Aston Martin Vantage

The 2010 Aston Martin Vantage ranks 2 out of 6 Exotic Sports Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 46 published reviews and test drives of the Aston Martin Vantage, and our analysis of reliability and safety data. The 2010 Aston Martin Vantage combines aesthetic perfection with superior performance engineering. It may not be the fastest or most powerful exotic sports car, but it’s a superb handler and a wonderful piece of art to behold. "Those who think a Bentley Continental too mundane and a Lamborghini Gallardo too ostentatious might find the Aston Martin Vantage an ideal choice," writes Consumer Guide.



Borrowing its name from the 1970’s-era Vantage, the 2010 model is a lesson in automotive accomplishment. In fact, few exotic sports cars come close to matching the 2010 Aston Martin Vantage's unique balance of distinguished handling, drop-dead gorgeous looks and everyday practicality (its trunk is rather large for an exotic sports car).

The 2010 Aston Martin Vantage's design isn’t revolutionary and it doesn’t break any performance records, but taken as a whole it provides unparalleled levels of satisfaction. "[A]t an estimated price of $120,000 for the coupe, it carries a balance of gorgeous design, hand-built charisma, and outright performance that is tough to beat," writes Car and Driver. Adding to the allure of the 2010 Vantage is Aston Martin's exotic aura -- especially in the United States, where the automaker's vehicles are still rare.

Aston Martin DBX

Aston Martin DBX uses the company's 6.0-liter V12, but claims 70 more horsepower than the DB9--520 in all. (Torque is unchanged at 420 pound-feet.) Numerous tweaks liberate the extra ponies, but the main one is a freer-breathing intake system with computer-controlled air-box valves, plus a larger under-bumper front air intake. Curb weight drops about 140 pounds by replacing metal with carbon fiber for the hood, fenders, and door-mirror housings. C-F is also fashioned into a new front air splitter and a rear air diffuser that promote high-speed stability. How fast will it go? Aston quotes 191 mph, about five mph up on the DB9.

Aston Martin DBX

As Rolls-Royce would say, that's "adequate" for a 3737-pound sports-luxury coupe with all the comforts and a cabin trimmed in leather, suede-like alcantara, and carbon fiber accents. Off the line, the DBS hits 60 mph in a claimed 4.3 seconds, a half-second faster than Aston's big, burly V12 Vanquish coupe. Other changes include a wider track, 20-inch wheels (replacing 19s) within subtly bulged fenders, hefty carbon-ceramic disc brakes cooled by dedicated body ductwork, and a grille with five horizontal bars instead of seven. The DBS also gets a redesigned dashboard center stack with more ergonomic controls, a likely update for other Aston models in due course.

Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin unveiled the most eagerly anticipated car of the year the new Aston Martin DBS at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 16th 2007, where the company took a starring role as the featured marque. Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, said: "The Aston Martin DBS is the ultimate expression of Aston Martin's engineering and technical ability. It offers pure performance without compromise. The Aston Martin DBS delivers the complete driving experience and bridges the gap between our road and track cars - the Aston Martin DB9 and Aston Martin DBR9."

Aston Martin DBS

Equally at home on a twisting mountain circuit as on the open road, the DBS is a true thoroughbred. The Aston Martin DBS is a 6.0-litre V12 powered, race-bred, two-seater shaped by the aerodynamic demands of high performance, with an exquisite interior that marries beautifully hand-finished materials with the very latest in performance technology.

Aston Martin DBS

A combination of elegant design, innovative manufacturing processes, race-derived materials and components and Aston Martin's unrivalled hand-build expertise makes the Aston Martin DBS a luxury sports car without equal. Every line, crease and curve conveys the enormous potential of the Aston Martin DBS, a seductive blend of refinement and raw power, provided by the hand-built V12 producing 380kW (510bhp/517PS), a top speed of 191mph (302km/h) and a 0-62mph (0-100km/h) time of 4.3 seconds.

Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin DB9

Body
Two-door coupe or convertible body style with 2+2 seating
Extruded aluminium bonded VH body structure
Aluminium and composite body panels
Extruded aluminium door side impact beams
High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps (dipped beam)
Halogen projector headlamps (main beam) with power wash
LED rear lamps

Aston Martin DB9

Engine
All-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 48-valve, 5935 cc V12
Front mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive
Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves
Compression ratio 10.9:1
Max power 350 kW (470 bhp/477 PS) at 6000 rpm
Max torque 600 Nm (443 lb ft) at 5000 rpm
Acceleration - manual and automatic 0-60 mph in 4.6 sec; 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.8 sec
Max speed 306 km/h (190 mph)

Transmission
Rear mid-mounted, six-speed manual gearbox
Rear mid-mounted ‘Touchtronic 2’ six-speed gearbox with electronic shift-by-wire control system
Alloy torque tube with carbon-fibre propeller shaft
Limited-slip differential
Final-drive ratio (manual) 3.54:1
Final-drive ratio (automatic) 3.154:1

Wheels & tyres
19” alloy wheels – 20 spoke Diamond Turned design
Front 8.5J x 19” Bridgestone Potenza 235/40 ZR19
Rear 9.5J x 19” Bridgestone Potenza 275/35 ZR19

Steering
Rack and pinion, Servotronic speed-sensitive power-assisted steering, 3.0 turns lock-to-lock
Column tilt and reach adjustment

Suspension
Front Independent aluminium double wishbones incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil over aluminium monotube dampers and anti-roll bar
Rear Independent aluminium double wishbones incorporating anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, coil over aluminium monotube dampers and anti-roll bar
Adaptive damping system

Brakes
Front Ventilated and grooved steel discs, 355 mm diameter
Rear Ventilated and grooved steel discs, 330 mm diameter
Radial-mounted four-piston monobloc calipers
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
Anti-locking Braking System (ABS)
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
Traction control

Dimensions
Length 4710 mm (185.5”)
Width 1875 mm (74”)
Height 1300 mm (51.2”)
Wheelbase 2740 mm (107.9”)
Front Track 1570mm (62”)
Rear Track 1560mm (61.5”)
Turning Circle 12.0m (39.4 ft)
Fuel tank capacity 80 litres (17.6 UK gal, 21.1 US gal)
Cd (Coupe) 0.35
Kerb Weight (Coupe) 1760 kg (3880 lb)

Interior
Full grain leather interior
Walnut facia trim
Iridium Silver centre console outer finish and Graphite inner finish
Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror*1
Auto-dimming rear-view mirror & garage door opener (USA and Canada only)
Electrically operated seats
Memory seats & exterior mirrors (three positions)
Dual-stage driver and front passenger frontal airbags
Front occupant side airbags
Automatically deployed roll-over bars (Volante)
Heated front seats
Perforated leather seat inserts
Heated rear screen
Automatic temperature control
Organic Electroluminescent (OEL) displays
LED map lamps and ambient lighting
Trip computer
Cruise control
Hard Disk Drive (HDD) satellite navigation system*1,2
Bluetooth telephone preparation*1
Satellite radio system (USA only)
Powerfold exterior mirrors
Rear parking sensors
Tyre-pressure monitoring*1
Alarm and immobiliser
Remote-control central door locking and boot release
Wind deflector (Volante only)
Tracking device (UK only)
Boot-mounted umbrella
Lamy pen and pen holder (Manual only)

In-Car Entertainment
Aston Martin 700 W Premium Audio System with Dolby® Pro Logic II®, includes a six-CD autochanger
Integrated Apple iPod connector
USB connector with Waveform Audio Format (WAF) Windows MediaPlayer (WMA) and MPEG (MP3) audio file compatibility
3.5 mm auxiliary input socket
MP3 player connectivity

Options
Bang & Olufsen 1000W BeoSound DB9 sound system
Front parking sensors
Mahogany facia trim
Bamboo facia trim
Tamo Ash facia trim
Piano Black facia trim
Nexus Alloy facia trim
Double Apex facia trim
Matching wood door trim (not available with Bang & Olufsen Audio System)
Second glass key
Polished Alloy tread plates
Personalised sill plaques
Magnum Silver bonnet, side strake and lower bumper meshes
Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror with garage door opener (Europe only)
Alarm upgrade (volumetric and tilt sensor)
Tracking device*1,3
Alternative brake caliper finish (black, red, grey)
19” forged alloy wheels – 5-spoke diamond turned
19” forged alloy wheels – 10-spoke diamond turned
19” forged alloy wheels – 10-spoke diamond turned with a Graphite painted finish
First-aid kit
Smokers’ pack
Satellite radio system (Canada only)

Finally Aston Martin all set to enter Indian market

British Supercar maker Aston Martin has revealed its range for the Indian market. Infiniti Cars will be the official importer of Aston Martin in India. The carmaker has also unveiled its limited edition hypercar called the One-77 in India at a price tag of whopping Rs 20 crore. The One-77 has a limited production run of only 77 cars globally out of which only five cars are yet to be sold.

Aston Martin considers the Rapide to be the perfect car to enter our market with its four doors, four full seats and a decent boot coupled with sportscar performance. In addition to the Rapide, Aston Martin also has supercars like the DBS, DB9 and Vantage in its lineup.

The Rapide is powered by a 6-litre V12 producing 469bhp at 6000rpm. This and the 61.24kgm of torque will launch the sports saloon to 100kph in 4.9sec on its way to a top whack of 296kph.

It is built on an aluminum VH (vertical horizontal) body structure like the DB9. This platform is very adaptable and strong and can be used easily for different body styles like convertible versions.

Aluminium, magnesium alloy and composite body panels help keep the weight of the massive Rapide a little short of two tonnes. The only problem with aluminium is that if it gets damaged, repairing it requires high levels of skill and experience since aluminium distorts more than steel. Costs of repair will skyrocket here and so will the time taken to get it done. Massive 20-inch alloys give the car an imposing stance. .

Adding to the four-seater Rapide is the 2+2 seater two-door DB9 that sports the same engine and chassis but accelerates faster to 100kph by 0.4 of a second due to its lighter weight. It comes in coupe and convertible (Volante). A long aluminum hood sits above a familiar Aston Martin grille and there are side strakes on the front quarter panels. "Swan wing" doors rise at a 12-degree angle for easier access

To start the engine, the driver must press a clear glass button. The tachometer dial runs counterclockwise and has no redline. Instead, a red warning symbol appears at various engine speeds, depending on ambient temperature and engine mileage. Bang & Olufsen stereo is available on the DB9. Mechanical features include a rear mounted ZF six-speed automatic transmission with magnesium paddle shifters or six-speed manual gearbox. On-road, the DB9 will cost approximately Rs 1.7 crore.

The Virage is Aston’s newest entry in the coupe lineup. It is another V-12-powered sportscar that's offered in coupe and convertible body styles.

The DBS and the Vantage complete the lineup.  The DBS sports a 510-horsepower V-12, massive wheels and a low-slung hood, and competes with supercars like the Ferrari 599 GTB and Maserati GranTurismo.

The Vantage is the only car to get a smaller V8 too. The 4.8-litre alloy engine produces 420bhp and 48kgm of torque and reaches a top speed of 290kph. The V8 costs Rs 1.28 crore and the V12 costs a princely Rs 1.94 crore. Our roads aren’t exactly ideal to unleash such sportscar performance; hence the cheaper V8 could be attractive to Indian customers, some of whom are more concerned with looks than outright performance.

The luxury sportscar maker wants a share of the double-digit sports car pie currently dominated by the Germans. If it’s understated elegant British styling and massive V8 and V12 engines don’t tempt you, the painstakingly handcrafted interiors will surely drag you in.

Cheak other cars photos........

 

that's it for today.............Drive safe make sure you wear your seat belts and please do not use high beams