Talk about the cars you like in ONE.MOTORING Forum's Road Tests.
Forum

Introduction, styling

James Bond might have driven a variety of cars over the years, including A BMW Z8 and 7 Series, a Ford Mustang Mach I and an Audi 200 among others but it is Aston Martins that the British spy is most closely associated with. Obviously, the most famous Aston Martin that 007 has ever driven was the DB5 that appeared in several James Bond movies including Goldfinger, Goldeneye and more recently, in Casino Royale. The DB5 with registration number BMT216A that Bond drove, after all is labelled as the most famous car in the world.

The new Virage isn't the first time that Aston Martin has used the name for one of its models. According to Aston Martin, the name Virage is used only for a new car that is destined to open a new chapter in the company's history. The name itself translates to 'bend' or 'curve' in French and is often used in names of famous corners on French circuits like the Circuit de La Sarthe, where Aston Martin had won the Le Mans 24 hours with the DBR1 way back in 1959.

You'd have to squint really hard to mark out a Virage from its DB9 sibling - at first sight, the Virage looks remarkably similar to both the DB9 and the DBS but look closer and you'll start to notice that it has its own bespoke body panels, one of the most obvious being the more pronounced front wings when compared to the DB9's. Also unique to the Virage is the One-77 inspired aluminium metal front grille. The shape of the front grille is unmistakably Aston Martin while the swan wing doors, which is hinged slightly upwards is a feature that is shared with its other siblings.

Performance, ride and handling

Aston Martin hasn't had any funding from any big car manufacturers in recent years so obviously, the brand doesn't have big budgets to develop new engines and platforms. Hence, the Virage shares much of its mechanical bits with the other V12 models in the line-up.

The huge 5935cc V12 residing under the Virage's long bonnet is the same unit as used by the DBS, DB9, Rapide and V12 Vantage, albeit in a different state of tune. The bent twelve musters 490bhp in the Virage, 20bhp less than the DBS's V12 but 20bhp more than the Rapide and DB9 motor. When it comes to torque output, the Virage's motor matches the DBS's 570Nm but lacks behind the DB9 and Rapide's 600Nm, still not bad from an engine that can trace its roots back to Ford's Duratec V6 lump.

With 1785kg of British metal to haul, the V12 will certainly have to work hard to bring the Virage up to speed. Aston Martin quotes a 0-100km/h time of 4.6 seconds, three-tenths slower than the sportier DBS and matching its closest rival, the turbocharged 567bhp Bentley Continental GT. On the road, the Virage feels quick enough, if not fire breathing fast. The engine's power delivery is what you'd expect from a naturally aspirated V12 of this size.

The soul of every Aston Martin is the noise it makes. Insert the key into the evocative glass ECU (Emotion Control Unit) and the engine comes into life with a loud crackle from the exhaust. On the road, the exhaust note isn't that loud from the driver's seat and this has apparently prompted several owners to opt for the sports exhaust system. Give the engine some revs and the V12 will rev smoothly and willingly to the redline but there's just not enough exhaust note in the cabin to make the Virage that bit more involving to drive. From the outside though, the exhaust will snarl and crackle gloriously on a drive-by.

Sending power to the rear wheels via a carbon fibre propshaft is a transaxle mounted 'Touchtronic 2' six-speed torque converter based automatic transmission. The box's silky smooth nature certainly suits the engine's character. The box offers '+/-' manual mode via the steering column mounted paddles. Engage 'Sport' and the gearbox goes into a more aggressive shift mapping - go down the gears via the gear shift paddles and the engine will blip the throttle on each down change - it sounds just glorious. 'Sport' mode also sharpens the throttle and also allows holding the gears at the rev limiter without up shifting.

The Virage's carbon ceramic brakes offer very good pedal feel. The anchors not only do a good job of stopping the car faster but also reduce unsprung weight to further improve agility and handling.

Interior and conclusion

With the Virage's interior, Aston Martin seems to have upped the ante in the quality and luxury departments. As one would expect, the cabin is lined with sumptuous leather and exquisite materials as well as the tasteful walnut wood trim on the dashboard. Drawing inspiration from luxury leather goods, a contrasting pinstripe flows down either side of the fascia as well as along the seats and doors.

In pure Aston Martin style, the parking brake lever is placed between the side sills and the driver's seat while the gearbox is operated via a row of buttons placed high on the centre of the dash. Other notable design details include the Emotion Control Unit where the electronic key is inserted to fire up the big V12, the unique instruments which feature a rev counter and a 330km/h speedo that goes anti-clockwise.

The driver's seat not only feels plush and comfortable but also offers enough lateral support when driving spiritedly. The Virage is a 2+2 so in theory, the rear seats two occupants. The reality though, is that you'd have to be very short or a kid to be able to sit at the rear. Moreover, the two token rear seats are separated by an overwhelmingly huge transmission tunnel in the middle.

The previous generation Megane was well known for its appalling lack of quality on the inside. The new Megane's cabin is an improvement over its predecessor's but it is still not up to Volkswagen levels of quality and perceived luxury. In terms of utility, the Megane actually offers more trunk space and rear passenger room than the Volkswagen Scirocco.

Those who expect the Monaco GP to be a limited edition model in the mould of the old Megane Renaultsport F1 Team R26 and Clio Renaultsport F1 Team R27 will be disappointed as this new limited edition model isn't exactly faster or can corner better than the standard car. The Monaco GP is ultimately a Megane RS with added luxuries and extra kit, which Renault will charge you an additional $6k over the price of a standard Megane RS. For those who want an even faster and more hardcore Megane RS, the Trophy should arrive really soon.

Oneshift.com is the new, hip authoritative website for the passionate car enthusiast who wants to have anything and everything to do with cars. Backed by a community of strong enthusiasts, including a professional panel of road test journalists, Oneshift has under its wing a supportive, growing car community that houses members of every age from different walks of life.