tommallett

Monday and Tuesday:

Car manufacturers are interesting beasts with fortunes that are in constant flux. Quite often their range presents an interesting insight into their ambitions and in particular R&D budgets at any point. Aston Martin is one of those manufacturers whose fortunes have been inconsistent at best over the years. Their model lineup is as large as it has ever been and as varied. The variation does not come from its core coupe models though.

The new Virage is a good car; I certainly liked it although it seems expensive against the opposition. The chassis is better than the cheaper DB9 and the new Garmin navigation system is a revelation when one considers the previous Volvo unit. It also seems to have the right level of refinement for a GT car at this level. It provides some aural entertainment without being too noisy and a torque converter gearbox makes progress smooth while the paddles allow a modicum of control when needed. The latest ceramic brakes are also very good; they are easily modulated and provide great, fade resistant stopping power.

However, all is not perfect. Overly stiff damping, even in the default suspension setting unsettles the front end in particular over a bumpy road and there were some squeaks and rattles possible as a function of this. The V12 could also do with some more low and mid range torque which is something that rival cars with forced induction have in abundance.

So, what is the verdict? It fills a gap in the Aston Martin range, but only a very small one. It may be a better car than a DB9 but I am not sure it would force me to change if I had recently bought one. On the other hand if I was in the market for that kind of car it would render the DB9 obsolete. For me this means it is unlikely to generate many new customers for the brand which is something that they surely need.

Wednesday:

It always amuses me to hop out of something like and Aston Martin and jump into a run of the mill family car. This time it is a Ford S max and what a god car it is. The navigation and multimedia system is top draw and shames that of the Aston Martin and it handles pretty tidily as well. The only major issue is the engine, which while not being terrible is just the wrong choice for this type of car. A diesel would need to supplant the petrol unit for it to make sense to most people and with more favorable torque characteristics and better fuel economy it would be difficult to argue against it as a great famile load lugger.

Thursday:

There is a clear division between the Mini Cooper and it’s turbocharged S variant, with the latter feeling usefully quicker all the way though the rev range. It is a sign of the times that Mini has felt it necessary to bring out an quicker version of it’s Cooper D model, labeled the SD. I tried both engines attached to the Mini Countryman and the gap is certainly much smaller than in the petrol. I actually came away from both cars feeling better about the concept of the Countryman’s body shape than the new engine which I would not feel the necessity of having if ordering a new car. For me, in Countryman guise the Mini makes more sense with less power and at a lower price point.

Friday:

I have always been a big fan of Alpina products. I feel that they offer something that most people want most of the time, especially when compared to their counterparts from BMW’s M division. The B5 is unquestionably a softer but more usable beast than the M5 and I like it because of this. The 8 speed torque converter gearbox is one of the best around and it is interesting that the suspension is always set to comfort when you get into one. This is not because this is the default setting that the car returns to, but because that is what most people want to drive most of the time. It is not a track car and nor does it pertain to be. It is a fantastic road car, a mile muncher of the highest order that you can be a touch silly in when conditions are right.