Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante
$499,000
Price
3.6 sec
0-100 kmph
900Nm
Torque
533kW
Power
Pros
- Very little compromise over coupe
- Epic twin-turbo V12 engine
- Great blend of comfort/aggression
Cons
- It’s half a million dollars
- Underwhelming interior
- Absurd rear seats
The idea of turning some high-end performance cars into convertibles seems illogical and even disrespectful. But the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera isn’t one of them; a soft-top version makes perfect sense.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t take the DBS seriously as a performance car in general. It’s astonishingly rapid (the coupe does 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds), it’s certainly one for purist sensibilities or the highly skilled with 900Nm/rear-drive and it’s extremely agile in the corners (when it’s not lighting up the rear tyres in third gear, that is). All as it should be, when you’re paying $100k extra over the outwardly similar DB11.
The DBS is an exotic car with a dual personality. It’s near-supercar fast and completely at home on a track, but it’s also an old-school front-engined grand tourer. Dial the drive modes down (there’s even one actually called “GT”) and it’s a sublime cruiser, with gorgeous noises from the V12 and a supple ride. Removing the roof simply adds yet another dimension to the DBS experience.
So here we are: the DBS Superleggera Volante. “Superleggera” meaning super-light and “Volante” meaning either a recreational carriage or quick movement, depending on the language/context – but always denoting a convertible in Aston-speak.
The DBS isn’t really super-light. The coupe weighs 75kg less than the DB11 thanks partly to carbon fibre body panels (told you it was exotic), but it’s still over 1.8 tonnes. And the extra strengthening required for the Volante puts 100kg back into the equation, so we’re kind of back where we started. These are approximate figures: look under “Weights and Dimensions” on the Aston Martin website for the DBS Volante and there are no… weights. Hmmm.
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Anyway, a bit more bulk doesn’t really hold the DBS back. The Volante still rockets to 100km/h in a howl of twin-turbo V12 glory and 3.6 seconds. Convertibles are less rigid than coupes by definition, but it’s a real challenge to discern any difference in structural integrity with this car (remembering we reviewed the DBS coupe not so long ago).
The Volante has a bit less aerodynamic trickery, which is one thing the DB11/DBS is known for. It still has the “Curlicue”, a cluster of gills behind the front wheel arches that funnel air through strakes on the front guards. But the convertible doesn’t have the Aeroblade, an inlet in the C-pillar that sucks air into a channel, exiting through the boot. Because it doesn’t have a C-pillar of course; at least not one that you can put a hole in on purpose.
But reshaping of the rear haunches has resulted in maximum downforce of 177kg, which is just 3kg less than the coupe. Something to bear in mind if you’re planning on hitting the car’s maximum speed of 340km/h, otherwise I think we’re all good from a stability point of view.
The Volante has a traditional soft-top that goes down in 14 seconds and up again in 16sec, and looks fantastic either way. As with the coupe, forget about the ridiculous rear seats, which have literally no legroom; but roof-down, it is at least much easier to throw your bags in there.
This is hardly ever the case with convertibles, but could actually argue the DBS Volante is a superior package to the coupe. There’s no real-world compromise in performance or handling, it looks sensational (albeit in a different way) and you have wind in the hair when you want it.
That engine also makes it a pretty special car. Not just because the V12 is a “traditional” Aston powerplant (not a Mercedes-AMG unit, like the V8s), but also because it’s the only way you can have an open-top Aston Martin V12 right now; the DB11 and forthcoming Vantage V12 models are coupe-only.
ASTON MARTIN DBS SUPERLEGGERA VOLANTEENGINE: 5.2-litre biturbo-petrol V12POWER: 533kW/900NmGEARBOX: 8-speed automatic, RWD0-100KM/H: 3.6 secondsECONOMY: 13.5l/100km (WLTP)
PRICE: $499,000
Keyword: Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante review: twin-turbo blow-dry