The exhausts trumpet every engine fluctuation, every foray beyond 4000rpm

Afew months ago, we took it upon ourselves to undergo the painstaking task of pitting Aston Martin’s DBS, with its new TouchTronic transmission, against a Maserati GranTurismo S. Even before the first kilometer was driven I’d pretty much made up my mind as to which car I thought would be the winner, that how smitten I was with the DBS.

Six months later, at the behest of the good folks at Aston Martin, I’m in the middle of the beautiful English countryside in a town called Lower Slaughter to test drive the new DBS Volante. From the passenger seat I can see that there’s an incredible network of twisty, sinewy country roads that connect Heathrow airport to our final destination some 150km north-west. The roads seem to continue for miles on end and gradually increase my appetite for the following day’s drive.

First I would like to examine the looks of Gaydon’s latest work of art. Full credit must go to Aston Martin’s designers, as the Volante doesn’t lose any of its significant appeal. On the contrary it looks like it was designed as a convertible from the very beginning. The beautiful rear wheel arches and taught lines that culminate into the rear boot lid keep the rear deck nice and low, rather than giving the car a ‘bubble-butt’ effect, à la 911 Cabriolet.  With the DBS getting its chop-job, engine, chassis and suspension have been upgraded to ensure structural rigidity is not compromised. The key to this stiffness, says Aston, is the hard-mounted rear suframe attached at six points rather than the four of the DB9. But I still had my doubts, as the Volante is 25 per cent less stiff than its coupe cousin. We all know convertibles tend to lose quite a bit in performance, and the fear is that the DBS Volante will bump-steer, twist and generally behave badly because of the added weight and extra flexibility. Well it doesn’t. Initially its sure-footedness comes as a relief, then it begins to earn  nods of appreciation for its ability to track straight, soak up punishment and maintain composure. Twenty-five percent sloppier than the DBS? It doesn’t feel it. There’s barely any windscreen shake and rarely any steering column shudder.

As for the all important canvas roof, it goes down in just 14 seconds using a button behind the gear lever and can be operated at up to 50kph. On the country roads, I open up the taps and stretch the Volante’s legs.The ferocious acceleration starts from the moment you touch the accelerator, and by any measure it’s an immensely rapid car with 0-100kph arriving in 4.3 seconds and a308kph top speed. Roof  down, the car’s soundtrack blares at full blast, echoing off the stone walls of the churches and 17th century buildings in the villages we pass. The exhausts accurately trumpet every engine fluctuation, every baritone gargle, every foray beyond the 4000 rpm baffle-opening point, and the occasional flatulence when you lift off. Chopping the top off may have removed any last vestige of the DBS’s supposed hardcore nature, but it’s also opened up a whole new world of aural entertainment. Despite the responsiveness of the Touchtronic, there’s simply no substitute for a manual transmission in my book. Not for the DBS. And especially not when a manual transmission works this well. The clutch is evenly weighted and much easier to operate than, say, a 911 GT3’s, and the shift action works wonderfully, with gears engaging positively through the meaty lever. My only qualm here was that its positioning would have been better had it been a few centimeters further forward.  Having said that, if I were to have to endure daily hours of Dubai traffic, I would certainly consider the Touchtronic option.

And then there’s the exploitable, engaging handling. Aston seems to have hit a rich vein of form recently, but what really impresses about the DBS Volante is the crisp, deliberate, precise way it changes direction. Yes, it drives heavily, but the weight is never intimidating, the steering never goes wooly, the damping equilibrium is never upset. It doesn’t sparkle and cause your nerves to go all tingly, but there’s a consistency to its behavior, the way it settles so happily into a loping stride, the way it anchors itself to the road when you pick up the pace, that’s very satisfying.

We found you tend to use the firmer of the two damper modes most of the time. The comfort setting allows a little too much vertical travel from the back axle, but the Sport setting is very well judged, noticeably sharpening up the car’s manners without ever becoming harsh or crashy.

I always felt that the DBS was a DB9 for those that care about driving. The Volante maintains that tradition, and chopping the roof off Bonds motor has left us not shaken, but stirred.