[Madhatter]

This is my first post and I'm thinking about purchasing an 2007 or 08 Aston V8 Vantage and have only driven manuals. What are the pros and cons of the paddle shift.

There is also a "brand new" '08 at a local dealer (Southern California) with only 74 miles and a full 3 yr. warranty. Would I be courting disaster by having what is basically a 3 year old car that hasn't be run?

 

[YGOSLO]

manual or paddle

i just brought a 2010 VANTAGE after trying out both manual and paddle. My opinion the manual is bloody good to drive, a nice box and not too clunky.

Regards

YGOSLO

 

[Madhatter]

Thanks YGOSLO,

I am leaning in that direction myself

 

[lhanddds]

sport shift

I am 54 years old and did not want to shift all the time. I have a 07 Vantage V8 roadster with the sportshift. It is ideal for me. I use mine for a daily driver and keep it in automatic most of the time. When I want, it goes in to paddle mode by activating one of the paddles, shifts in 300 milliseconds (never missing a gear) and I could not imagine anyone out accelerating me. If you like to shift, go for the stick. Don't think you can beat the sportshift though.

 

[Madhatter]

Thanks for the information, Ihanddds. I'm 53 myself, and I'm not ruling out the auto-manual. I drive a Porsche Boxster with a 5 speed manual now and use that as my daily driver, but my wife would prefer the auto. It's nice to know I wouldn't be compromising performance.

 

[altawashm]

the paddle is more Comfort and fast change.
about the manual: its the fast and racing also you will feel that your driving a huge car.
its fun to drive a manual car, but some time its Tired.

 

[jaymoney]

My car is an 08 roadster with sports shift. There is a sports shift aftermarket tuning that really improves the shift time and exchange. With this mod the car is amazing. From what I hear, AM has made a change similar to it in the '10 and '11 cars. It won't be long when the stick shift is a thing of the past. Most exotic companies have shifted their focus to some kind of paddle without a clutch system. You simply can't do what a computer can do. It is a ton of fun on the open road. It is not as easy as a stick in parking lots going in reverse but when your in traffic or need to reach for a cell phone you really appreciate the "D" button. I WAS 39 when I bought mine, so age wasn't a factor.

 

[Serega91]

My car is an 08 roadster with sports shift. There is a sports shift aftermarket tuning that really improves the shift time and exchange. With this mod the car is amazing. From what I hear, AM has made a change similar to it in the '10 and '11 cars. It won't be long when the stick shift is a thing of the past. Most exotic companies have shifted their focus to some kind of paddle without a clutch system. You simply can't do what a computer can do. It is a ton of fun on the open road. It is not as easy as a stick in parking lots going in reverse but when your in traffic or need to reach for a cell phone you really appreciate the "D" button. I WAS 39 when I bought mine, so age wasn't a factor.

Yes, I see, but problem is, that most cars in the class are coming out with DCT systems.

Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, and Merc are all double clutch paddle shifters, while I have never yet read of Aston planning one...
Even the 1-77 had a single clutch paddle shift, despite being a showroom of Aston's current and close future technology.

From my experiences, the best Astons are the manual Astons, and they still have marginally superior performance than their two pedaled siblings. I mean the Touchtronic was and is one of the better choices of paddle gearboxes, but still, manual does give the performance edge. The manual is the one tested on tracks, the manual is the sole option for the V12 vantage, and was the original option on the DBS.

I simply can not understand when a magazine article does a comparison and selects the two- pedaled car instead of the three pedaled, for they know the former one is the ore enjoyable for spirited driving.

However, since Astons grew upon me in the late 90s, I do have a radical opinion on this issue. The automatic/T-tronic models of the DB7 which I admired so much were sluggish compared to the manuals, that I could not forgive or forget the issue.

Once they get a DCT sorted I will have no problem with it. But for me, a 6 speed manual box is one of the key reasons why I would chose an Aston over many other exotics. For me, it is Aston's speciality, like the NA engines, and the lightweight GT character.