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Timeless – classic even – yet modern, the DB9's outward aesthetic is pure Aston. The same, however, cannot be said about the interior. It is a huge leap forward for the company, which till now has relied perhaps too heavily on parts bin switches and crudely applied materials. (The special Le Mans 600 edition Vantage of old had a carbon fiber appliqué glued on top of the existing wood trim, for example.) Whilst some familiar-looking switches and a rather flimsy air vent bezel do blight the fascia, the overall quality is high enough to do justice to the Aston name.
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The DB9, like its V8 Vantage sibling, has a totally new interior, with a superb ambiance – totally customizable, natch – that is wholly in keeping with the timeless modernity theme that pervades the whole car, and indeed, the entire range. From the jewel-like instrument panel, to the symmetrical and perhaps excessively button-laden center console, the driving atmosphere is comfortable, businesslike, and a pretty special place to be.
And then you spot the cut-glass starter button, glowing alluringly in red as you twist the key in the ignition, and you can't help but take pause to appreciate just what would happen should you be give in to instinct and push THAT button.
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The low-pitched sound of the starter motor goes on for just a tad longer than you would expect. But then moaning of the electric start suddenly gives way with a perfectly-judged whump of that stunning V12 engine up front (click on button in image above to listen to a DB9 startup and drive off), which settles into a slightly throbbing idle, and you know you did well to persist in holding the button down.
Burbly at idle, the engine is not the last word in smoothness. Given its 5.9 liter capacity and its multi-cylinder format, however, it is surprisingly calm inside. Swing down the “swan-wing” door with the slightly unergonomic alloy door pull, and you are at once cocooned in an extremely comfortable cockpit, that you know will be just the thing for a very, very long journey.
All the switches are logically positioned, although there are so many of them that it does take a while to actually learn them at all. Thankfully however, the driving switches, especially the gearshift buttons (its drive-by-wire gearbox is a world-first) are unimpeded and clearly marked along the top row of the center stack.
So you push D, for drive, on the automatic 6-ratio transmission. Almost instantly, the torque converter loads up slightly and the car with its prodigious, immediate torque squats on the soft-ish rear springs. Lift up on the firm brake pedal, and it rolls demurely forward, as any torque converter automatic would.
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