So it’s goodbye Virage and hello (revised) DB9. Well it is hardly a surprise since the Virage clearly struggled to make a good case for itself in a line-up of Astons that has been getting increasingly crowded with choice. The Virage therefore is confined, maybe temporarily, to the subs bench of Aston Martin model names and joins the recently banished DBS which was recently replaced with the new Vanquish.
Quite frankly, there is not a great deal that is new with the facelifted DB9 and most of the bodywork design cues come from the outgoing Virage anyway. There is no such thing as an ugly Aston these days so thankfully the DB9 will still attract the same drooling stares as all of the other models in the range…er correction, except the Cygnet of course.
To be fair there have been several changes in the areas of chassis and powertrain which make sure the car is keeping up with the Jones’s. Aston talks a lot about its ‘Gen4 VH Architecture’ which has been applied to the hardware of the new model and is shared with the latest versions of other Aston models. This is basically in-house jargon for the version of technological developments that are being added to AM cars today.
The engine is the 6.0 litre V12 which has been played with to produce a hefty 517 PS and 620 Nm of torque. No performance figures have been quoted in the company’s press release but it is likely that the DB9 will be smidgen quicker than the Virage it replaces.
Carbon Ceramic Matrix discs and calipers are fitted as standard on the DB9 with clever anti-fade and anti-judder technology. The Active Damping System (ADS) has also been enhanced to include three damping settings: Normal, Sport and Track. Somehow it is hard to imagine that many buyers will be opting to select Track mode unless they fancy a jaunt to Nurburgring or if they like to have their spines shattered on a typical B-road in the UK. At least you are given the choice now.
On the equipment side Aston Martin are offering their usual high levels of standard specification and you can create the car of your own individual choice via the on-line configurator which is now live. There is an impressive range of colours to choose from that are both conservative and vivid and lots more carbon fibre bits to pick from for both the exterior and interior of the DB9.
The 2013 DB9 is available to order now in both Coupe and Volante form with the first cars arriving in the UK in October 2012. Prices will start at £131995.
If you would like to know more about the new DB9 or any other Aston Martin model give The Car spy a call on 01732 760699 or email sales@thecarspy.net
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