First Drive: 2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

[svgallery name="10_Aston_DBS_Volante"] Story and photos by John LeBlanc CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. - Addition through subtraction. More than likely this is not a formula you picked up in your high school math class. But that's the methodology Aston Martin has employed with its latest offering: the new 2010 DBS Volante. By lopping off the top of its existing DBS Coupé - released just last year - the British supercar maker has exponentially increased the driving experience of an already hot-to-trot car. You - and millions of movie watchers around the world - may already know the existing $290,000 DBS Coupé as the latest in a along line of cinematic rides for Bond - James Bond. Point in fact, the $20,000 more expensive DBS Volante ($314,000 with the auto gearbox instead of the six-speed manual) I drove was painted in Casino Royale grey. It's hard not to swoon over the latest Aston's looks. The DBS Volante (that's convertible in Aston-speak) retains the classic engine-out-front, power-at-the-back grand touring design heritage that goes back to the marque's 1958 DB4. It also shares the DBS's unpainted carbon-fibre black weave on its hood, front fenders, and trunk lid. Thankfully, Aston has avoided the retractable-hardtop craze, with the associated weight gains, styling and packaging peccadilloes (Ferrari California, come on down!) Instead, the DBS Volante's powered convertible Thinsulate top drops in a swift 14 seconds. Except for a direct view to the sun and stars, the Volante's interior is identical to the DBS Coupés. That means plenty of first-rate and beautifully assembled leather, chrome and carbon fibre trim. NBA ballers take note: because of the automaker's decision to include a couple of jump seats to make this a 2+2, the front seats are limited in their travel. Whatever. Upon firing up the V12, such details like "Can I fit?" become secondary. There's a reason why Aston Martin calls its ignition keys Emotional Control Units. Place one into its home slot in the centre console between the individual P-R-N-D transmission buttons, and hold it there. PUHLOOOM!! BLATT!! BLATT!! BLATT!! - just starting the DBS is an occasion. Once underway, the new $4,000 six-speed automatic is less of a compromise over the six-speed manual than enthusiasts may think. You can either leave it in D for around-town toodling. Or engage the as-God-intended-them "left is up, right is down" paddle shifters to gain control over the gear selection. Either way, you'll find there is no loss in performance over the hardtop DBS. The 510 hp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque 6.0-litre V12 delivers the goods in a wonderfully linear fashion sans any forced induction trickery. Zero to 100 km/h takes only 4.3 seconds, the same as the Coupé. Not that we saw these speeds on the sinuous two lanes of our California driving route, the Volante's 307 km/h top speed is just as driver's license-threatening as the Coupé. Numbers aside, it's the aural delights the V12 generates that makes the DBS Volante a better drive then the Coupé. Tap the accelerator and there's an initial mechanical whine. Then, as the manifold inlets open up around 4,000 rpm, there's a new animalistic groan. Keep on heading to the 6,500 rpm redline, and the bass turns to a refined treble. If there were Emmy for such things, this V12's sound would get my nod for Engine Soundtrack of the Year. The DBS convertible weighs 100 kg more than the hardtop, but it didn't show in our drive near Laguna Seca Raceway, just south of San Francisco. Short blasts up to the 180 to 200 km/h range delivered a composed stability that alludes to the car's Le Mans racecar-like bodywork. While at those elevated speeds, the steering and chassis of the car blend together just fine, thank you very much. Though I consider the DBS the sportiest of Aston Martin's grand touring cars, its steering won't give you the feedback like the smaller and lighter V8 Vantage. It's quite accurate, but it won't have you swooning as much as the smaller car. As I found with the Coupé, braking is not a concern in the DBS Volante. The standard set of six-piston Brembo calipers up front and four piston units in the back are generous enough in size to require 20-inch diameter wheels. Not only do they bring the big car to halt with amazing alacrity, pedal feel is good as well. If you put up with the impractical rear seats and less-then-telepathic steering feel, there's a lot for driving enthusiasts to like about the new convertible DBS. In this arena of high-performance machines (and equally high-earning customers) Aston Martin figures the split between DBS Coupe and Volante sales will run 50:50. I'd have to respectfully disagree. One run up a canyon road with its top down and the mellifluous sounds of that V12 resounding off the valley walls, one has to ask: Why on Earth would you get the tin top? 2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante Base price/as-tested: $310,000/$314,000 Type of vehicle: RWD, grand touring convertible Engine: 6.0L, 48-valve DOHC V12 Power/Torque: 510 hp/420 lb.-ft. Transmission: Six-speed automatic (std. six-speed manual) Fuel consumption (city/hwy, est.): 20.9/12.3 L/100 km Competition: Bentley Continental GTC Speed, Ferrari California, Lamborghini Murciélago Convertible, Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG ROAD TEST SUMMARY PROS -V12's operatic soundtrack -Gorgeous carbon-fibre bodywork -Exclusivity CONS -Rear seats not fit for humans -Steering could use more feel -Price

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