Anyone own(ed) both XKR and DB9? Curious on impressions between the two. I know DB9 is more expensive to own, but nice examples can be bought for 50K, so it's a consideration for us...

 

I have not owned both, but the dealers are next door here in Charlotte letting me easily walk around and compare. From what I see, the Jaguar XK/XKR is a DB9 that has been optimized to lower the production cost. The DB9 uses complicated dies for body parts that require dissembling the pressing surfaces to install and remove the sheet metal. The Jaguar, glues or clips plastic in these areas allowing for simple sheet metal forms that can be done in one stamping, and with no more steps than loading and unloading the sheet metal.

The Jaguar also squares off the design of each part significantly when compared to the DB9, lowering the stroke length required to stamp out the aluminum body panels. The Jaguar uses a simple engine head without complex internal angles that can be quickly and easily built, the DB9 uses a far more complex set that requires new mold parts to be made for each engine head that is produced.

If money is not an issue, and parts are not an issue, than it comes down to which you would appreciate more. The DB9 can be had as a manual, the Jaguar cannot. I did not want to spend what a DB9 without any financial considerations, I would take a manual DB9 over a XKR purely based on having a manual transmission. Both appear to be excellent cars to me.

When I look at how the part on the two different cars, the Aston's design philosophy, is how can we build an awesome luxury sports car out of aluminum; the Jaguar is how can we build an awesome luxury sports car out of aluminum at half that cost. Both are awesome cars.

 

I just can't go over the sound of that V12. Was at the dealer yesterday and each time I go in; an Aston is on mind all day. Our local dealer is 8 miles from my house and also sells Lotus (which I currently drive).

The manual would be ideal, but my better half does not know how to drive manual just yet and this would be "her" car. I expect her to know how by the time our lease ends. I asked her, "how about another XK, but not exactly an XK?" She was on the fence, but said if it were our Seafrost Green one then yes. That color was something else.

 

I considered the DB9. It came down to a 4 year older model and no 'initial warranty' with the DB for a similar XK price. I figured the XK was 'close enough'. The XK also 'seemed' like it would be more reliable.

I get the attraction though. An Aston is....an Aston.

 

I considered a '12 DB9 before I bought the f type. The pro's were that it looks soooo gorgeous, the quilted seats (in this one), the V12, the badge. The DB9 has a much better ride than the Vantage.

Cons for me outweighed the pro's. The media technology (for me a big big thing) is ancient, the centre stack is pretty much the same as the XKR and pretty dated, the screen is a little popup thing, I'd have been paying a lot more for a car which was pretty much a sideways step. They actually dont review that well.

But bear in mind we were talking about something that cost - at 4 years old - $50K more than the new f type V6 S which had all of the tech goodies I want. If the price had been the same, I would have struggled more with the choice.

 

I have not owned a DB9 but drove one at a local exotic used car dealer. My impressions: The AM wasn't performance wise significantly better than the XKR. Fit and finish...the AM hands down (then again there may not be a better car company on the planet with better fit and finish than the AM). Looks...I think it was a toss up. The AM has more "snob appeal" but at a much higher cost.


What led me to buy an XKR was the reliability and servicing cost advantage of the Jaguar. I would always be nervous with the AM thinking, "If this thing breaks, where am I going to get it fixed?"


The dealer told me. "I sell these things but I would never own one. Costs way to much to fix and service."


That cinched it for me

 

Just my opinion but I prefer the XKR side profile slightly more than the DB 9, those famous Jaguar "hips" at the rear are a little rounder, a little more sensual than the Aston's, and the roofline over the rear windows is smoother. However, if you flip back and forth between the two's profiles, they are barely distinguishable. Front ends are a toss up, and I could live with either. I like the cleaner tailliight treatment of the Aston, but dislike the exhaust pipes and cutouts, they look cheap. Horsepower is the same between the V-12 and the V-8, and while the interior of the Aston has a little more panache, I don't like the pop-up screen which cheapens the look, is destined to break, and is just not my cup of tea. The exhaust sound, however, is incredible and ranks right up there with Maserati's and my '72Pantera as the best I've ever heard. Having said that, for a couple of thousand dollars (and maybe less) you could have custom exhaust made for the XKR that would match the sound without having to plunk down twice as much as a comparable XKR. And the XKR actually performs better than the Aston.

Now having said all that, I find the Vantage to be one of the most beautiful automotive shapes I have ever seen. I was parked next to a pristine black one, yesterday, and I couldn't stop staring. It's simply gorgeous.

Service and parts are another story....

 

Astons are a work of art, but have to say the xkr holds it own in the looks department, wouldn't be put off parking my xkr beside any Aston as you can see,

 

I have never heard any XKR that comes remotely close in sound to an Aston V12. I would love it if someone had a link to show me wrong; owning an XKR would be a lot easier.

 

Nothing in the noise stakes comes close to a V12 and especially in an Aston.
One of my favorites videos of all time is the end of season episode of series 13 of Top Gear of the Aston V12 Vantage, the car is one of the most beautiful cars ever made IMO and that noise. Put on your headphones for this one, it gets the hairs standing everytime i watch it, pure V12 heaven.

 

even with almost a straight pipe system its a supercharged V8. it sounds like a supercharged V8. It does not sound anything like a NA V12. Totally different.. much less exotic...much more a straight up muscle car sound and that's it. Its why I favor getting a V6 Ftype some day... it actually to me sounds much more high pitched and thus...less muscle more exotic!?!? maybe im off but that's how I see things.

 

Very interesting, you might be sensitive to interruptions in sound.
A v12 is a near perfectly balanced engine. I.e. the pulses are more continuous. I believe a V6 is more balanced than a V8. I know a I6 is perfectly balanced.

Just a crazy hypothesis, its all an emerging science that I keep up with. They recently discovered that in vitro the fetus has a beat expectation. It gets upset when the rhythm is changed or not what it was expecting.

 

I went to 2 British Car Day's in my XK; both times I got more compliments than Aston's I was parked next to. Oddly, both times they directed me to high line area instead of the Jaguar row. It was the color that made my XK such a wow factor to crowd. XK does dwarf Vantage and DB9 in size; that could be it too. Has more initial presence.

You guys got me revisiting XK's online now too. I am in no rush, you know that "next car day dreaming" and nothing sets that off like dealership visit. At least this time around I won't be trading in a car because we will be at end of lease on our Volvo.

I have a list of about 5 cars that I am hot to replace her car with. Have to vent each one. None of which I have even test driven before.

 

Moses, you cant discount the fact that there is a perfect storm in your favor. The XKR virtues you like are suddenly out of place in a world of 'boy racers', and are being disproportionately discounted.

Cant imagine the misuses not eventually finding the AM a bit less convenient.

A lotus and an Ashton, do you really want to own 2 cars that absolutely have no dealerships outside of 8 main cities.

 

I'm with Powerhouse, the Vantage is a spectacular design, smaller but more beautiful than the bigger Astons. With regard to sound, I don't think the number of cylinders is the key to great exhaust "music." Agreed, in the Aston, the V-12 is wonderful, but over at Maserati, they make the V-8 in the Gran Turismo and even the V-6 in the Ghibli sound just as incredible. Look at (or listen to) the V-8 F-type R or the V-6S right in our own backyard, absolutely incrediible sounding. I had an F-type V-8 to drive for 4 days (including on the track) and it's hard to believe it's street legal it was so loud and aggressive. And in olden days, such as in my Ford Mustang engined Boss 351C Pantera, very few owners have a radio installed, the cacophony rushing out the huge rear exhaust pipes is so exhilarating. Unlike Lothar, I find the Ferrari V-12-Formula 1 sound unattractive to my ear, high pitched, sewing machine drone bearing no comparison to a deep-throated roar of a V-8. That the F-type can produce the sound it does from the same engine (5.0L supercharged) as our XKR, tells you that you can produce any amount and type of sound you want given the right exhaust system, including one that would rival any V-12.

 

There was a member on the forum who owned a Jaguar XKR and traded it for an Aston-Martin DB9. He was from the Atlanta area, a suburb I believe. That just about 1 yr ago.

Perhaps if he might see the thread title he may chime in to compare the old to his new.

 

Both marques are at the same dealer which is about 10 miles from my house .5 mile from my office. They charge different labor rates for each; with Aston being $30 an hour more... Same guys working on either car.

 

Well then there may be a point to not diversifying. More of an efficiency through consolidation.

 

Aston -
In my book, aside from the Ferrari 488, the most sexy looking car out there bar none! Absolutely to finest display of both aggressive looks, flowing lines, and perfect curves. As proud and attracted as I am to my XK vert it simply doesn't hold a candle to the Aston. Similar... yes, the same or close... no not to a distinguishing eye.

Though it's beauty is hard to look away from my criteria in purchasing a vehicle is never purely skin deep (same goes for the ladies I've dated). My car must have a reputation of low maintenance (that would eliminate the Aston right there). I need to know that when I go into the mountains, across the desert, or out late at night that it will function flawlessly. That would eliminate Ferrari's, Astons, Lambo's. etc even if I had that bankroll... it is not based upon the fact that I cannot afford such cars but rather on my principle of getting things that work and work well with the least amount of problems.

Second would be both my ability to work on said vehicle (I've always done all my own maintenance) AND parts being readily available - that would also exclude the Aston. so very few dealers, with that would come the question of the proficiency of the mechanics and how likely they are to resolve issues that aren't going to be all that common. Having a $100K> car sitting in their garage while they try to figure out how to fix it wouldn't make my day.

Exclusivity isn't always a good thing rather it is a double-edged sword cutting both ways. The cost of parts goes way up, the cost of repairs goes way up, the number of places and people who can work on the car goes way down, little to no aftermarket support, etc.

In the end in most cases you are paying often times double the cost of a X150 but getting roughly the same performance, nicer sound, a slightly prettier body, more cylinders (don't forget as you double the number of cylinders you square the likelihood of issues and certainly the expense when tuning or repairing), the numbers just wouldn't make sense to me. Right now the price-points on the X150 are amazing, the price point on Aston's most people just base on "what is was new versus what it is now" rather than "what am I getting for said $$$ versus what else is out there comparatively". Of course that is a logical approach to an emotional decision. YMMV

 

If they are Aston certified technicians they had to go to training in UK. Why should the Jaguar crowd pay for the Aston certification! Still, that is on them with the cost of the dealer, should just charge the same rate...