Here, craftsmanship is second to none, equal perhaps to what leaves the factory in Goodwood near Chichester, Sussex, England. In the cabin, what you see is what you get. Real wood, metals and alloys adorn every square inch. The finest hand-stitched hides cover the seats which, in this car, are destined more for long-distance cruising than hammering out apexes.
The centre console is the crown jewel of the passenger's quarters. Flowing smoothly from the upper portion of the dashboard, it carries with it a pop-up navigation screen and drive-control buttons in the middle of which we find the key holder. The glass-encrusted buttons are fit to be worn on fingers as rings, especially the centrally located start button. Below them, HVAC and audio switchgear for nothing less than a Bang & Olufsen audio system.
I can't go on without making note of the famous gauges of which the tachometer climbs counter-clockwise. Ahead of said gauges and behind the perfectly hand-formed wheel are the paddles that control the 6-speed automatic gearbox.
This leads in to performance. The Virage features a creamy 5.9L (5,935cc, they market it as a 6.0L) V12. Soul penetrating with 490 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, this mastodon is smoother than a baby's behind. Pulling comfortably from not, the Virage can rocket to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, but is just as comfortable lugging around at 10 km/h in the middle of the downtown core. Power delivery is resolutely linear and is scarcely noticeable from the piloting position.
Barely audible under normal acceleration, the V12 becomes especially vocal when the Sport button is depressed. In your lifetime, you must travel through a tunnel with the V12 at WOT at least once. Nothing compares.
In regular “D” mode, the Touchtronic 2 rear mid-mounted transmission settles the car into Grand Touring mode. Pull on one of the flappy paddles and the driver becomes owner of the big V12. The daily driveability of this car is limited only by its ground clearance and occasionally difficult sight-lines. The independent suspension along with the Adaptive Damping System keep comfort levels in check. As with the Sport button, the suspension has a pre-programmed, more aggressive setting that comes to life when the strut logo button is pushed in.
Even in full mental mode, the Virage remains a GT more than a performance car. For that type of pleasure, consider the new V8 Vantage S which is insanely sweet. A Coupé for me, please.
The centre console is the crown jewel of the passenger's quarters. Flowing smoothly from the upper portion of the dashboard, it carries with it a pop-up navigation screen and drive-control buttons in the middle of which we find the key holder. The glass-encrusted buttons are fit to be worn on fingers as rings, especially the centrally located start button. Below them, HVAC and audio switchgear for nothing less than a Bang & Olufsen audio system.
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| The centre console is the crown jewel of the passenger's quarters. (Photo: Aston Martin) |
I can't go on without making note of the famous gauges of which the tachometer climbs counter-clockwise. Ahead of said gauges and behind the perfectly hand-formed wheel are the paddles that control the 6-speed automatic gearbox.
This leads in to performance. The Virage features a creamy 5.9L (5,935cc, they market it as a 6.0L) V12. Soul penetrating with 490 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, this mastodon is smoother than a baby's behind. Pulling comfortably from not, the Virage can rocket to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, but is just as comfortable lugging around at 10 km/h in the middle of the downtown core. Power delivery is resolutely linear and is scarcely noticeable from the piloting position.
Barely audible under normal acceleration, the V12 becomes especially vocal when the Sport button is depressed. In your lifetime, you must travel through a tunnel with the V12 at WOT at least once. Nothing compares.
In regular “D” mode, the Touchtronic 2 rear mid-mounted transmission settles the car into Grand Touring mode. Pull on one of the flappy paddles and the driver becomes owner of the big V12. The daily driveability of this car is limited only by its ground clearance and occasionally difficult sight-lines. The independent suspension along with the Adaptive Damping System keep comfort levels in check. As with the Sport button, the suspension has a pre-programmed, more aggressive setting that comes to life when the strut logo button is pushed in.
Even in full mental mode, the Virage remains a GT more than a performance car. For that type of pleasure, consider the new V8 Vantage S which is insanely sweet. A Coupé for me, please.
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| The Virage features a creamy 5.9L (5,935cc, they market it as a 6.0L) V12. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |