ASTON MARTIN VALOUR 2024 REVIEW | First test drive
Designed to provide pure driving pleasure, Valour will remind you why you fell in love with the car in the first place......
overview
In 1970, when Robin Hamilton received his Aston Martin DBS, the car was equipped with a brand new V8 engine, but he had no idea at the time that 54 years later, a million-pound car would be built in its honor. In fact, the car is worth £110 million. Even if he had turned it into a race car and made so many improvements to its design that he had acquired his own 'RHAM/1' chassis number, even though he had already driven it to two Le Mans, he could not have imagined that half a lifetime later it would inspire Aston Martin to build a completely new car that resembled his image.
So, what's really going on? It may not be fast, but "The Muncher" (nicknamed by its appetite for consumables) is probably the most savage, dazzling-looking Aston Martin of all time. As the company began to shift the focus of its history to a more recent era than the Silver Birch DB5, "The Muncher" almost inevitably fell into its scope.
This is not the first time that "Muncher" has been paid homage; Three years ago, a one-of-a-kind car called Victor was built for a very wealthy client. It also echoes the styling of the original, and the enthusiasm for it from the press and the public is also the reason for the birth of Valour, just like Muncher itself.
We love it
- Gorgeous retro look
- The perfect combination of the V12 and the manual transmission
- Very easy to get along with
We don't like it
- The old Mercedes infotainment system
- The control weight should be heavier
- The price is a bit expensive
devise
Valour looks fantastic. Although it is not pretty, the overall shape is very striking, and the details are fascinating. Obviously, the reference material has a lot to do with this, but how the car is made also plays an important role. It was not economically feasible to create Valour's extraordinary curves using traditional mass production methods, and it was only possible to create such a shape because of the car's small production volume and the carbon fiber bodywork.
The interior and exterior design is not just an imitation of "The Muncher". Instead, it celebrates the rather rudimentary approach taken in the design of racing cars in the '70s of the 20th century and blends it with some distinctly modern elements. Examples abound, but perhaps the most obvious is the rear, where the typical traditional raised Kamm rear wing contrasts with the large, sleek diffuser below. Again, the tall and traditional vertical side vents are complemented by some distinctly stylish aerodynamic details of the side skirts.
However, from the engineering side, it's all quite old-school, although the way the assembly has created an unprecedented mechanical configuration. Believe it or not, this is the first-ever front-engine car to combine a turbocharged V12 engine with a manual transmission.
Structurally, it's most like the Vantage that has just been replaced, but the front end is a discontinued DBS. That means it's powered by Aston's 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 engine at the front. But actually, the most intriguing point is at the other end, where it's no longer an eight-speed automatic, but a six-speed manual – exactly the same one used in the first-generation V12 Vantage in 2009. It isn't, and doesn't have anything to do with, the apparently not-so-pretty seven-speed manual transmission used in the 2016 V12 Vantage S. It also has a simple mechanically locking limited-slip differential that replaces the smarter but heavier electronic differential used by the post-2018 Vantages.
The torque limit of this Graziano gearbox also meant that the engine had to reduce power slightly, with its output dropping from 770PS (566kW) in the final DBS to 715PS (526kW) which was still very healthy.
Performance and handling
Outwardly, few cars express their intentions more boldly than this one. Just one look at the Valour and you know how it should be driven. So, the question is whether the reality is in line with the promises. The answer is that, to a large extent, it does live up to the promise.
However, the first thing to point out is that despite its fierce appearance and power, it is not a car that can break records. It has so little downforce that Aston Martin doesn't even bother to give a specific number, it uses street-standard Michelin PS5S tires like the regular Vantage, and it still weighs a whopping 1800kg despite the carbon fibre bodywork. You'll never see lap times at the Nürburgring.
First impression: it's too easy to drive. The driving experience is very good, the cabin is very quiet and the view is as wide as other Aston coupes. Despite its appearance, driving this car is not intimidating. The gearbox is pleasant. Maybe adding a cross-shift switch from second to third gear would make it even better, but no owner will complain about the clean and mechanical feel of the joystick when switching from one gear to another.
But the real magic is that it matches the V12 feeling perfectly, as if they were designed side-by-side rather than cobbled together at the last minute. The natural rpm drops and the shift lever moves, allowing for seamless upshifts every time, which is quite pleasant, but it is undermined in the other direction due to the lack of rev-matching technology. The V12's free-spin nature and non-linear rev increase may make truly deft heel-toe shifting harder than some wealthy owners would like. It's a minor issue, but it's real. An even bigger complaint is that the Aston Martin hasn't changed the final gear ratio, which means the Valour still needs half the gear when it reaches each speed.
However, put it in third gear and drive down a very good road, one of the Aston Martin driving experiences awaits you. The exact requirement for this car was to make it as pleasant as possible, and it did not disappoint. All you need to do is put the shock in "Sport" mode and let go. Only then will you realize that the chassis is at least as good as the powertrain. Steering is accurate, linear, and provides more feedback than most of today's steering systems. For a car with an engine on one end and drive wheels at the other, the grip is more than enough, and the traction is excellent. This is thanks to the transmission, differential, tires, and soft rear springs.
Put all of this in series, let the engine roar, let the gear lever run hard, and let the steering wheel twist gently in your hands, and it doesn't matter if you can break the land speed record.
Should Aston take it a step further and make it more like 'The Muncher', with all the main controls feeling heavier while driving? Possibly. If you want to find fault with the way this car drives on the road, you can only say that it is too easy. Some owners may want their Valour to be more challenging and capable of some combat. Others, however, may just be happy that it's no harder to paddle from one place to another than any other Aston. It's just more fun.
in-house
It was here that the old-fashioned approach really stumbled upon Valour. It's clever to design a new product that both looks great and exemplifies the company's heritage, but unless Aston Martin intends to evoke the image of the Mercedes E-Class station wagon from a decade ago, something else must be going on here.
That said, the electronic architecture underneath Valour is the previous generation Vantage, which means poor graphics, Mercedes accessory gear switches, no touch screen, and bulky old control wheels as the main means of operation. Obviously, all of this isn't as important here as it is in everyday cars, but there's a problem here, as it drags down other interior spaces that would otherwise be quite spectacular.
At this level, you can have almost any interior you want. If you have a favorite tree in your garden and want to make a dashboard out of its branches, Aston might send someone from Q Branch over with an axe. But the test car's cockpit follows the contrasting theme of old and new that the exterior shows, cleverly combining the tweed and leather of the seats with carbon fibre for the door cards and various trims. The gear lever is a wooden ball that sits on a steel shaft protruding from the exposed door.
This method may look very bad without real skill and taste to achieve it, but at least here, it does work.
Technology and functionality
If you're expecting the next generation of AI-enhanced gadgets, there's nothing. Valour is proud and unapologetic old-school. If you think the gearbox sounds old, keep in mind that its engine dates back to the Ford Indigo Concept, which was modified and adopted by Aston Martin for the DB7 Vantage.
It has some basic configurations, like electronically adjustable damping and a different engine map for the V12, not to mention the huge carbon-ceramic brake discs to control everything, but that's about it. Don't think that because of its front spoiler, side skirts, and chunky rear diffuser, the Valour is some kind of downforce monster; It's not, and as a car that's entirely for road use, it's superior.
conclusion
Such a car is special and easy to overlook; They've all been sold, many, if not most, are rarely used, and they don't bring any major highlights to Aston Martin's current thinking or future direction, whether technical or otherwise.
Or you can put it down to the fact that it's more than twice as rare as the Valkyrie and see it as a pure car. You'll find something to celebrate – and not just because it evokes memories of a bygone era, when Aston Martin really literally was a muscle car. There's something better here: a car designed to provide pure driving pleasure. Not the fastest, not the fastest in a straight line or the fastest turn, but a car that makes you smile every time you go out, a car that reminds you of why you fell in love with cars in the first place. Despite Valour's flaws, in this most important aspect, it is actually a great success
specification
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