Is it me or has JC lost the plot? Ferraris and their styling are boring? the Vanquish S is a better car? and better sounding? Bollox!
Surely the point was that at this level of vehicle it's subjective. I too would rather have a (Manual, if there was one) Vanquish than a 575 with the F1 gearbox, but would find it difficult to explain why. Steve Coogan's comments about the beauty of a Daytona might be relevant. And as I always (when true!) say, I have driven both of them, although in this case not a Vanquish S nor a 575 with the latest handling pack. jg
He never said the Vanquish was a better car in fact he said it was not the better car at all - the gearbox was flawed, it did not handle as well but he would rather have the Aston out of choice rather than on its merits...575 far better car - reliabilty , heritage etc.... but i perfer the squatter fat look of the aston myself too....agreed the 575 needs a tubi stage 2 then the aston would be deafened but there you go...personally you are better of with a 550 or db9 both far less money adn do the same job ...
I still reckon the Aston has the edge in terms of noise over a Tubi'd 550, and I think the 575 is not as good-looking a car as a Vanquish (or a 550 for that matter) Clarkson's comments about Ferrari generally are curious- it was only a few months ago when he said when testing the 360CS vs GT3 that he said to him, "Ferrari is a scaled-down version of God." Robert.
Guys, Calm down, we have to allow the less educated plonkers their moments of inane drivel from time to time, and let's face they are doing us an indirect favour, the more they tell people that Ferrari are less interesting than the lardy Newport Pagnell offerings etc, they less desireable our toys become and give us a much better advantage come deal time....I have just bought my 575 for a fraction of the price that a new Vanquish would have cost, and (I'm being honest here), did consider both a Vanquish and a DB9 before slapping myself around a bit and making the absolute right choice....So forgive them their sins against Ferrari, They know not what they do ! Seb
Come on guys We must understand even JC is entitled to his opinions and if He prefers the Aston so what,even though He did say that the 575 was the better car it is all about personal taste after all the scripts have to be written by someone and thats their opinion good or bad.
So they tested the cars and decided that the Ferrari was the best. They then said that they preffered the Aston. Aren't Aston owned by Ford? isn't JC expecting delivery of a Ford GT?
As a guy at Aston once said to me " Clarkson's not a journalist he's an entertainer - you never what he's going to say, but you know he'll try and be outrageous. Fortunately he's got a soft spot for Aston" I still think he should primarily be remembered for the fact that his mother made the first Paddington Bear. I presume I'm the first back from Silverstone, a flying visit. jg
He has in the past said similar things in favour of Ferrari. Nice to know even Ferrari is on the recieving end sometimes. BTW, Vanquish can be had pretty cheap too these days. Not sure about the S.
If I was buying one of these at list I think I'd rather have two cars instead i.e. ~100k Gallardo/360/DB9 + ~50k 911/AMV8/E55/TVR/SL500/etc
as a brit born in the 60's of course i like aston's and only a few would think the 575/550 (can't split those on looks Robert?) a better looking or sounding car than the Vanquish or DB9 but you buy them for driving so QED IMHO ! I seriously considered a Vanquish but they cant do F1 boxes properly and i know two mates with them where the build qulity is not up to Ford standards!
Not at all surprised that Top Gear had problems with the car, everyone I know of has been knackered and it's always similar problem: The clutch or the gearbox. The gearbox is actually a manual box (unlike DB9 which an auto). This gives two problems: 1. Pretty much every Vanquish has a clutch problem because the only way to hold the car on a slope is either to put the handbrake on or to hold it on the throttle (thereby slipping the automatic clutch). Due to the amount of power and the fragility of the clutch plates they burn out. 2. Once the clutch starts to go, the gearbox crashes the changes (the reason why it's so rough in so many cars). It takes no time before they pack up a la Top Gear. Makes it even more strange that they don't put the clutch pedal back in with a proper gear lever. The Gallardo and Murcelilago have the same problems in their manual versions. Loads of power, four wheel drive and a slipping clutch rapidly burns out. The two Manual Gallardos at P1 were handed back to Lamborghini after their third replacement clutches in around a year. The F1 box has smarter software that stops it happening.
Isn't it the case that both the Ferrari and the Aston have the same Magnetti Marelli Sequential Manual gearbox developed by Ferrari and Magnetti? Is just software that gives the difference here?
You've got to remember that Top Gear is not a "motoring program" - it is light entertainment, aimed at the whole family. People buy cars on looks alone, regardless of which is best handling or fastest in a straight line or around a track. So the subjective opinion is quite relevant given the audience. We're just biased on here because it's a Ferrari site. Clarkson is quite happy to contradict himself on a regular basis - we know he does that and I'm sure he doesn't forget what he's said before. Being controversial gets viewers. It certainly gets people talking about what you've said. If Clarkson had said he'd have the Ferrari because it won the test, there wouldn't have been a load of people on an Aston Martin forum discussing how wrong that decision was. Ric.
Don't know about the last bit. They probably would have whinged a bit about how the "Ferrari is just vulgar" (not my words) and gentlemen drive Astons. Anyway, if the Ferrari had got its ass handed to it, pleanty of people here would still be saying "But its a Ferrari, the way it makes you feel, ......". As an example the 360 has got its ass handed to it by a 911T on many tests but pleanty of journalists still pick the 360 for subjective reasons. I don't see anyone arguing about that (other then on the Porsche site).
All very well Mr C may have his opinions on the 575 and may have fallen for the Aston but I wonder out of curiosity did he watch 5th Gear on Monday and see what little Miss VBH did to the Aston's belt ? A little worrying don't you think on an allegedly 200mph supercar.
Spoke to Aston Works Service this morning as my car's just come back from Newport Pagnell. Apparently the Vanquish gearbox is indeed the magnetti sequential manual but the software and clutch are different. Vanquish apparently runs a higher hydraulic pressure than the early 575s and therefore changed faster. Ferrari have updated on the latest modles and now match Vanquish speeds (apparently without breaking all the time). Ferrari software is smarter allowing to drop from (say) 6th to 4th in one downchange, whereas AMs is purely sequential needing to 6-5-4. Apparently Vanquish has a bit of software that primes to hydraulic system when you pull the door handle. So, if you want to **** up a Vanquish, pull the door handles and then don't start the engine. Do it often enough and the battery goes flat! Apparently the reason there's no manual is that the structural rigidity comes from the central carbon fibre tunnel and cutting a hole in it to put in a lever is deemed too risky. Off the clean my Anorak! jg
Not an 'S', but I tested a Vanquish for the first time a couple of days ago. I was due to test it weeks ago, only the gearbox broke on its way over from Reading... I think the looks are pretty breathtaking- more masculine than the DB9, and very distinctive, especially in dark colours. The sound is fantastic too, and the paddle shift, contrary to what I'd read, is very good indeed; much better than an SMG and only just short of the Stradale. The engine is just wonderful. Unfortunately that's about it on the credit side. The seat is too high- must have the same computer underneath it as in the DB7. Very annoying, and my head was brushing the headlining unless I tipped the seat right back (and I'm no beanpole). Surprising for such a large car that the interior felt pretty cramped. The ride is firm and pretty fidgety- does not handle an irregular surface at all well, and you can feel the masses pitching around when you corner. The steering wheel is too small and there is a complete absence of feedback. I suspect the reason the S looked uncomfortable cornering is that the base car just doesn't like being hustled. So it's not a drivers' car and against a 550 or later it's just no contest. You buy it for the way it looks and the way it sounds. Shame that.
I was supposed to get a Vanquish from P1 a few weeks back - Guess what, it didn't arrive because it broke its gearbox. It's not alone, a GT2 failed the following week and I haven't had the M3CSL this week either. Every one of their Ferrari's has made it to me without mishap, only the 355 Spider caused any trouble. In its defence I did drive it into a wall backwards! jg
Personally i'd have to dis-agree with both of these comments. I can't see how a standard Vanquish S could/would sound better than a tub'd 550 (De-cat of course) and with regards to looks maybe im biased but i personally would have a 575 over an Aston anyday! Regards Hari
