My neighbor had been ignoring the various exotics and high-priced luxury cars parked in my driveway for many years – I should have expected that the DB9 would shatter the trend.
The morning sun was glistening off the Aston Martin's metallic Volcano Red paint when she rolled by in her late-model Acura TL, abruptly hit the brakes, and then reversed her sedan before coming to a stop in front of my driveway. The passenger window went down and she smiled before uttering seven words – a curious question followed immediately by an ardent statement.
"What is that car? It is gorgeous!"
There was no need to discuss the muscular twelve cylinders under the hood, yards of hand-stitched soft leather or its carbon-ceramic brakes. None of that mattered. As she peered at the sexy aluminum bodywork, her eyes filled with lust and then glazed over.
The Aston Martin DB9 is a sports GT – touted as its "most elegant sports grand tourer." Despite sharing most of its sibling's dimensions, the all-aluminum DB9 is slotted below the carbon-bodied flagship Vanquishand above the slightly smaller and sportier Vantage.
With the short-lived Virage now out of production, the DB9 went under the knife for the 2013 model year. It emerged in late September with a more aggressive and athletic appearance (Aston says that 70 percent of the body panels are new), fresh technology and a solid bump in power.
The new 2013 DB9 is a dead ringer for the discontinued Virage from the front, as it has adopted the coupe's sharpened and elongated front lights, LED markers and daytime running lamps, along with its gaping lower intake with a carbon-fiber front splitter. The lower rear fascia is also nearly identical, with a more prominent lower diffuser styled to emphasize its aggressiveness. In a departure from the Virage with its smooth tail, the rear decklid of the DB9 features a handsome boot "flip" (we call it an "integrated spoiler" in the States) to further reinforce its sporty demeanor and reduce lift.
The interior ergonomics are unchanged (it's a shame the DB9 doesn't get the updated and slightly more ergonomic cabin from the flagship Vanquish), but the DB9's accommodations have been upgraded and improved to be more luxurious, more refined and more elegant. Supple Bridge of Weir hides, wonderfully hand-stitched with two different gauges of thread depending on the desired aesthetic effect, embellish all of the visible surfaces and real polished glass switches adorn the console. A new "racetrack" pinstripe color-contrasting welt runs down either side of the console (each requires a six-foot continuous piece of leather, says the automaker). The cockpit is plush, comfortable and its rich smell will make your mouth water – Astons do that.
Mirroring the construction of the Vantage and Rapide, the DB9 is built on the company's Generation 4 VH all-aluminum monocoque chassis. Affixed to the lightweight framework are aluminum body panels with magnesium alloy and carbon-fiber components. The proven platform is plenty stiff, and its foundation serves as the backbone for Aston Martin's third-generation three-mode Adaptive Damping System (ADS). The suspension is comprised of double-wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bars and electronically controlled monotube dampers at both the front and rear.
Brakes, massive carbon-ceramic discs with six-piston calipers in the nose and four-piston calipers in the tail, are shared with the Vanquish, while the standard wheels are 20-inch alloys wearing Pirelli P-Zero rubber (staggered 245/35ZR20 and 295/30ZR20). The steering is Servotronic, speed-sensing rack-and-pinion with traditional hydraulic power assist.
As expected, the DB9 boasts Aston Martin's 6.0-liter (technically 5,935cc) V12 under its alloy hood. Naturally aspirated, the AM11 engine has been bumped 40 horsepower over its predecessor to deliver 510 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 457 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm. Unlike the smaller Vantage that's fitted with a single-clutch automated or a traditional six-speed manual gearbox, the larger coupe arrives with the automaker's rear-mid mounted six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission, and a mechanical limited-slip differential is standard.
Dimensionally, the DB9 and Vanquish are nearly identical. However, the substitution of aluminum body panels for carbon fiber means this less expensive coupe tips the scales at a slightly heavier 3,935 pounds (compared to 3,833 on the Vanquish). The addition of a hundred pounds only slightly affects acceleration, as the updated DB9 will still crack the benchmark 0-60 sprint in less than 4.5 seconds and see 183 mph at the top end. It is plenty quick for its mission.
Base price of Aston Martin's 2013 DB9 is $187,515 (including the mandatory $2,115 destination and $2,100 gas-guzzler tax), which represents a price cut of $4,515 over its predecessor. While a slightly more attractive Monroney isn't going to convince anyone to take the British coupe over its closest Italian rivals (the Ferrari California starts at $194,000 and the Lamborghini Gallardo stickers at $184,895), it does create a larger gap between the DB and the Vanquish. That is Aston's true intent, after all.
Read more by Michael Harley at Autoblog.com
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