MotorMouths

It would be impossible not to like the Aston Martin Virage Volante. It is a unique and thrilling visceral driving experience because of the power and handling capabilities, but also because of its price and heritage.

At its heart, Virage is like every great Aston: subtle, and fast, and substantial, and utterly self-confident. But technology is a big part of luxury these days, and it’s definitely Aston’s Achilles’ heel.

The Virage is an impeccably made grand touring car that packs plenty of power, refinement and passion. In many ways, it’s an old brute of a GT car, and while it does a great job at that, it’s far from revolutionary.

The 2012 Aston Martin Virage might not be the ultimate driver’s car, but what it lacks in maximum thrills, it makes up for with stunning good looks, everyday drivability and loads of character.

The Virage is ridiculously good looking, despite Aston’s aging design aesthetic. And then there’s the driving experience. By the time you get to a road worth driving on, you’ll already have a stupid grin on your face just from hearing that V-12 engine.

So what’s the Virage’s killer app? Looks. There’s nothing on the road that turns heads like an Aston Martin Virage. It’s tailored Armani in a Men’s Warehouse world. Next to modern GT car in the Book of Awesome, there’s one of these.

The arrival of any new Aston Martin ranks as a memorable occasion. My personal introduction to the 2012 Virage Volante was no exception. What it has, in abundance, is class.

The new Aston Martin Virage is a little quicker and a little more athletic than the DB9, yet feels smoother and more refined. It’s like a DBS dipped in molasses; the underlying edginess is coated with a sweet layer of tactile linearity that is truly delightful.

The new Aston Martin Virage models are wonderfully-executed GT cars with rigid squeak-free platforms, bullish engines, marvelous interiors, sensual styling and alluring driving dynamics.

Far more than the DBS, the Virage does come across as a DB9.5 — a way for Aston Martin to keep fickle, six-figure whales from drifting off to other brands.

Is the Virage worth the $22K premium over a DB9? At this price point it gets tough to judge worth; but it offers slightly better performance, a slightly nicer interior, and a slightly more-exotic shape—not to mention a unique name.