At long last I've been able to test drive a DB9 and the journey to do so was in my SL55 which allowed me a back to back comparison.

On the face of it, the DB9 doesn't appear to compete. If you spec it up to match the SL55 (ignoring the coupe/convertible comparison), it winds up in the UK about 15 - 20% more expensive, has slightly less power although in a lighter car and takes a whopping 0.2 seconds more to reach 60 mph.

What becomes obvious though when you get to see the car, sit in it and drive it for the first time is that this is a much more focussed car where the aim is to provide the best driver experience.

First, it is the most stunning car to look at. With the possible exception of rear-end on, there isn't an angle where the car is not draw-droppingly gorgeous to look at. The clean, fresh lines are a joy, especially the front end which does not have the busy lines of the SL. That comes at a price. It takes Aston Martin 20 times as long to fit the headlamps as it does in an SL.

The paintwork takes 25 hours to do, where the SL is painted alongside the C Class which are coming off the line every 80 seconds. It shows. The DB9 has a lustrous paint finish which is beautiful to look at. There are 20 standard paint colours, any other colour is a no cost option. I'm beginning to understand where the money goes.

Savour the interior. Hand stitched right next to the line. Leather everywhere, real wood, not thin veneer coated in plastic. Anodised aluminium door handles, centre console. Comfortable seats, lots of headroom, but visibility not as good as the SL55, especially to the back. There's a lot of car ahead of what you can see too. Even so, this car is a special place to be.

Key in, turn on, the gloriously extravagent instrument panel lights up with AM logo and boot-up check. Press the glass button in the centre console. No demure spinning of a Mercedes V12, the Aston engine erupts with an urgency which is SL55 meets flat plane crank Ferrari V8. Blip the throttle, so little rotational inertia, the revs go up and down in an instant.

Press the "D" button on the panel. Red light confirms selection. Off with the fly-off handbrake, just like my F355 to the side of the driver's seat. And then we're off. The throttle is sensitive, perhaps too so, but marvellously progressive. None of this adaptive throttle nonsense. The car is talking to me. Through my seat, through the wheel, through the brake pedal. The ride sits somewhere between the SL55 and a Ferrari, hard but not bone-jarring. Your cavity fillings are safe in this car.

On the move, the car is much more of a sports car than the SL55. The grunt may be less (but still plenty for anything legal or sane on UK roads) but the car is more wieldy, more involving to drive than the SL55. The SL55 is like a band who can only play one tune - "press the loud pedal and wham!" The DB9 can keep you endlessly amused with a whole song-book. The handling balance is perfect, thanks to the equal weight distribution of having the gearbox at the back. When you come back into the traffic, the car is as docile as can be. And then there was the stunning blonde who flashed me the most gorgeous smile when we were at a stop light. All I get in the SL55 is resentful drivers trying to cut me up. A sublime driving experience.

Getting back into the SL55 and driving home, the car was supremely capable, fast, safe but also soulless and detached. The DB9 lacks the overt sophistication of the SL55, although its aluminium body technology steals a march on the SL. Its reason for being rests on someone (me) being prepared to pay more for apparently less but actually something which cannot be described in a spec sheet, a car with character, a car I can fall in love with and not just admire. I'm looking forward to it joining my "stable" just as soon as I can get one. My old style SL600 will move on, as will my F355 to be replaced itself. Can't wait.

 

Just in case you think I'm the only SL owner with a DB9 on order, here's a picture of the car park of the golf club where the test drives were held. Your correspondent's SL55 is the one at the far end. And if you compare how the Aston looks with the second view of mine, there is, at least in my book, no comparison.

 

That was a great review. You have a talent for writing. I don't have any AM dealers in my area, so owning one isn't an option for me. It looks stunning.

 

Nice review, great to have someone with "our" sensibilities giving this perspective on such a beautiful car like the DB9.

I hate it when I read a review in a car magazine and the writer has little experience with other high end marques or has a particular bias. Since BlueSL is an SL55 driver, his comparisons to that benchmark make it easier to relate to his conclusions.

Mercedes are fast but antiseptic. Sometimes I will be driving down the road in my CL600 wondering why I am feeling a bit disconnected to my ride. What could I want that would be an improvement over the comfort and performance this offers? And then it hits me, it feels like I am driving in a simulation rather than feeling more connected. I am too old to want to put up with manual or semi manual transmissions plus I don't want a really harsh ride since I am not going that fast around corners anyway. I just want a true GT, that is sexy, goes fast and makes the right noises.

Maybe there will be a DB9 in my future after all.

 

Thank you for the great review and pictures! Please share more pictures when you get the DB9. It is a beautiful car.

 

Thanks for the fair minded comparison. Looks like you came away impressed with the AM.

Although the looks have grown on me, I still am not a big fan. If you get an SL with the right colour, wheels and even some styling enhancements, I think the SL is far superior to the AM in terms of style. However the AM is unique and I guess that due to the popularity of the SL in the UK, the DB9 will stand out.

I didnt quite understand if the AM will replace the 355 or not? Is their still a possibility of F430 joining the garage?

 

I saw one of these on my way to work yesterday morning - it was a pretty nice looking car in person!

 

The SL is a good looking car from many angles, but the need to package the roof dictates the basic geometry of the roof rear window and trunk and forces an inevitable compromise. The SL is a packaging masterpiece to come out looking good in spite of that but the whole culture of adding bits on to make the car look different just doesn't exist in the Ferrari and Aston Martin worlds. Maybe the lower volumes do not justify the vendors getting involved. I do agree that Brilliant Silver is probably not the best colour for an SL, black is better.

The DB9 has real presence, ground hugging, hewn from solid. It will not be to everyone's taste but it will always be a much rarer sight than the SL. As for my plans, the DB9 will replace my old SL600 and an F430 will replace my F355.

 

So true and well said. The folding roof also requires a higher belt line. That the SL does not look like a bathtub (look at the Lexus SC) is a real testament to its good design.

On the DB9, have a look at where there are (and are not) shut lines. It was designed to look like the entire car is made from 1 piece of metal. And it works. Styling is subjective so you cannot make everyone go "wow", but I happen to think the DB9 is a stunning design, its mission was to take recent AM design a step further and it has. I expect it will win many accolades.

 

Thanks for a great write-up.You confirmed my expectations.
It makes the wait even more unbeareable.

 

Today I had the pleasure of a long drive in the DB9. My Benz comparison car is the CL600 I arrived in.

The DB9 effectively blurs the line between GT and sports car and is really in a class of its own. Unquestionnably gorgeous, with an engine note to die for, it is surprisingly comfortable and docile. By comparison the Benz is more sedan like in its driving experience and a true GT, with more coddling features. It is of course not as sexy as the Aston.

But the mission of the Aston seems a little blurry to me. Driven on a challenging road with tight corners, it feels large. heavy and unwieldy, much more so than the Benz (which admittedly is also not intended for this kind of driving but at least offers the active suspension to counter some of its mass). For this kind of road, I found myself wishing for a Porsche 911 or even the new Corvette (don't laugh but if you close your eyes, the Aston driving experience is a lot like the new Corvette), with less weight, smaller overall size and better turn in.

OK, I already admitted it wasn't a sports car. So I left it in drive and just puttered around in it. Now I felt like I was in a nice Japanese car, with bad visibility to the rear and sides, lacking certain niceties like cooled seats and satellite radio. See what I mean- the DB9 doesn't succeed either as a GT or a Porsche fighter. And it is much slower than my CL600, much less roomy and not nearly as comfortable.

So I am left with the impression that it sounds great and is good looking and not much else. Maybe that is enough for some.

 

Great write up. Beautiful car. Sorry to hear it is better looking and not much else tangibly better.

Off topic....those yellow license plates are hideous!!!! Whoever was complaining about US license plates being ugly surely hasnt seen those "yellow dogs".

T

 

Well yes, sadly, we're both saddled by what our legislators choose to impose on us. Case of what you're used to I guess...

 

Yes, an interesting review, and I wouldn't disagree with the points you make.

There's a spectrum between extreme sports car at one end and cosseting GT at the other and the Aston is positioned somewhere in the middle, as are the different models of the SL and CL. I'm sure we all have an instinctive feel where the key players are positioned.

Equally, there's another spectrum of exclusivity, low volume/customisable to high volume/one size fits all. In the Aston, you get a car where there's more labour available at production time to make it the way you want it, but there's no engineering budget to put things in like ventilated seats. In the SL/CL, component sharing makes these things possible, but you have to move heaven and earth to get away from light gray/dark gray/red for the inside of your SL55.

And then there's the spectrum (in my experience) of dealer attitude. Couldn't care less Mercedes (though I do detect some efforts to improve here) through to interested and above all, listening, Aston Martin.

The Aston provides a different set of compromises to the SL/CL which will appeal to some, but not to others.

The most immediate outcome of my driving the DB9 was to realise that I needed a more focussed everyday driving experience and that my old SL600 is now well past its sell-by date. In the week since then, I've moved on and replaced it with a stop-gap 911 to keep me entertained while waiting for a DB9 Volante and it's a long wait, 2007/2008.

No point waiting for a new 911 either - needed a quick fix - and have found an 18 month old one (C4S). It too falls somewhere in that Sports Car/GT continuum and I'll be interested to see how I get on. Initial reaction is that it is much more involving to drive than the SL55 but the ride is harder than I remember since last having a 911 and after too long being bounced around on the SL600. ABC is the SL55's trump card and provides the best handling/ride compromise I've ever experienced and no car with a fixed suspension/damping setup is going to better it.

 

A great write-up, as usual!

And AM did design a beautifully balanced body with the DB9. The coupe is simply beautiful to look at from every angle!

Since I prefer convertibles over coupes, I wish they would have done a better job with the Volante (which seems rather cluttered looking in comparison). Unfortunately also that the next AM dealer is located about 400 miles away and unless they have worked magic to make the DB9 more reliable than its predecessors , this car is simply not an option for us.

I hope you enjoy your new "gap" 911!

Wolfman

 

Seems to me convertibles are always a compromise. The least satisfactory aspect of the DB9 for me is the rear, end on view and that is neatly done away with when the roof is down. That said, I haven't seen one in the metal, plenty of time to change my mind.

There's a picture of the 911 on the 129 thread, "How old are drivers...".