Aston Martin DBS (08 on) - Review

Under that shapely bonnet lies the same basic 5.9-litre V12 you’ll find in a DB9 but tweaked to deliver an extra 60bhp for a total of 510bhp, although torque remains unchanged at 570Nm. Those figures sound hugely impressive as does the 191mph top speed and the 4.3 seconds it takes to reach 62mph. But while the DBS feels quick, pushing you firmly into the seat when you flatten the accelerator, it never feels shatteringly fast by supercar standards, although the delicious snarl from the exhaust when its special valve opens at 3500rpm more than compensates. And the DBS's V12 is both silky smooth and incredibly flexible, pulling hard from as low as 1500rpm meaning you rarely have to stir the slick six-speed manual gearbox.

Only those expecting the DBS to be some kind of trackday special could possibly find anything significant to dislike here. And in fact the Aston would definitely hold its own on a circuit but it's on the road where it really shines. Accurate well-weighted steering, a brilliantly balanced chassis that feels massively stiff and surprisingly supple and the stickiness of the new 20-inch tyres are what you notice first. And then you reach for the middle pedal and discover the Aston's best feature. Carbon ceramic brakes are fitted as standard and are the best in the business being hugely powerful and full of feel. Also standard are two-stage dampers. The soft setting is fine for normal use but allows too much float at high speed although Aston says that has been revised for customer cars. The Sport setting significantly improves body control but is just too stiff for the road.