good.

But, on the other hand, when conditions inhibit that exercise, and your attention returns to the interior, everywhere you look the eye is rewarded with yet another outstanding example of beauty and attention to detail. In fact, the utter civility of it all will have you saying to your companion – even if you've never spoken this way in your life – “Do be a dear and activate the audio system, would you?”

Afforded but a brief drive in the Aston Martin, I can tell you it is an experience quite unlike any other. Lots of cars are fast and lots of cars are luxurious. And quite a few (most of them English, by the way) are both sinfully luxurious and fast. But the Aston Martin DBS Volante has the intoxicating blend of pace and grace absolutely optimally dialed in.

Aston Martin DBS Volante

This weekend's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance has lured the high rollers of the exotic-car world, including the 2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante that Motor Authority took for a first drive today.

Aston Martin DBS Volante

The DBS Volante is, by Aston's reckoning, the "ultimate open air motoring experience." With the new convertible top, purist-pleasing rear-wheel drive, a massively powerful V-12 engine under the sleek hood, and the tech-forward reputation of today's Aston Martin lineup, the new Volante teams with the V8 Vantage roadster to bookend the DB9 and DBS coupe--and to seed the ground for the four-door Rapide sedan coming in a few weeks' time to the 2009 Frankfurt auto show.

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

Aston Martin DBS Volante LIVE atGeneva Motor Show

With the clock counting down for the worldwide launch of its Rapide sedan, Aston Martin continues to fill out its exotically British lineup. Next up for the bespoke brand? The roadster DBS Volante arriving in buyers' hands later this year and wearing a 2010 model-year tag..

Aston previewed the new convertible at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, and is showing clients across America the new car, with a stop planned at this month's Pebble Beach Concours.

By their accounts, the DBS Volante is the "ultimate open air motoring experience." If you're inclined to agree, the only evidence you need to point to may be the Volante's bruising V-12 engine. The 6.0-liter V-12 exhales 510 horsepower and twists out 420 pound-feet of torque, which gets shuttled to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. With either, Aston Martin says the Volante dashes to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and charges to a 191-mph top speed.

Playing backup to the massively powerful drivetrain are big carbon-ceramic brakes and a lighter-weight body with a hood, decklid and front fenders made from carbon fiber. Driving feel is adjustable, with dash-mounted buttons for Sport or normal modes. Sport quickens the reflexes of the automatic, the shocks, steering and throttle, while the normal mode promises a more relaxed, GT-style ride.

The DBS's bonded and riveted aluminum body should stay rigid, since the automaker planned the DBS Volante in tandem with the coupe. Instead of a weight-gaining folding hardtop like the Ferrari California, Aston's fitted a lightweight fabric roof that stacks and folds in only 14 seconds, at speeds of up to 30 mph. When it's stowed, the top hides underneath a hard tonneau cover that gives the Volante a distinct look from the coupe.

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

The Aston Martin DBS drops its roof for 2010 and breeds a new generation of Volante roadster.

The last piece in the Aston Martin DBS puzzle is about to be fitted in place, with the arrival of the 2010 DBS Volante convertible.

Previewed at the Geneva motor show and in spy shots aplenty here at Motor Authority, the new aluminum-bodied roadster arrives in the U.S. later this year as a 2010 model. And, since we'll be driving the new convertible later this month at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, it's time to remind you of what's in store for this powerful exotic, and for us.

The DBS Volante is, by Aston's reckoning, the "ultimate open air motoring experience." With the new convertible top, purist-pleasing rear-wheel drive, a massively powerful V-12 engine under the sleek hood, and the tech-forward reputation of today's Aston Martin lineup, the new Volante promises to be as convincing a drive as the one we took earlier this year in the V8 Vantage roadster.

In the surgical process that removes the roof structure of the DBS coupe, Aston Martin took the usual--and some unusual--steps to ensure the bonded and riveted body kept its rigidity as well as its dashing good looks. Aston designed the DBS to be a convertible one day, so the structural changes are minimal. The top itself is fabric, and it stacks and folds quickly: it's just 14 seconds to full sun exposure, and the top can be lowered at speeds of up to 30 mph. A hard tonneau keeps the Volante's shoulders bare and clean.

While the V8 Vantage range has eight-cylinder power (for now), the larger DBS and DBS Volante share a titan of a V-12 engine. In the Volante, the twelve-cylinder pings the 510-horsepower mark, and twists out 420 pound-feet of torque. Aston Martin promises that the power, delivered through the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters, will push the Volante to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds on its way to a 191-mph top speed. Their word? "Effortless."