Aston Martin DBS (08 on) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 15 April 2009
This is the car Daniel Craig drove – and crashed – in his first outing as 007 and takes inspiration from the DBR9 Le Mans racer. Following the death of the Vanquish, another ex-Bond star, the DBS is the company's flagship car although Aston prefers not describe it as a direct replacement. The Vanquish was exciting but a bit of brute. The DBS however is aiming to be a far more rounded, more usable coupé. Based on the DB9 launched in 2004, the it uses the same basic aluminium chassis and engine but is lighter thanks to carbonfibre panels. It also has more power and is more aggressively styled - flared arches, cooling ducts in the bonnet, wide sill extensions and a racing style carbonfibre diffuser under the rear bumper help distinguish it from the DB9. That and the price. The £160k DBS commands a £50,000 premium over the DB9 while the similarly styled V8 Vantage costs half as much.
4.5 out of 5

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1 out of 5

Running costs

It seems churlish to quibble about running costs on a car that will set you back £160,000 in the first place, but let's make it clear that the expense won't end the day you take delivery. Budget on covering no more than 15 miles from a gallon of fuel and paying a hefty insurance premium thanks to the group 20 rating. Servicing won't be cheap either, but at least it's only needed every 10,000 miles, not the 6250 miles some low volume sports cars require. And the two-year waiting list means that the early cars should depreciate slowly.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

12 months or 10,000 miles.

Warranty

Three years/unlimited mileage.

Road tax (12 months)

£475.00 - £475.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

0.5 out of 5

Green credentials

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CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The DBS performs miserably on the eco front. With an average of 408g/km CO2 across the line-up, its emissions are extremely high for a sports coupe. The range is very thirsty, averaging just 16mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2