I had the pleasure of getting behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DB11 Volante for a scenic cruise along the Sea to Sky Highway to the town of Squamish. This is the way to spend the afternoon with a $300,000 plus Aston Martin Grand Tourer amidst gorgeous scenery and on a glorious stretch of highway.
Aston Martin has been on a roll lately with the launch of a host of new vehicles, the DB11, the new Vantage, and the Superleggera, the ultra-rare Valkyrie hypercar, the 003,now called the Valhalla ( what a glorious name for an Aston Martin supercar ) and finally the Vanquish Vision concept. A side note I am acquainted with a gentleman who has placed an order for a Valhalla I, simply cannot wait to see this car in the flesh. I had the opportunity to drive the new Vantage earlier this year and the DB11 last year. I have not thought of myself as a convertible chap until recently, not really sure why I was in denial but I was, so naturally having come to this revelation I salivated over the prospect of trying out the DB11 Volante.
My DB11 Volante test car came in morning frost white with a black canvas folding roof. My first view of the Volante was as it emerged from the underground garage driven by Chris Gillet the Brand ambassador at Aston Martin Vancouver. I was struck by the elegant clean lines of the Volante, in my opinion a more pleasing styling effort than the coupe. The most notable experience was listening to the crackling and popping exhaust of the 4.0 L twin turbocharged V8 AMG engine. I was delighted to hear the burbling of a refined Grand Tourer not the high pitched wail of an overly enthusiast supercar racer. I venture to say that pedestrians were delighted by the passage of the Volante through Vancouver’s downtown core. Once on the highway the exhaust got louder and deeper yet remained civilised.
Aston Martin has been on a roll lately with the launch of a host of new vehicles, the DB11, the new Vantage, and the Superleggera, the ultra-rare Valkyrie hypercar, the 003,now called the Valhalla ( what a glorious name for an Aston Martin supercar ) and finally the Vanquish Vision concept. A side note I am acquainted with a gentleman who has placed an order for a Valhalla I, simply cannot wait to see this car in the flesh. I had the opportunity to drive the new Vantage earlier this year and the DB11 last year. I have not thought of myself as a convertible chap until recently, not really sure why I was in denial but I was, so naturally having come to this revelation I salivated over the prospect of trying out the DB11 Volante.
My DB11 Volante test car came in morning frost white with a black canvas folding roof. My first view of the Volante was as it emerged from the underground garage driven by Chris Gillet the Brand ambassador at Aston Martin Vancouver. I was struck by the elegant clean lines of the Volante, in my opinion a more pleasing styling effort than the coupe. The most notable experience was listening to the crackling and popping exhaust of the 4.0 L twin turbocharged V8 AMG engine. I was delighted to hear the burbling of a refined Grand Tourer not the high pitched wail of an overly enthusiast supercar racer. I venture to say that pedestrians were delighted by the passage of the Volante through Vancouver’s downtown core. Once on the highway the exhaust got louder and deeper yet remained civilised.
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"Aston however has fettled with the power plant to make it crackle and pop" |
The Volante’s V8 engine comes courtesy of Aston Martin’s partnership with Mercedes AMG. Aston however has fettled with the power plant to make it crackle and pop in that particular Aston way. The coupe version of the DB11 comes as a 5.2 L V12 turbocharged engine or as a 4.0 L V8 twin turbocharged V8. The Volante only comes with the V8 and has slightly higher torque figures. The Volante will do zero to 100km in 4.1 seconds culminating in a top speed of 301 km (187mph). The Volante is a fast grand tourer not a superfast supercar.
The Volante is not a small car or light car at 1,870 kg. In spite of this the Volante is a dream to drive on the highway. Rocketing up the scenic Sea to Sky Highway I was able to get into a wonderful rhythm with the Volante, helped by the electrically assisted steering wheel. As a driver it’s a wonderful sensation to feel connected with the car you are driving and to have the confidence to place the vehicle where you want it on the road. I had the Volante in sport plus and the dampers in the highest setting which made for the best ride up the highway. The dash display reflected these more aggressive modes by changing to an all red display. The Volante could easily cruise at 200km (which I was not doing), for a little extra power I used the large left side paddle to downshift a few gears and the Volante would surge past other vehicles daring to inhabit the same road space as the Aston.
The Volante is not a small car or light car at 1,870 kg. In spite of this the Volante is a dream to drive on the highway. Rocketing up the scenic Sea to Sky Highway I was able to get into a wonderful rhythm with the Volante, helped by the electrically assisted steering wheel. As a driver it’s a wonderful sensation to feel connected with the car you are driving and to have the confidence to place the vehicle where you want it on the road. I had the Volante in sport plus and the dampers in the highest setting which made for the best ride up the highway. The dash display reflected these more aggressive modes by changing to an all red display. The Volante could easily cruise at 200km (which I was not doing), for a little extra power I used the large left side paddle to downshift a few gears and the Volante would surge past other vehicles daring to inhabit the same road space as the Aston.
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As it was bright May afternoon I undertook my journey from downtown Vancouver to Squamish with the Volante’s eight point folding roof firmly in the down position. I could regale you with tales of the Volante’s superb sound system if I had indeed turned the media system on. I did not as the audio pleasure was coming solely from the Volante’s exhaust pipes was enough entertainment for me. With the windbreaker up and the windows up the Volante cabin is a pleasant environment. Controls are easily accessible and intuitive to use. Sightlines are fairly clear despite the long nose of the Volante. With the roof raised the canvas does cause significant blind spots which require you to pay more attention with your side view mirrors.
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Vancouver is blessed with an extraordinary highway that leads from Vancouver to the ski resort of Whistler. As my time with the Volante was limited I opted to drive to the small town of Squamish which is roughly halfway to Whistler. Among the attractions is a large monolith called the Chief which is ideal for hiking and a suitable background to get some scenic images of the Aston Martin Volante. I found a quite location by the river with the Chief in the background and set about taking a closer look at this convertible Aston Martin.
First thing I did was open the clam shell bonnet which is made of a single piece of aluminum. I love the forward facing clam shell, such an elegant design. Underneath the clamshell is the neatly packaged AMG V8 engine complete with the final inspector’s badge. Moving on to the piece de resistance, the mechanical wizardry of converting the Aston from a soft top and back to a convertible. The designer of the DB11 Julian Nunn was emphatic that the foldaway top should not disturb the flowing lines of the DB11. A GT that failed in this regard was the Ferrari California which had a rather bulbous rear end thanks to the less than graceful integration of the folding roof. The DB11 Volante has an eight stage folding roof that can be raised while inside the car or by using the car key fob which I did so that I could film a video of the roof in action. The roof takes 16 seconds to fold up and 14 seconds to fold down. It was fitting to enact this pageantry amidst the splendor of The Chief and a gently flowing river.
First thing I did was open the clam shell bonnet which is made of a single piece of aluminum. I love the forward facing clam shell, such an elegant design. Underneath the clamshell is the neatly packaged AMG V8 engine complete with the final inspector’s badge. Moving on to the piece de resistance, the mechanical wizardry of converting the Aston from a soft top and back to a convertible. The designer of the DB11 Julian Nunn was emphatic that the foldaway top should not disturb the flowing lines of the DB11. A GT that failed in this regard was the Ferrari California which had a rather bulbous rear end thanks to the less than graceful integration of the folding roof. The DB11 Volante has an eight stage folding roof that can be raised while inside the car or by using the car key fob which I did so that I could film a video of the roof in action. The roof takes 16 seconds to fold up and 14 seconds to fold down. It was fitting to enact this pageantry amidst the splendor of The Chief and a gently flowing river.
The Aston interior is well laid out and easy to navigate around. The paddle shifters behind the steering wheel are a good size and are easy to manipulate. The glowing red dash in sport plus mode adds it’s to the sense of theatre this car provides. The leather seats with DB11 stitched into the headrest are extremely comfortable for long or short journeys. The seats held me nicely even when I was being a bit more vigorous in my driving. I remember wallowing all over the place in a so called sporty Volvo.
Aston have produced a thoroughbred of a Grand Tourer which has been overlooked by the North American market thus far. My particular DB11 Volante was the first example in Canada. If you are expecting a supercar you will be disappointed, if however you are looking for a fast curvaceous GT that will tickle your emotion with its emotive exhaust and give you immense driving pleasure from its ride then take a long look at the Aston Martin Volante. The cherry on the cake is being able to put down the roof and enjoy the sound of nature as well as the crackling V8 exhaust.
Written by: Jason Grunsell twitter.com/JGrunsell
Photography: Jason Grunsell - Instagram
