2011 Aston Martin DBS

 

 

The 2011 Aston Martin DBS is a unique machine. It's not quite a pure exotic, and it's not quite a pure luxury car. It's a hybrid of the two -- a luxotic, if you will. And, aside from a few quibbles, the DBS pulls it off.

Propelling the DBS is the same 5.9-liter V-12 as in the DB9, but with 40 more horsepower, for a total of 510. It is a difficult vehicle to launch while testing. With its ultra-quick-revving engine; a clutch that seems to lock up almost instantly; and good, but not great tires, it takes patience to avoid completely roasting the rear tires. We managed to get to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and clocked 12.4 seconds at 117.4 mph in the quarter. The DBS comes standard with carbon ceramic brakes, so stopping from 60-0 requires just 107 feet, very respectable for a car weighing more than 3800 pounds. The DBS came alive on our figure-eight course. "This car's handling and behavior is expertly resolved; all of its motions suggest a smaller, well-balanced car; grip is great; but it's how nicely the car turns-in and how playful it is in the corners that impresses me," said testing director Kim Reynolds

The DBS comes standard with a rear-mounted six-speed manual gearbox, with the Touchtronic six-speed automatic available as a $4000 option. We highly suggest getting the manual, not because we're car guys and believe that's what you should drive, but because the Touchtronic is too boring to be in a car like this. Aston Martin does have a new single clutch automated manual gearbox coming, and while we're not sure why they didn't go straight to a dual clutch, at least it is a step in the right direction.

 

 

The DBS isn't built like most other cars. It's composed of a variety of materials more likely found in the Space Shuttle than in a car. The chassis is bonded extruded aluminum with extruded aluminum door side-impact beams. The hood, trunk enclosure, trunklid, door-opening surrounds, and front fenders are of carbon fiber; enabling the DBS to shed more than 60 pounds. The door frames and inner panels are magnesium, while the outer skin and roof are aluminum, and the windshield surround is cast aluminum.

 

 

Each interior is completely customer-customized. The cabin is filled with leather and faux suede with accents of aluminum, carbon fiber, and piano-black wood, and the buttons of the center console are made of glass. But with all that good, there is some not so good in the interior. The pop-up navigation screen ruins the beautiful lines of the center console and isn't integrated with the 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, which is crammed into a dated small black screen that gives you almost no information. Cars less than one-tenth the price of the Aston have integrated systems. In a car this expensive, the nav/audio must be integrated and user-friendly, and that's simply not the case with the DBS. Then there are the gauges. We love the style, but the speedo is too cluttered, with too many numbers. The tach swings counter clockwise, which is cool, but there is no indicated redline. Instead, you get multiple red lights popping up in the center of the dash. Another issue is the key; again, at this price, the DBS should be keyless, but instead there's a heavy, awkward fob that's a real pain.

 

 

But overall, the DBS will delight all of your senses. Inside and out, the car is visually stunning. Luxuriate in the sound of the V-12 quickly making its way to redline as you're pinned back in the plush, form-fitting seats. Then there's the rich scent of the leather interior, and, if you're lucky enough, the faint smell and taste of tire smoke. If Aston Martin addresses those quibbles, this will be the elite luxotic on the market.