Aston Martin V12 dimensions

Though not as ultimately thrilling as other exotic sports vehicles, the 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage has its own original appeal. Aston Martin V12 Vantage Coupe offers the following pros: Aston Martin V12 performance at a lower price; sophisticated ride; impeccable interior; highly customizable; tough-guy-in-a-tuxedo look-and-feel. Aston Martin V12 Vantage Coupe drawbacks are: Handling and performance trails exotic rivals; tall center console; wonky navigator.

The 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage is a two-seat hatchback coupe available in regular and Carbon Black trims. The V8 Vantage coupe and roadster are covered in a separate model review.

Traditional equipment contains 19-inch wheels, high-performance tires, carbon-ceramic brakes, a limited-slip differential, xenon headlamps, power-folding mirrors, back parking sensors, a battery-disconnect switch (for extended storage), cruise control, automatic conditioning, eight-way performance seatings with memory functions and adjustable lumbar, a tilt-and-telescoping helm, auto-dimming rearview mirror, Bluetooth, a hard-drive-based navigator and a 160-watt audio system with Six-cd changer and an Ipod/usb stereo interface.

Besides the nearly endless combinations of look and dashboard color choices, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage can be equipped with auxillary front parking sensors, heated seatings, radio, a 700-watt luxury surround-sound stereo system or a 1000-watt, Bang & Olufsen Beosound system.

The Carbon Black gets the requisite selection of blacks from Aston Martin's color palette, plus diamond-turned gloss-black wheels, a chrome-finish grille, front parking sensors, piano-black dashboard trim, radio and the 700-watt stereo system.