It's the third evolution of Aston Martin's current two-door GT. The 2012 Virage slots between the more understated DB9 and the testosterone-heavy DBS.
In the Virage, Aston's all-aluminum, four-cam 6.0-liter V12 sports a unique black plenum that increases the intake manifold's rigidity. With a compression ratio a hair below 11:1, power peaks at 490 hp at 6,500 rpm--precisely halfway between that of the DB9 (470 hp) and the DBS (510 hp). The Virage will come only with a ZF-supplied six-speed torque-converter automatic, called Touchtronic 2. Its sport button increases default shift speed and moves shift points up. Leather-wrapped magnesium shift paddles are mounted on the column.
Underneath, the Virage has unique bushings, spring rates and suspension mapping. Its Bilstein adaptive shock absorbers have a separate sport switch that stiffens the default dampening rate. Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, as they are on the DBS, with larger rotors than those on the DB9. The tires are Pirelli P Zeros (245/35-20 front, 295/30-20 rear), as meaty as but slightly less aggressive than the Pirelli Corsas that come standard on the DBS.
The 2012 Virage should reach North America by early July. At $209,995 for the coupe, it falls between the least expensive DB9 ($187,000) and the DBS ($271,000). The Virage Volante will retail at $224,995.
What is it like to drive?
This GT is quick, although acceleration flows most pleasingly in long, luxuriant swells rather than quick bursts. Truly savoring the Virage requires lots of space, and our initial test drive through Andalucia suggests that it will be tough to enjoy all 490 horses in a typical metro-scape. The ZF six-speed works great--most particularly as a full automatic, with the electronics in sport mode. It anticipates as well as any automatic in memory and almost intuitively shifts when you'd shift if you were doing so. If the driver seeks more involvement, the steering-wheel paddles work nearly as well, holding the chosen gear even if the engine bounces off the rev limiter.
As big coupes go (as opposed to lighter ones such as Aston's Vantage), the Virage is almost tossable and is well balanced. There's no significant understeer, and beyond a quick snap of the tail, you probably won't make it oversteer unless your name is Fernando. It's forgiving when driven hard, and the chassis electronics are tuned as we prefer them: with enough latitude to let the driver really work the tires in track mode and valuable intervention if that driver happens to be messy.
Do I want it?
There aren't many better ways to eat up miles than in an Aston Martin Virage. It's the sort of car that makes you daydream about coast-to-coast blitzes and get-out-of-jail-free cards. This is a gloriously pleasing GT, but so are the DB9 and the DBS, even if there are subtle differences.
Which big two-door Aston would we pick? The DBS, because it's the fastest and it comes with a conventional manual. But we aren't buying, and it's difficult to fathom precisely what real Aston buyers expect. That Silicon Valley CEO looking to spend a bonus might find the DB9 a bit too subtle for the money or the DBS too unluxuriously fierce. The Virage is to the DB9 as the Mercedes-Benz CLS is to the Mercedes E-class sedan or the new Audi A7 Sportback is to the Audi A6.
On Sale: June-July
Base Price: $209,995 (coupe), $224,995 (Volante)
Drivetrain: 6.0-liter, 490-hp, 420-lb-ft V12; RWD, six-speed automatic
Curb Weight: 3,935 lb (coupe); 4,166 lb (Volante)
0-60 MPH: 4.6 sec (est)
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110316/carreviews/110319920#ixzz2CasMGfW2
