Aston Martin DB9

Photos: Dominic Fraser

12th March 2008

Even supermodels go under the knife – just ask Aston Martin. It has tweaked the DB9 to provide more power and luxury.

Updates to both the coupé and the soft-top Volante include a hefty 20bhp increase for the 6.0-litre V12, taking the output to 470bhp. As a result, the manual DB9 covers 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds – one-tenth-of-a-second faster than before. Cars with the improved Touchtronic semi-auto box complete the sprint in 4.4 seconds, while the top speed on all variants is 190mph.

Cosmetic changes have been kept to a minimum, although the DB9 gets new door mirrors, and now features 10-spoke 19-inch alloys as standard. The five-bar grille is also updated.

But the main modifications are reserved for the interior. It gets a redesigned centre console and the same Emotion Control Unit as found in Aston’s flagship DBS. The glass and stainless steel device replaces the outgoing car’s conventional key.

Finally, engineers have updated the suspension to improve the ride comfort, and the Volante is now even stiffer than before. Prices for the revamped range start from £113,950 for the Coupé and £122,950 for the soft-top model.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.