Why The Forgotten 2011 Aston Martin Virage is Everything Good and Bad About Aston Martin

Remember when Aston Martin thought there was a gap for a whole new car between the DB9 and DBS? Well, it didn't last long as the Virage, but this new car formed the basis for the second generation DB9 - a sensational achievement. But, does the Virage do enough to stand out?
#AstonMartin #Virage
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[@lewiskemp9732]

There's a reason why Aston's always seem to be in monotone colours - they've always been the gentleman's supercar. Understated and elegant, not flashy or in your face.

[@jamesrobert4106]

I just can't imagine seeing one in a dayglo Lamborghini colour 😂

[@johnohare992]

This is like listening to a very well written and informative automotive article being read aloud by the writer while he's driving the car he's talking about.

[@troystcyr3771]

Jay is very talented

[@hyper8545]

🤣 in other words Jay does his job

[@arnehurnik]

By itself that's not very different from many others but his speech melody makes it seem like a live audio book.

[@grigiogt8793]

Couldn’t agree more.

[@markaurelius61]

That is what it is like. But what is it really?

[@davids1816]

This is to my eyes, the prettiest Aston. It has the overall long and low shape that I like, without a bunch of aero things in the bumper and down the sides that made some of the cars with this overall shape a bit fussy IMHO. The wheels are a great match as well.

[@higurro]

For me the issue was that the DB9 was eight years old by 2011. It would be like if VW sold the Mk7.5 Golf R alongside the Mk7, and badged it Corrado

[@AliveGhost13]

Like they did with the Scirocco, selling it alongside the MK7 golf even though it's a mk5 golf underneath.

[@jamesmorley7824]

@@AliveGhost13 beat me to it

[@damilolaakanni]

​@AliveGhost13 they also did this with the Cabriolets as well. The MK4 Golf hatchback and wagon (as well as the MK4 Jetta/Bora sedan and wagon) were in production when they just took the MK3 Cabriolet, updated the front end to look like the MK4 and gave it the MK4 steering wheel.

[@grigiogt8793]

The amount of information and context you give about the brand is staggering. As a previous Aston Rapide owner, this video was the best I’ve seen on the history of the VH programme. You are really well read in each of the brands and I agree (as I am Grigio GT!) that all the Astons of the VH all look too similar just like Lotus with rhe elise, exige and the evora. The editing and b-roll were superb and you actually drive the cars on real roads and in real weather. Keep up the great content.

[@_audacerider3838]

For my this is the best looking Aston Martin from the old VH platform range. Now get this to Q and do 8speed ZF conversion or even better a manual one. Now where is my Euro millions winning ticket!

[@reinmansmith]

Surely a car that you would find yourself gazing lovingly at after every drive…. You would always have to turn back for that last look 🤩

[@mark_u]

Loved the Virage. Just learned from this video that it actually had bespoke body panels. Always thought it was just a DB9 with slightly revised but significantly better looks, as well as a slightly more powerful powertrain 😊

[@ScottAndersonYT]

I didn’t know that either. Seems like way too much money, time, and effort to go to considering the car looks nearly identical.

[@TheLoathsomeCowboy]

Thank you, James for pointing out that there are others who find Aston models hard to distinguish between. I thought it was just me, so I was always too embarrassed to ask.

[@m.e.345]

Amazing how Jay's shirts always match the car's interior. 😄

[@mayolifor262]

Finally someone acknowledges this super gorgeous and forgotten model.this model is super elegant with that side sculpting which flows to the front

[@juliankent8875]

Probably the best video you've done in my opinion James. But I'm a huge Aston Martin fan. Absolutely brilliant 👍

[@amfoy5919]

Personally, all other things being equal (or almost) the difference between the Aston and the Ferrari, the Maserati, and anything else, is that they are understated. They appeal to entirely different people because they aren't as in your face with the styling inside and out. I would take the less special but more simple Aston's interior over that of the 599 because of the simplicity. The 599 is too busy and I just don't like it. I would say that is probably why Astons are specced in greyscale too; anyone that wants something special but not too obvious and shouty would be unlikely to choose the Aston and then spec anything too bright because it negates the entire point of the car especially since it's a gamble that may or may not pay off when they come to sell it. Obviously we know that the cars onsite in interesting colours sell quickly, but that also makes sense when you consider that the buyer doesn't need to gamble as much with the future value or whether the car will look good. Also, Jame Bond drives a grey Aston and the other major reason to buy one is being a fan of the films.

[@brentpowell7889]

Isn’t how the car actually drives and perform one of the most important aspects 🤔

[@JohnAgustinScuderia458595]

I will always remember this car because of James May! 😅

[@-ZIO]

Good. This channel is good. I am Italian but I just love Aston Martin design and I am really enjoying this channel. I live in the states now and the Virage is available for about $80K which is not a bad price considering a DB11, DB9 or decent condition Vantage.

[@4pevans]

Thanks James! Great video. I really like it when you give comparisons to the test car, something you rarely get from other testers.

[@antoniorodriguezv]

The Virage is one of the best and most beautiful Aston Martin ever made. I like this car very much. Thank you for the review.

[@danielelim8276]

I love how frequently you have been posting new videos. Love your channel

[@JowoHD]

ive always really wanted a bright yellow v8 vantage because that's the colour my hotwheels one came in as a kid. im a simple man

[@sfmchris123]

Those wheels r the best I’ve ever seen. I wonder how they look on a second gen Vanquish ?

[@alessandromugelli4369]

To me this is one of if not THE best looking gran tourer in history hands down. In the flesh i feel it looks way different from the original DB9, cleaner, slender and longer (It is not, but that's styling magic). It's all about the surfaces refinement and just very few and masterfully designed details on them. The blacked out struts behind the longitudinal chrome bars in the grille and the single curve tail in place of the lifted spoiler profile make a notable difference also with the facelifted DB9, so that the gaze can flow free and fullfilled with grace through the whole lenght of the car, without any unwanted disturbance. The FL DB9 fails at this for those two small differences. In terms of pure styling message this machine delivers the perfect gran touring statement and makes clear that the devil is in the details. Great review, thanks for sharing those experiences

[@lkr8013]

Spot on about Astons of that generation looking fairly similar, especially for the uninitiated, but James why don't you mention that for Porsche or even Audi? It could be argued that a Panamera in appearance is just a stretched out 911 with two extra doors.

[@scalecrawlnl]

Thank you, the car still has awesome looks and a great engine sound! Good fun JayEmm series with the indepth presentations on this iconic marque.

[@nogbadthebad6294]

Great review - was watching in silence but shouted when the van pulled across @ 19.42

[@richardpatton2502]

Astons are absolute class on wheels…that’s why you don’t find them in ridiculous tacky colors The client base has taste or else they’d be driving around in a bright green Lambo… All the best to everyone

[@davekennedy6315]

Aston do sell some pretty OTT colours though, a very OTT bright yellow springs to mind.

[@saddoncarrs6963]

From time to time it's always nice to get a taste of how the other half live. "You can pick one of these up now for around the £60,000 mark........" So that's alright, then!

[@jamessheehy4895]

Only like 3 of these for sale on autotrader! Such a strange car

[@AW8UK]

AM then, (& now) somewhat out of my, (responsible), financial grasp. I am far from an AM expert..............As a kid I admired the original DBS (thanks to Roger Moore) & also the original 1970's Vantage. I have driven & was asked to be temporary custodian of a DB7 albeit I declined. I admired the 2003 DB9 & Vantage that followed albeit shortly after (as well outlined in this vid), many similar looking models were released. I remember walking around my local AM forecourt one evening with much head scratching going on. The beginning of this video helped me fill in "some noughties & beyond AM related mental gaps. Very informative & great content....Thanks to JayEmm & owner of the featured car !

[@wainerollins2587]

It barely differed from the DB9 below it and the DBS above it. Only 40 BHP separated the 3 models and it's arguably the best looking waste of time ever.

[@gregspark9845]

Excellent review JM. Hard to disagree with anything you said. The VH platform cars certainly do have a sameness about them, and it's probably only Aston owners that can tell them apart, and even they can struggle. I certainly do, especially seeing one driving past quickly. That, however, doesn't detract from the driving or ownership pleasure of your own Aston. At least my Rapide S is instantly recognisable for its much larger single front grille, as opposed to the split grilles on all the other VH cars. For such heavy cars, they handle amazingly well, courtesy of near 50:50 weight distribution, LSD, and double wishbone suspension all round. Couple that with the instant throttle response from NA V12, and hydraulic steering, these cars handle like no near 2T (in the Rapide) car should! I stepped out of a 996.2 911 C2 manual, into the Rapide S not expecting anything like the driving thrill that it in fact gives. Not a 911 or a sports car of course, but still a true driver's car. Here in New Zealand, Astons are a rare sight on the road, and I've had more positive feedback from people than any other car I've owned, apart from my still owned 20V ur quattro. PS: while you've brushed over the Rapide in that showroom piece you did, how about a driving review of one (the S) like this?

[@childnuk]

In Gran Turismo 4, I had a hard time telling differences between various versions of GTR r34 or Mazda RX-7. This Virage, without going into an AM dealer and test drive them all, has the same problem in the Aston lineup of the time. Would easily look past it and choose between DBS and Vanquish S.

[@marcdavis2840]

Lovely car, great engine, excellent review. However that rev counter would seriously mess with my OCD 🤨

[@zodgzod]

You don't notice it after a couple of days. The worst thing bout the instruments is the speedo. It's very difficult to read and the legal part is an arc of about 60 degrees at the bottom. The part around 10pm where most speedos show 70mph is in the 140+ range. You have to use the digital speedo.

[@MeditationSoothingRelaxation]

Spot on. Great review and a great car 🚗👍

[@rare6499]

DBS is still a dream car for me. Stunning car.

[@samsherwen6912]

Great review, very detailed. Also appreciate the ELFM music.

[@tylerhough9124]

Was feeling terrible that I’d never heard of the Virage as a lifelong auto enthusiast until the part about it only being in production for 18 months with about 1000 units sold 😮‍💨

[@JayEmmOnCars]

The badge has been used on some older models too, but this was an oddity

[@tylerhough9124]

@@JayEmmOnCars had to look into it more after your comment. Clearly I’ve had my head in the sand! I’m seeing the US (where I’m located) got very few of these (90-93) then probably some 11-12 cars I’m thinking it’s a case of out of sight out of mind. Thanks!

[@OneEyedJacker]

I’d only consider a colour other than silver on an Aston is if it were my second one.

[@Fraser-369]

Congratulations on 200k subs Should be double that on your content

[@curtaustin8119]

Liked the discussion of the visual similarity of all modern Aston Martins, and how -- in contrast -- Porsche gave/gives all their variants the same name. The "Bond in Motion" exhibit is now at the museum I docent at, and all but the DB-5 look awfully similar. Virage, Vantage, Vanquish, oh my.

[@Real_MisterSir]

I think anyone buying an Aston for any reason related to whether or not someone else can tell it apart from "another Aston", then you really aren't in the market for an Aston to begin with -you're just in the market for a car with a name brand associated with it. Maserati GranTurismo is a lot bigger on the outside without being much bigger on the inside, the interior is vastly outdated, and Maserati reliability is.. well, you be the judge. Aston Martin is in my view very comparable to Porsche, but with a more British posh and exquisiteness in favor of the German mechanical neatness. I think the Vantage is a little odd in its proportions and in general when compared directly to the DB9 and Virage, you just get the sense that everything on the Vantage is a little bit "lesser". If you like the sporty and compact nature, and appreciate the cheaper entry to the Aston brand in terms of upfront cost and maintenance, this is a great choice that acts as the more exquisite generic Porsche alternative. If you prefer the grand touring aspect and want to maintain the essence of what pinnacle Aston of its time was, then the DB9 derived models are the way to go. Later vanquish models are a big incentive to compare against, but at the same time they do come at a premium. I personally, from a styling point of view, prefer the DB9 era of looks, they have more of a "modern classic" feel to them which I appreciate, while the Vanquish models are a bit more transitional in between clear style eras, and don't feel as committed to an aesthetic as the DB9/DBS/Virage. The DB9 design language is the simple and distilled essence, and I can see it grow in charm in the future, more so than the later Vanquish models of their derived language.

[@insanity2amillion]

Seems it has the same as clarksons opinion on the dbs "it doesn't make sense until you call it a db9s, then it makes sense ", well similar to that effect.

[@austinedwards1918]

Aston should have continued with the DB10 the one used i the Bond film but they did not mass produce. It was cutting edge and I think would have put Aston far more up in the market and then set a precedent for more edgier cars and step away from tried and tested older cars that have only a few tweaks as in design

[@BenJames_76]

Another excellent video James.

[@marvinsamuels1237]

Such a beautifully styled car. The proportions are just right. I never got this version of the Virage when it was launched even though it was fully explained. I thought AM were just taking the opportunity to re-use a name from their past. I think making it a variant of the DB9 may have helped its appeal. As for the pre-cat issue, my ‘02 MR2 roadster suffered from it too. Feels great mentioning that little car shared company with some motoring greats 😉 Another great video James. Keep em coming 👍🏾

[@WhiteMouse77]

a) vinyl full wrap, upholstry covers or leather re-spray are on very high level these days....b) there are other right-hand markets like Australia to research for better coor-specified cars...

[@benpenagonzales6014]

599 is great value. Super fast ok looking and v12 Ferrari. Ok you may have to wait longer for it to come good price wise but just awesome. Aston DB is a good choice.

[@eze8970]

Thanks J, that Virage did look & sound good!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks, sure does!

[@Mtnflying]

Looking forward to the Rapide review.

[@garymcaleer6112]

The Aston lines are flawless in all their models, except the new grouper mouth editions.

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

I never really saw the point of the Virage. What made it better than the DB9?

[@pipolebnene]

Maybe that almost if not all have b&o soundsystem as standard and db9 did not

[@markchip1]

After being pointed to GB9's channel by Alex Baldwin, I was slightly surprised to realise the relatively high number of Aston-specific (quite often including owners wrenching on them) channels that there are on KZbin! We have - (Rebuilding, working on and living with Astons) GB9 Alex Baldwin Bamford Rose Matt Armstrong Supercar Tribe and with quite a lot of Aston ownership content, Dadcars. Please add your own Aston-related favourites to this comment.

[@TroyHR123]

4:34 '07 DBS is liquid nitrogen pouring out the TG sub zero fridge cool. 😎

[@lexluthor1166]

like the mclaren GT .. I didn't like it nor understand it at first .. but really like them now .. more so last year when the prices where a lot lower..

[@alsix666]

My little nephew has that same shirt print on his jammies 😆

[@OneEyedJacker]

I’ve always held the opinion that the plethora of Aston models is the biggest business model flaw Aston Martin has committed to. I think they would be a better company and be more successful if that were not the case.

[@jonnywalker3208]

I would still do unbelievable thing's to own a vanqish ... not one of these though.

[@taylorbott3320]

sport dampers only for the track lol, i daily drive a c5 corvette. every drive is hardcore suspension time

[@femiomomo4467]

Geezer you are the BOSS excellent review !! 👏 If you get bored maybe a visit to Bamford Rose 🌹 🤔

[@deaks25]

I've always really like the Virage. Sure it was a derivative model, but somehow it looks supremely classy, and I think it's the toned down body kit that really suits the car but looks really modern, and suits it's a DB9-based body. I do agree on the whole same-y thing Aston currently have. In the days of the 1st Gen DB9, when it was the Vanquish, V8 Vantage, DB9 and Rapide, the whole range had a strong familial look, but all four had something of their own style that meant you could distinguish them. These days it is all much of a muchness; they're all basically the same (admittedly good looking) car, which is kind of boring.

[@MrAlpinab7]

This is my dream car

[@josefgordon7712]

Wow, that has aged WELL!

[@Lukeywoodsey]

Still amazes me how Aston turned 2 Ford V6 engines into such an amazing powerplant.

[@gregspark9845]

Porsche and Cosworth had a huge hand in the V12 internals design - describing it as two Ford V6s is a popular pastime, even Chris Harris did. But the reality is that those very good reliable basics have morphed into something altogether more glorious.

[@b747skyguy]

"Aston turned 2 Ford V6 engines into such an amazing powerplant" If you really understood the genesis of the V12 you wouldn't make that statement

[@gregspark9845]

@@b747skyguy yup, it's a common snipe at Aston from detractors or just plain smartarses.

[@HairFollicle]

Wow cool new intro

[@timdoherty101]

The use of the word “ample” in this review is more than ample.

[@deenoc3622]

I get that people worry about depreciation however if your going to buy a car of this ilk from new then why not have the interior customised to your taste or go for a bolder colour exterior? When playing with car configurators (as far as i will get with buying a new car) i always go for a more colourful interior, be it tan, cream, brown etc, also spec a sunroof to bring more light into the cabin. Car would stand out more when it comea to resale rather than the sea of black, silver, grey exteriors with boring black interiors. Its an Aston Martin for godness sake, if your luckly enough to buy for new then, express yourself.

[@findingneutral426]

I’m an Aston owner. It’s a funny car really the Virage. It’s not a car that you really think about although there’s nothing particularly wrong with them by any stretch. I did find it an odd car though as it’s 99% a db9 to most people.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I think it was 99% a DB9 to Aston too!

[@findingneutral426]

@@JayEmmOnCars the 1% being the badges

[@jackheeley7274]

Can you do a review of that shirt?

[@richardsmith9509]

James, I have noticed that you interpret which side of the road you should be driving on, very liberally.....very strange

[@bentleyspotter]

Ive literally never been able to tell the difference between the db9 facelift and the virage

[@JayEmmOnCars]

The wing at the back is more pronounced on the DB9!

[@vincentpoole7588]

JayEm. A favoured A-M 'Sports Luxury' ! What were thy doing driving on the street of my surname@7:13 in pouring rain ? V.

[@MrAlpinab7]

S coupe which i believe is still in production looks far far more outdated than this 10+ yr old model.

[@williamlee7959]

Yada-Yada-Yada…..and then “you fall in love”….. ….does it make sense? Not one damn bit. Just look at that face, her silhouette & that rear end…

[@lrs3]

The problem with Astons from this era is that they’re too similar. They look great, but also the same. Although I wouldn’t say no to a DBS…

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I agree, that sentiment makes up a large part of the video

[@earthstick]

American buyers seem to have been a lot more imaginative in their colour choices.

[@Stormy177]

It seems like if you want an Aston Martin in an unusual colour, you're probably looking at a DB7...

[@lecco666]

The Aston model nomenclature is and has been for 2 or more decades, horribly cluttered and confusing.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Agreed entirely

[@Birmingham_racing]

Back when astons were beautiful

[@MadelnMachines]

You think £35k is alot for a V8 vantage? Why is that?

[@paladin3116]

its old, not as special as the V12 and the running costs. Not worth it

[@BillyBoy444]

Any Aston with the V12 would be in my dream garage but not one with a Mercedes engine 🙄

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

You'll need at least £120,000 GBP to get one here in Au.

[@disturbed250]

When they made the refreshed DB9 as this but with that added tail flick (makes a huge difference), I think, with those twin spoke 5-star alloys, its probably one of the best if not best looking modern GT ever made. Modern but still with a classic GT shape and not fussy in design. Stunner. ...... and then we had the DB11 (but lets not talk about that howler of a design....)

[@Punisher9419]

Car design has gotten very fussy over the years. Too much going on.

[@mbappepite]

The Db11 looks horrendous

[@centralintelligenceagency9082]

@@mbappepite I respectfully disagree

[@Stratoszero]

I completely agree, in fact the facelifted DB9 with the twin spokes was used in an Aston video alongside the DB5, and looked ........... better (IMHO). The big win for the DB5 is remotely useable back seats whereas having a stupidly large V12 up front means the DB9 driver is sitting where the rear passenegers should be. I had one and hated the driving position. So close, just so close to perfection.

[@DiscoticUK]

@@mbappepite I really like the DB11 design. Not so keen on the steering wheel granted but exterior (without the black roof) looks beautiful to my eyes

[@stevewushu]

Your best Aston vid yet James. Very thorough and very accurate. Having had DB7, 2 x V8V and a DB9 I can attest to the accuracy of your review of the VH era Aston’s. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 also, the second gen Vanquish is THE Aston have. Which is my goal for my fifth Aston.

[@geek92253]

Great video. The difficulty Aston had selling that model is best shown by the fact that I was able to buy a new Virage Volante in November 2012 for $57,000 OFF of MSRP. Gorgeous car, but always wished I had a DBS. Purchased like that, the depreciation was modest at worse and certainly nowhere near as bad as the 599 I had.

[@venom5809]

I loved the Virage, I almost bought a white one with a chocolate interior and I still regret not doing so. It's one of my favorite Astons ever, gorgeous.

[@mikehedges5954]

It is a great car. Had one for 3 years and many miles. Above all, it’s a beautiful Aston Martin. Oh, and I tracked mine as well. Excellent

[@johnmitchell2269]

The Rapide was a four door four seater. The DB9 and Vanquish were the Grand Tourers. The DBS and the V12 Vantage S were the 'sporty' ones. So where did/does the Virage fit in? Was no point in Aston producing the Virage imo. Doesn't seem to serve a purpose against what all the other Aston's offered.

[@jeffreyb.1657]

F-type parent by a lot of measures....... beautiful car and great review. Cost of ownership here in the US kills Aston's. A used 911 while less good looking by about 1000% can be fixed anywhere...this thing...not so much.

[@michaelh.1627]

I was always curious about this model. I remember reading the reviews on it back in the day and couldn’t for the life of me figure out why Aston would make and sell the same car under a different name. Thanks for the in depth look into the differences.

[@vis1870]

Ordering one of these in grey or silver seems to me like a massive waste of beauty. Even more so if you look at the colors available to the later DB9 refresh and the Vanquish - the blue and lime on that car are simply stunning. I suppose it may have been influenced by possible resale value - akin to how, until just a few years ago, having a Porsche that was brown meant that you'd have to sell it at a much bigger loss than red, black or silver cars. Great video as always. Thank you for the little tech and history lesson at the start as well - it was extremely engaging. These more obscure cars that need more to be told for context seem to be a great fit for your kind of content.

[@matt3997]

Briefly on the bandwidth for design at Aston: the bandwidth of styling in the Reichman cars from this period is intentionally narrow (I would say woven) as that responds to the precise design language for Aston Martin. Please understand that design language has to consider history, present and future contexts in a singular outcome. It is not superior or advantageous for the Aston Martin design language to be stretched towards a forced differentiation. A forced differentiation to enable convenience to tell 'which model is which' would be absurd. Anyone viewing a selection of these cars would enjoy the distinctive continuity of Aston Martin (brand dimension) and the subtle signatures of the respective models (car dimension). Iterative design is also prevalent in 911. I am yet to hear a single complaint that the 911 is samey or lacks identity and most enthusiasts look forward to the next iteration of the 911 story. So the Vantage, DBS, DB9, Virage, Rapide and Vanquish have achieved a remarkable design harmony that continues the Aston Martin story. The models have to be design responsive in relation to each other. Ferrari have a totally different approach and rightly so - they are different. Both Iterative design and language design are highly complex disciplines.

[@eze8970]

911 is samey (😈), but yes has it's own identity, & people generally look forward to the next generation. I wonder how the 928/944/968 series might have evolved though, as good looking forms in their own right. I think your paragraph is stating the 'evolution not revolution' mantra for the 911 & Astons, but the revolution which 'sporty' higher end manufacturers have all had to adopt is the SUV.

[@matt3997]

@@eze8970 really interesting point - the 928 is a complete work of art.

[@eze8970]

@@matt3997 To my eyes, the 928 offered more scope for looking different, but sales success with the 911 took Porsche another way. Are they the most conservative design manufacturer now?

[@matt3997]

@@eze8970 the taycan and SUV spaces were departures (not convinced time will be kind to the taycan styling) - the Porsche design content I have seen shows a massive focus on retrospective approaches + the relentless deep dives into fine tuning all those gorgeous elements. However, they have those stunning sunglasses!

[@matt3997]

@@eze8970 Pinterest has some fun 928 concepts.

[@Tom_G]

Congratulations on hitting 200k. Love your content, and great variety of cars you’re reviewing. Thank you.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks Tom!

[@henryhol8538]

Another brilliant video! I may go for a manual DB9 if my numbers can up. Congratulations on 200,000 subscribers!🍾

[@MetikalMan]

The wheels on this are near flawless. Possibly the best split 5 spoke ever.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Very nice car. Shame some many of the cars use the boring black or boring silver colour. I had completely forgotten about this model and just how many different cars were VH. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@wilbo5457]

Thanks so much for this James! Mike from Bamford Rose says that these are often overlooked because of the short production run and the DB9, definitely one of my dream cars, which are all Astons! Top of the list would be Vantage 80s X Pack, 90s supercharged and Vanquish & S 👍😎

[@deep6thisdeep6this92]

yes, from about 2000 until 2018 there were, superficially speaking, only two types of astons in my opinion; those with two seats and those with four seats. and from the inside, until one turned their eyes to the rear, one might be forgiven for thinking there was only one.

[@gregspark9845]

3. The Rapide has genuinely usable rear seats - as long as front seat occupants aren't over 6ft, and neither the rears ;)

[@subarnosinha8042]

Great looking car, great sounding car, handbuilt car. That's all an Aston Martin needs to be.

[@MrRoyck10]

This is an excellent review and Jay eloquently explained why I don’t fancy an Aston, they look all the same rebadging trickery. It doesn’t evoke emotions to me personally.

[@comeberza]

The beauty of the car definitely helps but I enjoyed this video a lot. the length, information and driving section were right on point while being very entertaining too. You are also very right, Astons look amazing, but they look alike. My girlfriend would only distinguish the rapide because it has 4 doors, but for me, that wouldn't be a problem because I've always found discrete or less explicit cars cool but I have to agree that the specifications are very boring and it's sad because they have offered gorgeous colours and interiors and that also means that the special one command a big premium

[@TheEarlofK]

I completely agree about the Aston Martin range being 'samey', which is why I always liked the original Vanquish, although I appreciate that it was a deeply flawed car. However, I think you have to give Aston a bit of leeway in as much as it has always been on the verge of bankruptcy, its financial future is constantly being called into question even now, and therefore hasn't been able to be adventurous in terms of model design; a case in point being the new Vantage, this design was very badly received and could have easily thrown future models into doubt through lack of finance. I think Aston owners are at heart quite conservative, hence the monochrome colour choices; it wasn't always so, I remember my father's business partner bought a brand new metallic violet DB6 in 1968.

[@Will_M600]

Nice looking car