: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Saying an Aston Martin is just another car is like saying the Louvre is just another museum. For the better part of 100 years, the British automaker has been producing vehicles that are not only saturated with British opulence (each car is assembled by hand), but offer top-drawer performance (Astons routinely compete in axle-busting marathons like Le Mans — a race they won in 2007 and 2008 with a vehicle based on a DB9). So, when Aston offered Wired.com some quality time in its new DB9 Volante, we wiped off the drool and went for a ride. Sure enough, the rush from the road test proved to be more breathtaking than a punctured lung.
The DB9 receives its bountiful thrust from a hand-crafted 5.9 liter V-12 engine that puts down 470 horsepower. This power plant delivers 443 pound-feet of torque to the crank and sends the car gliding down the road to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. (We clocked it.)
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Everything about the DB9 hemorrhages luxury, even the starter key. The 3-inch long hunk of glass, metal and plastic fits into a slot at the top of the dashboard. Once inserted, you press the key a quarter of an inch and the engine erupts like a volcanic event in the Indonesian archipelago.
The buttons flanking the ignition? Those control the 6-speed automatic transmission. At first it felt a bit odd to flick a button to throw the car into reverse but after a while it became second nature — and actually pretty fun to change gears with controls that feel like they were purloined from a fancy arcade machine.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
The paddle shifters are indispensable when you're zipping through corners on desolate country roads. It's a blast to drop down to second gear right before a 45-degree turn and then gun through it in third. But if you're not in the mood to dabble in paddles, switch the car to Sport mode and the tranny will rev higher before upshifting.
Satellite navigation is standard, as is integrated Bluetooth and a 700-watt audio system. The sound system is excellent, with heavy bass and good separation at mid levels — even when riding with the top down. Starting this month, a 1,000-watt Bang and Olufsen stereo system is available on the DB9 as a $7,000 upgrade.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
All DB9 Volantes come standard as ragtops. Our DB9's softy folded down in less than 30 seconds, and with the roof up, road noise is nearly nonexistent.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
When revved hard, the DB9 produces a bellow like an irritated grizzly bear. Fuel economy, as you might suspect, is also bearish. Aston claims 12 mpg city and 19 mpg highway, but we got about 10 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
You don't walk onto the lot and haggle over DB9 trim lines. Rather, you tell a dealer exactly what you want in your Aston: Everything, from the wood accents (an extremely rare option for any car) to the stitching in the seats to the color of the paint, is built to your specs at Aston's newest manufacturing plant in Gaydon, England. From inception to delivery, each DB9 takes roughly six months to be produced.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Luxury sports cars typically don't offer a ton of options. One of the few extras Aston makes available on the DB9 are these 20-spoke, 19-inch alloy wheels, which will cost you nearly $1,600 extra. They won’t add any extra performance to your Aston, but we think they look pretty damn cool.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
The hand-stitched leather seats of the DB9 are in a 2+2 configuration — there's no room for a middle passenger in the rear because a subwoofer is taking up that space. It's also extremely hard to fit anything larger than a sack of groceries back there. Aston reports this supertight rear seat is inherited from the DB7 (predecessor to the DB9), which was offered as both 2+2 coupes and 2-seat roadsters. For some reason (an insurance dodge?) Aston buyers almost always opted for the 2+2. Result? The DB9 always comes with room for four.
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