2012 Aston Martin Virage: Automotive Haute Couture - Ignition Episode 19 - video Dailymotion

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On this episode of Ignition

Transcript

00:00 [ENGINE REVVING]

00:07 This week on Ignition, we try on the newest

00:09 in automotive high fashion.

00:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:38 You really have to admire the people at Aston Martin.

00:40 Years ago, they came up with this stunning design.

00:43 And ever since, they've been doing variations on that theme.

00:46 Are they afraid of change?

00:47 Are they lazy?

00:48 I'd argue that it doesn't really matter,

00:50 especially when you have cars that look like this one does.

00:54 See, every time Aston Martin introduces a new car,

00:57 the design is similar but always improved.

01:00 This new one's called the Verage.

01:02 Now, it's a French word I have no idea

01:03 how to pronounce correctly.

01:04 But it means curve.

01:06 But would you just look at this thing?

01:08 It's stunning.

01:10 The story behind it is the familiar one of an automaker

01:13 never leaving a potential niche unoccupied.

01:17 Aston Martin designed the Verage to slot

01:19 between the DB9 and the DBS.

01:21 If you have no idea what that means, you're not alone.

01:23 Those cars are very similar.

01:24 So let's walk through it.

01:26 The DB9 is the luxury grand tourer of the group,

01:29 while the DBS is the sports car.

01:31 It's also the one Bond drove in Casino Royale briefly.

01:34 The Verage then wants to have some of the luxury elements

01:36 of the DB9.

01:37 But it also wants to have some of the sporty elements

01:40 from the DBS.

01:40 So it has a 5.9 liter V12 that makes 490 horsepower.

01:45 That's less than the DBS, but more than the DB9.

01:48 It costs about $210,000.

01:51 That's less than the DBS, but more than the DB9.

01:54 You see where this is going.

01:56 I'm curious, though, if it will fit between those two

01:58 at the test track.

01:59 Launching the Verage goes like this.

02:07 You turn traction and stability control off

02:09 by holding the button down for about 10 seconds.

02:12 Press the sport button to get that nice V12

02:15 rasp through the exhaust.

02:16 Now, to get off the line, you put your left foot

02:18 on the brake, and you roll on the throttle with your right

02:20 foot.

02:21 You don't want to do it too much, though,

02:22 or else you'll get too much wheel spin,

02:23 and it'll shift prematurely.

02:25 So it's finding the sweet spot.

02:26 Let's see if we can do that.

02:27 Off the brake.

02:32 That feels good.

02:35 And you're off.

02:36 60 miles an hour, 4.2 seconds.

02:38 And that sound is quite nice.

02:44 Quarter mile, 12.6 seconds at over 110 miles an hour.

02:49 And that time, would you believe it,

02:51 falls right between the DBS and the DB9.

02:53 For our 60 to 0 braking test, you

02:58 want to make sure there's enough heat in the rotors.

03:00 These carbon ceramics like being warmed up first.

03:03 But let's see what we can do.

03:04 [TIRES SQUEALING]

03:06 Stops very quick, indeed.

03:08 Our best stop from 60 is 99 feet.

03:10 And that's shorter than both the DBS and the DB9.

03:15 We don't really know why.

03:16 So we begin the figure 8 test with the Aston Martin Verage.

03:24 And initial impressions are surprisingly good.

03:28 This is a big, heavy car, let's be honest.

03:32 But it responds quite nicely.

03:36 It's easy to underestimate how capable this car is,

03:41 because it's big.

03:44 And a lot of the sensations are muted.

03:46 The brakes, for example.

03:48 Pedal feel is OK, although the stopping power is immense.

03:52 Steering feel is OK, although it'll turn in quite nicely.

03:59 And the engine sound, I mean, it's there.

04:01 But it's not all encompassing.

04:04 So you get this sort of separated sensation

04:06 from the rest of the car.

04:07 And it's extremely capable.

04:09 But it doesn't communicate that much to you.

04:11 So you're always going a lot faster than you think you are.

04:15 And then you look down the speedometer,

04:16 and you're like, whoa, I'm going pretty fast.

04:19 And oh, now I'm sideways.

04:22 Like that.

04:23 [LAUGHS]

04:25 [TIRES SQUEALING]

04:29 You can just do big power slides all day.

04:34 [LAUGHS]

04:36 Maybe it's a little too easy to power oversteer,

04:41 especially if you're trying to set a lap time.

04:43 [TIRES SQUEALING]

04:46 [LAUGHS]

04:58 It will make absolutely beautiful slides.

05:01 That is quite fun.

05:04 [TIRES SQUEALING]

05:07 Oh, I just got an indicator on the dash saying,

05:11 high engine temperature, slow down.

05:14 It put me in automatic mode.

05:16 And it's done playing for the day.

05:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:21 [TIRES SQUEALING]

05:24 This Aston isn't so concerned with limit performance.

05:37 But that's obvious just by one glance at the tack,

05:40 where there's no indicated red line.

05:43 The Verage is smooth, fluid perhaps on a road like this.

05:48 Its limits are soft, and they end with a mild understeer

05:51 that feels appropriate for this kind of car.

05:55 It likes 6/7 tenths driving, and everything

05:58 seems to be suited for that style on the road.

06:03 Transmission is a standard 6-speed automatic from ZF.

06:08 And it's fine at what it's supposed to do.

06:11 But it lacks the clearness and clarity

06:13 of a twin-clutch transmission.

06:16 It does the job.

06:18 This thing feels great at a relaxed pace.

06:21 You got that massive 5.9 liter V12 built by Derek,

06:26 as we know, by looking at it, or at least signed off by him.

06:29 And it just sounds wonderful, as you would hope a V12 would.

06:35 If I do have a complaint, it's with the infotainment system.

06:45 It's a Garmin-sourced unit, and it feels like it.

06:49 You figure with a car that costs as much as this one does,

06:53 it would have something unique and special to its own.

06:55 The rest of the interior, though, is gorgeous.

06:57 I could just touch the roof on this thing for forever.

07:02 It's just really nice stuff.

07:03 You get two sport buttons on the dash.

07:09 One sharpens up the powertrain, makes the throttle response

07:11 a bit sharper, makes the transmission

07:13 hold onto gears longer and up until redline.

07:16 The second one firms up the dampers

07:18 and makes the car ride a bit stiffer.

07:20 What I find interesting is that this car comes standard

07:25 with carbon ceramic brakes, and I can't really tell why.

07:30 I mean, they're a bit poser-ish for a car of this type.

07:34 I mean, let's be clear.

07:35 The Verage is no ultimate sports car.

07:38 I mean, a Carrera S would destroy this thing

07:40 on a mountain road or on a racetrack.

07:42 But I'm OK with that.

07:44 The intended function of this car

07:46 isn't speed contests and lap times.

07:49 It's something more than that.

07:51 The joy of owning one of these cars

07:56 isn't just the speed or the thrill of the drive.

07:59 It's also the artistry and the craftsmanship

08:02 that goes into it.

08:03 This interior, for example, boasts

08:05 seven different types of leathers

08:07 from this shop in Scotland called Bridge of Weir.

08:10 The stitching is immaculate, and the smell--

08:12 I can't even express the smell inside of here.

08:14 It smells like what you would expect Ron Burgundy's

08:17 apartment to smell like.

08:18 Aston Martin says it takes 70 man hours

08:21 to complete this interior.

08:23 Now, according to their own figures,

08:24 that's 50 hours more than it takes

08:26 to build the 5.9 liter V12 underneath the hood.

08:30 That effort shows.

08:31 You know, I frequently get asked questions like, why buy X

08:39 when Y is faster and cheaper?

08:42 And I always answer, because it's more than that.

08:46 Why would you spend over $1,000 on a watch

08:48 when you can get a $20 Casio that works just as well?

08:52 Why would someone spend any money on a tailored suit

08:55 when an old t-shirt and a pair of jeans

08:57 cover you up just the same?

08:59 It's because the value of these items

09:01 isn't defined by their function alone.

09:03 No, it's the quality and the workmanship

09:05 that make these things special.

09:07 The same is true with a Verage.

09:09 It's not the speed, though it is decently quick.

09:12 And it's not the handling, which is smooth, precise,

09:15 and enjoyable.

09:16 No, it's the brilliant design, beautiful packaging,

09:19 and sense of top-of-the-line craftsmanship

09:21 that make the Verage a very desirable car indeed.

09:24 Attention, drivers of PCH.

09:30 I am driving an Aston Martin.

09:33 It costs $210,000.

09:36 It has a V12.

09:38 I'm better than you.

09:39 [ENGINE REVVING]

09:41 [LAUGHING]

09:43 Six-pack.

09:45 Nice pastel car.

09:47 There are seven different types of leather in this car.

09:53 It's better than yours, better than you.

09:57 I can't even pronounce the name of this car.

09:59 That's-- ooh, R8.

2012 Aston Martin Virage: Automotive Haute Couture - Ignition Episode 19

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