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| Tickle the throttle, however, and the instant surge of power beneath you reminds you that this is one of the great powertrains. Push on a little more, and the sonorous V12 goes through more than a few layers of its complex auditory repertoire. The exhaust system valving allows it to both pass drive-by noise regulations, yet on a full load the noise diffusion devices are bypassed, allowing that deep-chested bellow of the engine to escape, full-force.
Step-off is immediate, and perhaps a little too sharp. But all is forgiven because this big car is very rapidly whisked up to large speeds with a linear, throaty surge that could only come from a large-capacity, naturally-aspirated engine. Once there, the car really does feel smaller than it is on the outside, and the damping that felt a little unsettled at low speed comes into its own. While sometimes this low-speed under-damping lends the feeling that it may not cope, the suspension ultimately manages to smother all but the biggest of bumps – just – with the very high torsional stiffness of the unibody chassis contributing to the car's high capacity for wafting over less-than-perfect tarmac.
Without having to worry about the chassis, which on the move proves to be very capable and reasonably direct, the car's other attributes really start to shine through. The automatic gearbox is a success, and totally suits the Grand Touring character of the car. While a 6-speed manual is offered, the autobox's excellent response to the paddle-shifter means you can almost have the best of both worlds with smooth gear changes and a soothing fully-automatic town mode. The only downside to this, aside from the lack of interactivity with your left leg that Luddites might just miss, is that the autobox in auto mode tends to hunt between ratios – but only until it has sorted itself out by adapting your distinct driving style.
And, I wager, that style will soon become, if it is not already, fast and aggressive. That is how that peachy motor, the cosseting interior, and the quick-shifting transmission will make you drive, just to savor that inexorable surge of power and the stupendous sounds that it makes. It is a bewitching thing, the DB9, that fulfills its brief of smooth, comfortable, effortless power in a gorgeous, long-distance, timeless body.
Power, beauty, soul? You bet - in spades. 
