Aston Martin DB9 Coupé (2011 model year) CAR review

You might have seen elsewhere that CAR was embedded in the Aston Martin pit team at the weekend's 2010 Le Mans 24-hour race. Which meant we were well placed to pilfer one of the facelifted DB9s on display at the Aston customer hospitality unit at the French race circuit and drive it back to Blighty.

A 'facelifted' 2010 Aston Martin DB9? It doesn't look very different!

Yes, let's call it the 2011 model year DB9. Aston types hesitate to use the word 'facelift', it's just part of the continuous improvement that's gradually spruced up the DB9 since launch back in 2003.

CAR bumped into Aston Martin design director Marek Reichmann in the AMR pits at Le Mans and he gave us the lowdown on the 2011 DB9. 'We are continuing the elegant feel of the DB9: there's a new front bumper, new side skirts, new colours,' he explained. 'These are mild changes – we've made 12,000 DB9s since launch and don't feel the need to start afresh. There are also plenty of under-the-skin changes.'

Still looks the biz, then?

You bet. I've previously criticised Aston's current line-up for looking too samey and while I stand by that, there's no arguing with the basic building blocks of the Aston look. The DB9 set the template back at the 2003 Frankfurt show, but carries its years well. This is an elegant 2+2 coupé, and looks every inch the £122,445 sports car from every angle. I especially love the coke bottle swell to the hips that lends the DB9 a sprung, muscular feel.

What's new? The double-decker grille with (slightly tacky) perforated mesh low down is fresh, while the sidesills are recontoured with a more exaggerated 'hockey stick' kink said to be most visible on lighter colours and the rear bumper and lights are minutely different, too. Fresh wheel designs are available and our car came in a fetching silvery green.

And what's new inside the 2011 model year Aston Martin DB9?

The interior of the DB9 is spruced up with some previously unseen toys and equipment. A Bang & Olufsen stereo with pop-up tweeters (think top-end Audi style) is now available at a steep £4000 or so and delivers crisp, clear tunes; it seamlessly mates with your iPod too.

The 6.0-litre V12 is unchanged, but fettling the details means that CO2 has been poleaxed by nearly 50g/km. The claimed carbon dioxide figure tumbles to 345g/km. Meanwhile the aluminium VH chassis is spruced up by the addition of Bilstein variable dampers; we've seen them on the DBS and Rapide, but it's the first time the DB9 has offered them in place of the regular Bilstein struts.

How does the revised DB9 drive?

CAR picks up the fettled DB9 on Sunday night an hour after the end of the Le Mans 24-hour race. Click here to find out how Aston Martin Racing got on at La Sarthe. The car looks slinky and elegant, drawing admiring glances from most race-goers – a theme that's going to remain for our entire nine-hour drive back home. Owners of the countless TVRs, Porsches, Lotuses and more humble machinery making the annual pilgrimage nearly all give approving nods and smiles to the Aston. It remains a trigger brand for enthusiasts, of that I'm certain.

>> Click 'Next' to read more of CAR Magazine's Aston Martin DB9 first drive review