New Aston has a roar appeal

The DB7 replacement is all new, with an aluminium frame and body panels, lightweight composite parts such as magnesium alloy and a 6.0-litre V12 engine.

The engine belts out 331kW and 570Nm and screams to 6800 revs.

You can choose from a six-speed automatic with manual shift mode or six-speed manual.

There is no T-bar in the automatic Aston. Drivers select drive by pressing a button on the dashboard, and it is the same for reverse and park.

The DB9 is the first car to roll out of Aston Martin's new factory at Gaydon, Warwickshire.

Aston Martin, James Bond's brand of choice, is part of the Premier Automotive group that includes Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover, and is owned by Ford.

The old DB7 was built on a base borrowed from the Jaguar XK, as was the Lincoln Town Car in the United States, but the DB9 has its own new base.

It takes a small team 220 hours to build each DB9 -- 25 hours are spent on the paint alone.

Each car has a plate under the bonnet bearing the name of the person responsible for the final inspection, perhaps so you know who to complain to if there is problem.

Aston Martin prides itself on its craftsmanship and smooth lines, the perfect welds and the sumptuous interior. Almost all of the interior is coated with leather, including the dashboard, doors and transmission tunnel. The roof lining is suede.

There are large panels of wood-grain on the doors and dashboard and metal highlights spread around the cabin.

Owners can customise their cars with 21 paint colours, 20 leather trims and eight types of carpet.

The DB9 runs on lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels with cross-drilled brake discs and four-pot calipers.

It comes with all the safety systems from the Ford family, including anti-skid brakes, electronic stability control and traction control.

ON THE ROAD
TRUE supercars can thrill without turning a wheel. Just sliding into the leather-bound cockpit of the DB9 is enough to stir the emotions of the car lover.

But the buzz is provided by one button in the middle of the dashboard. It is the start button, the trigger that fires the V12 engine under the vented bonnet.

Pressing this starter and feeling the 6.0-litre engine fire into action is one of moments you will always remember.

The guttural roar, as 12 cylinders report for duty, enters the lush interior that can be serene at highway speeds.

The DB9 can be driven in full auto mode, but you can also choose the magnesium alloy paddles on the steering column to move through the six gears.

The test drive of the Aston was tainted by rain that ruined any chance of testing the car's full potential.

The traction control system allows you to have some fun before stepping in to help you out.

You can turn it off, as we did for a while, but the concrete walls remind you not to do anything silly in a $370,000 car.

Even in the wet, the Aston accelerates like a jet.

It is fun to rev out the awesome engine. The V12 has so much power it can limber around with hardly any effort (about 80 per cent of torque is available from 1500 revs).

The gear changes are not as quick as with the BMW SMG gearbox, but the Aston is tuned for smooth changes.

In Sport mode, the throttle blips on down changes to create a fabulous engine noise.

The Aston seems to have excellent cornering grip given the conditions, but it is hard to test in the wet.

It is a pretty smooth ride on the highway for a supercar, but ruts and bumps do still jolt occupants.

The DB9 is technically a four-seater, but even jockeys would be uncomfortable in the back, there's so little head and leg room.

The driver and front passenger won't have to worry, with soft supportive seats that are also heated.

At 100km/h the DB9 eases along the road, the engine doing only 1750 revs.

It loves the country kilometres and looks stunning on the road with its elegant form, sleek coupe roof-line and low ride height.

The only disappointment was some roof trim coming loose at the back and a key-fob that is shared with Volvo.

THE SUPER SPY'S CAR OF CHOICE

• Aston Martin company was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and business partner Robert Banford. The Aston comes from a hill climb at Aston Clinton, near London, a race in which Martin's cars competed.
• While regarded as one of the most British of British car brands, the company almost folded until rescued by Augusto Bertelli, an Italian migrant, in 1926. The firm has had many owners, most of whom have struggled with bankruptcy.
• Aston Martin's most famous loyalist is film legend James Bond. By 1964's Goldfinger Bond's silver birch DB5 was fitted with its famed gadgets, including revolving number plates and machine guns.
• The suave spy again drove the DB5 in the 1965 movie Thunderball. It made brief appearances in GoldenEye in 1995 and Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997, by which time Pierce Brosnan was playing the spy.
• The recent Bond car from Aston Martin was the Vanquish in Die Another Day.
• Aston Martin's current owner is Ford. The US giant bought into the company in 1987, taking total control in 1991. It's part of Ford's prestige automotive group.
• The 1948 DB1 was named after then owner David Brown.

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Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph