Aston Martin DBS

[dgoldenz]

Anyone driven this current generation of them? I saw one while out driving last week and was blown away by how awesome it looked in person. I had a 2014 Vanquish before but the 6 speed trans kinda sucked
and obviously a lot less power. Loved the car overall though.

Stopped by the dealer and saw this beauty for sale brand new which is way more than I’d want to spend ($453k sticker, lol). But there’s plenty of used ones in the $170-220k range with low miles and some certified.

[MJBO]

It’s ok, but a 2014 Vanquish is infinitely prettier and sounds incredible. Agree the gearbox kinda sucked.

[chassis]

Saw a DBS in the flesh today with the hood open. It was a coupe with a ton of carbon trim and alcantara dash. Looks good.

The fender strakes look fragile and subject to damage, and the HMI controls are last gen MB hardware. Rear brakes use a second caliper for the parking brake function which seems like bush league engineering.

Astons look nice but in the price range I would be more oriented towards Ferrari, Lambo, Bentley or Porsche.

Separately and related, I saw a DBX up close in the flesh today and, while interesting, wasn't too taken by it. Rear looks good, front looks OK and the bodysides are too busy.

[dgoldenz]

The infotainment looks outdated but it didn’t bother me in the Vanquish, as long as the Bluetooth works and it’s not super laggy I don’t really care.

DBX 707 prices have also dropped a lot and getting towards tempting. Saw someone on Fchat say they got one brand new for $90k off. There’s one listed that I can see with $75k discount and still sitting. Used ones down into the 170-180 asking range now which means they’re probably worth $10-20k less than that. I’d take that over a Urus personally.

[M5Rick]

The gaping grilles of the latest ones s@ck, sorry to say.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by dgoldenz

The infotainment looks outdated but it didn’t bother me in the Vanquish, as long as the Bluetooth works and it’s not super laggy I don’t really care.

DBX 707 prices have also dropped a lot and getting towards tempting. Saw someone on Fchat say they got one brand new for $90k off. There’s one listed that I can see with $75k discount and still sitting. Used ones down into the 170-180 asking range now which means they’re probably worth $10-20k less than that. I’d take that over a Urus personally.

Agree. Comparing Urus vs DBX for me it would be Urus. Yesterday (good car watching day!) I saw the DBX in a parking lot and two Urus on the road. Urus has more presence, is physically larger (more comfort and utility) and is based on the proven reliable MLBevo platform. Plus Lambo's aesthetics and drama are more appealing imo than Aston's.

[Davil]

The very last DBS, the 770 ultimate was the best by a long way as they tamed a lot of the craziness. But if you like craziness the earlier ones are quite the thing and look incredible on the road. It is now a discontinued model and will replaced by a new Vanquish towards the end of the year.

I had a DBX 707 as a loaner recently. Easily the best SUV there is if you are into SUVs. The handling is uncanny. It can be like a limousine or a sports car. Bloody quick too. Again they have just got a huge interior uplift for this year which I’d say will solve the biggest issue that SUV buyers want - fancy infotainment. I think they will start to sell a lot better as they are otherwise brilliant. The Lambo is just an Audi in drag aimed at high end real estate agents.

[gonzo]

Find one!!!

I haven't driven one but WANT.

Don't Cares:
8-track tape shaped screen.
Traction light bulb possibly burning out.
Button drives.
I really don't care about any of it. It's one of the best looking ever. Vanquish ties, imo. Vanquish is sexier. DBS is like a Lion.

Not a fan of the wheel choices, except the simple 5 split spoke.

Not a black wheels person, but this looks flipping hot. AnRchy wheels...HRE group.

[FC4]

Almost got one. Placed a deposit for a DBS Superleggera sometime back in 2018 based entirely on looks. It is absolutely stunning for sure. Since it would have been more so for my then-GF now wife, she insisted on driving one before it came in...and she hated it.

It was all downhill right from the start. The actual footprint might be the same as other big GTs, but it drives like its twice the size. It's massive. That combined with shitty visibility made it unpleasant for her to maneuver even out of the dealership. She just couldn't get comfortable in the car, and her daily at the time was a big Range.

It's pretty damn fast once you're on the freeway, but around town it just felt clumsy and ponderous. The infotainment was like an older Benz which was whatever, the interior was overstyled and doing too much, and her knee/leg kept hitting the seat controls which bugged the crap out of her.

It's gorgeous and has a massive engine...but that's about it. Everything else about the car was meh.

[dgoldenz]

Originally Posted by FC4

Almost got one. Placed a deposit for a DBS Superleggera sometime back in 2018 based entirely on looks. It is absolutely stunning for sure. Since it would have been more so for my then-GF now wife, she insisted on driving one before it came in...and she hated it.

It was all downhill right from the start. The actual footprint might be the same as other big GTs, but it drives like its twice the size. It's massive. That combined with shitty visibility made it unpleasant for her to maneuver even out of the dealership. She just couldn't get comfortable in the car, and her daily at the time was a big Range.

It's pretty damn fast once you're on the freeway, but around town it just felt clumsy and ponderous. The infotainment was like an older Benz which was whatever, the interior was overstyled and doing too much, and her knee/leg kept hitting the seat controls which bugged the crap out of her.

It's gorgeous and has a massive engine...but that's about it. Everything else about the car was meh.

I'm curious to actually drive one because I thought the Vanquish was one of the best GT cars I've driven, loved everything about it except the 6 speed transmission (which was "fine" it just wasn't "good"). Still haven't had the chance to drive a 2015+ with the 8 speed.

I've had a Wraith and FF before and have a Panamera as my daily so I'm used to big cars and sitting in the DBS didn't feel too big, though it's obviously not a Cayman. It is kind of weak that hte interior is mostly the same as a DB11 or Vantage, think they could have done more to make it unqiue to the DBS. The Vanquish interior feels much different/nicer than the same generation Vantage/DB9.

There's stil new ones on the lot listed for ~$100k off sticker and I'd have to imagine that moving one of these $450k convertibles is going to require more like $150k off sticker, which IMO is still way too much but I'm definitely interested in the under 200 range.

When I drove the DBX 707 I loved the car but my first thought was "this isn't worth $300k"....at $150k though under warranty with low mileage? Tempting!

[Davil]

Originally Posted by FC4

Almost got one. Placed a deposit for a DBS Superleggera sometime back in 2018 based entirely on looks. It is absolutely stunning for sure. Since it would have been more so for my then-GF now wife, she insisted on driving one before it came in...and she hated it.

Why would you buy her a man’s car especially if she is so short?

Also interior is completely improved in all the new models to best in class. DBS now discontinued and will be replaced later this year with a new Vanquish.

I agree with golden boy that previous Vanquish had a great interior. Same as in my MY18 Vantage.

The only thing crap in my MY21 Vantage is the Merc UI. Bloody awful. But I have CarPlay so never use it. Plus I have lovely physical buttons. I love buttons.