Aston Martin says the Virage is meant to bridge the gap between the DB9 and DBS. And what gap is that exactly? I've given this plenty of thought, and I can't find a single word that fits between ‘awesome' and ‘amazing'.
Confused, I packed three T-shirts and a pair of shorts. It was off to Spain after all, and southern Spain on top of that. From Gibraltar, you can basically see Africa and everybody knows Africa is hot. Still the weather forecast said rain, but Aston Martin's communications people claimed they saw snow, yes snow, up in the Andalucian mountains. A 6.0-litre V12, rear-wheel drive, cliff faces and snow? Uh-uh, no way siree, I'm not getting in that car...
But all that changed when I caught sight of the new Virage parked under an orange tree. If a gorge down a wet mountain pass was to be my final resting place, at least I'd be nice and cosy in an Aston Martin Virage, wearing a smile.
When car designers build models of their latest creations, they investigate everything under the sun to see the lines, how the shadows of the car's shoulders drop, and whether the paint flickers just so. Natural light is crucial for this examination but rain just might work even better. Actually, rain or shine, this Virage was about to get the workout it so naughtily begged for.
What's one more?
The Virage is remarkably simple, very human in its form. It curves, bulges out, tucks in, and still manages to look like a single swoop of a magic marker did the whole job. A child could draw its outlines, but a master would have to detail it. Design director at Aston Martin, Marek Reichman is that master. He made the Virage low and wide to stress its power, while the shoulder S-lines highlight the driven wheels. Reichman didn't even care to fit some fog lights because that would just spoil the effortless front end. A One-77-inspired aluminium grille decorates the pouting lips, and the character line — which begins below the front wheel arch crest and rises over the rear arch — not only visually lengthens the car, but also lowers it even more than it already is, sitting on 20in wheels.
The 490 horsepower V12 sounds as emotional as George Bizet's Carmen (that's a very clever simile actually, if I may say so, because the opera is set in Andalucia.) But only from the outside.
The noise and harshness department went overboard muting the wondrous tones in the cabin, so you only get to enjoy it if you have a friend to cane it up and down the road while you stand kerbside. But that's never going to happen obviously because you wouldn't let your friend drive your Virage. Once inside, it's immediately apparent that the interiors of Gaydon are finally on a par with what the opposition is doing over in Germany and Italy. Everything fits perfectly, and even the bits that only looked like glass before are now actual glass.
Just about then the drizzle was busy evaporating off the tarmac. Even the sun wanted to get a look at Ronda's latest tourist attraction. Ronda, by the way, is an ancient Spanish town precariously nestled atop some craggy rocks. Its famous 100m bridge is one of Spain's biggest draws. Last week though, the attraction was a fleet of Virages blasting through at siesta time towards a road perched on the side of a vertical cliff. That road seemingly connects nothing to nothing, or at least the total lack of traffic mid-week suggests so.
As far as parts-sharing goes, you may think that the Americans rule, but Aston's aluminium VH architecture serves duty underneath every Vantage variation, the new Rapide, DB9 and DBS. The experience has paid off as after seven years of service it's better than ever. With a front mid-mounted engine, hand-built no less, the weight distribution is ideal. A carbon fibre prop shaft serves up to 570Nm of torque to the rear through a six-speed automatic transaxle. It's a fine 'box, neither too notchy with its paddle-shift gear changes nor too removed from the experience.
Rather than the bits and bobs of added power, the major weapon in the Virage's arsenal up on that cliff would have to be the new Adaptive Damping System which is configured for better reading of the conditions.
Sport selects a minutely sharper throttle, faster gear changes, and the freedom to bounce the sonorous engine off its limiter until your friend, who is standing outside remember, can't see straight any more.
Heading towards the crest of that cliff, the dynamics also made themselves quickly apparent. Aston stuck with double wishbones front and rear — possibly the best sportscar set-up you can have — but even with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry as well as the usual anti-roll bars, the Virage still, well, rolls. Yet considering the bulk, the boys at Aston Martin have done an exemplary job. And although the direct steering shrinks the car down a size or two, not literally of course, the Virage is still prone to understeer even with 50:50 weight distribution.
Switching off traction control sorts this out at corner exits, but you can't dial out turn-in understeer. Actually that's not a bother at all. Only the car's GT-like habit of slanting slightly to the sides lets it down.
Then, spiralling violently back down again, I thanked my lucky stars for the standard carbon ceramic brakes and their tremendous stopping power along with the impossibility of any brake fade. Even tasked with anchoring 1,785kg, you could heave on the middle pedal for a thousand hairpins and I bet you'll end up braking too early every single time.
It's swift too, with a 299kph top speed, which I was too chicken to try and disprove on Spanish highways littered with mobile cameras. There's also nothing wrong with 4.6 seconds to reach 100kph, and despite the torque maxing out at 5,750rpm the engine is super flexible.
So much so that you can cruise around in sixth, since 85 per cent of this twist is available from just 1,500rpm.
Verdict
Is the Virage a supercar? Not by a long shot, so the DBS is safe. But it did waft me down highways without a hitch, and like I said, even the cabin is comfortable and quiet (too quiet.) So it's basically what the DB9 should've been from the start. Which really means that I was right all along; there's no gap to bridge.
The Virage doesn't so much bring the DB9 and DBS closer, as make the DB9 redundant.
Specs & ratings
- Model Virage
- Engine 6.0-litre V12
- Transmission Six-speed auto, RWD
- Max power 490bhp @ 6,500rpm
- Max torque 570Nm @ 5,750rpm
- Top speed 299kph
- 0-100kph 4.6sec
- Price NA
