KaiserSea1

I have seen more than a few posts, people trying to compare the SC430 with lesser cars, you really don't know how much better it is than an ISC, until you live with the upgraded feel. Going the other way, my cousin is leasing a 2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, which on paper is very similar to our car. I have been playing with it all day, and here is my take.





Performance.
My Iphone clocks the Aston to 60 at 5.4 Seconds, My SC at 5.9. The Aston steering and brakes, much tighter. Hard to explain but the Aston feels a lot faster than a half second to 60 over ours. Could be the sound, which is amazing.

Comfort
No comparison. The Aston vibrates and rattles like an eight year old car. My eight year old car is quiet as new. With the top up the Aston is better, but not that much better. A lot more wind noise. The seats in the Aston are really firm, and I feel every bump in the road.

Interior
No Wood, nice leather, a lot of plastic in the Aston. Not nearly as rich looking as the metal and wood in my Lexus. I don't think anyone, could pick the Aston interior. The Aston AC is less than half as cold as ours. The GPS is harder to use. I felt much more closed in with the top down. The seats are tight, I am not a big guy, normal weight, and felt constricted. Good leg room in both cars.

MPG
The fuel computer in the aston reads 11.6MPG. The worst day in My Lexus was around 17

Convertable Top
Aston closes in 18 seconds. The top is cloth but it is about an inch thick. Feels secure but again, more wind noise, you know it is not a hard top from the inside. Rear window is really small. Really cool that you can open and close the top at about 25mph.

Interior Space
Not that our back seats are great, but my kids fit. No rear seat in the Aston, trunk is smaller with the top up and down. Lexus interior is about 20% bigger overall.

Appearence
Personally I like the lines of the Aston better.

If I had the choice, I would take the Aston. More for style over substance, but looking really close at both cars, I would say they are in the same league.

baboya96

I'm sorry but I find this post no different than people bashing others for comparing SC430 to ISC or G37...etc. You aren't comparing apples to apples. (At least in my opinion) At least those guys were comparing hard-top convertibles. This isn't even close...

A lot of things you have listed are subjective. How about actual facts?

Number of productions making Aston much more rare/unique than SC430s.
Brand history
Value

To say, these cars are in the same league is absurd. I respect the fact that you enjoy your SC as most of us do. But making such a general statement... in my opinion... wasn't necessary.

Now all that being said, how do you 'lease' 2008 models???

KaiserSea1

He uses a broker that specializes in high end, relatively new cars. He got the car about four months ago, with less than 5K miles on it. He won’t tell me what he is paying.

Also understand, my comparison is based on looking at and driving both cars. To me a Cubic Zirconium looks as good as a diamond. It is not a diamond. This car has a KBB value of over 100K, mine around 20K. With that said, the Lexus is more comfortable, has a nicer interior, better ride, is much more quiet, and more space.

The whole point to the post was subjective. I have been in an IS and G37, and they felt cheap in comparison. That is also subjective. Apples to Apples.

nkx1

KaiserSea1, nice comparison, thanks.


baboya96, magazines compare hard top convertibles to soft tops all the time. Just look at the May 2010 Motor Trend- 2010 Audi A5 Conv vs 335i conv vs G37 conv, vs IS350 conv. It can be apples to apples as far as MT is concerned.

You mentioned you want to see facts, and then mention brand history and value. Those can often be entirely subjective. Also, I don't think KaiserSea1stated subjective matters as fact.

I actually think the cars are in the same league. If you were a space alien that just came to earth (ie you hadn't been brainwashed to think that AM > Lexus), you might think the cars are very similar. On paper, as KaiserSea1 indicated, they are similar. As to how similar they are, you can argue that all day. Fact is, they are both two door, they are both convertibles, one is a bit faster but not by much, both are a luxury vehicle, etc. etc.

PHXSC

To put these cars in the same class is like entering a mule into the Kentucky Derby.
The Aston Martin is a sub 5 second (4.9 I think) car 0-62 mph. It felt so much faster because it is. So you can visualize how much faster this really is, from 0-62, the Aston Martin would be 80 feet in front of a SC430. Clearly not in the same league - not even close.

A car that is capable of 180 mph, and is not limited short of that, is not going to have a cushy ride. To go those speeds safely requires a firm, well engineered suspension. That ride will make you feel connected, not isolated, from the road. Yep, you actually feel the road.
Firm, well bolstered seating is a requirement for high performance cornering in all sports cars. Keeps your *** where it belongs so you can drive.

Nor sure what paper that's being referred to that says they're similar - it surely can't be performance related, and definately not the window stickers, but they both have 4 wheels and are convertibles if that's what you mean.

At least you got to drive a true sports car, finally, but putting the SC430 in the same class, or league, or whatever, with the Aston Martin, as baboy said, is absurd.

IStoSC

Thanks for the comparison and pics its always nice to see Aston Martins, but I don't think I could compare the two equally IMO...the Aston is a true exotic sports car meant to be driven sparingly whereas the SC is a daily driving drop top. I'm sure the SC is more comfortable, has true creature comforts, and is more reliable and obviously more bang for its buck...you get an SC because its practical and it makes sense , you get a supercar I feel like because you can.

With that being said I'd love to pick up a AM Vantage in a few years you can get them for mid 60s now for an 06 model...

playa3uhh

Thank you for the write-up! It is quite nice to see first-hand experience from the perspective of a 'regular' individual rather than the sometimes biased test drivers at various Motor magazines. I was actually looking at the Vantage after I bought the SC and had a bit of buyer's remorse. But after a while, I realized what a great car the SC430 is. Although some comments are subjective, it is difficult to find any review out there with only pure objective statements. I appreciate the write-up and opinion.

Moreover, I wouldn't say that the 'same league' comment is absurd. Similar to what a previous poster stated, if you were presented these vehicles side by side without any prior knowledge about brand history or pricing you could easily believe that these cars are comparable. 0-60 speeds of 4.9 and mid-high 5s is not a huge difference. Speeds up to 180 are likely because there is no limiter. Quality of the materials used are probably comparable. All in all, in my opinion, calling the 'same league' comment absurd was a bit garish and both cars a fine machines. Just my two cents.

JohnnyCake

Most interesting post I've read in awhile -- thanks for taking the time. The Austin has interested me from afar, but when you said how much harsher the car is, the Austin is no longer on my radar.

sc430guy

next round: porsche vs volkswagon beetle

PHXSC

Well put. Not a fair fight to compare a 420 HP car to 288 HP.

Actually looked it up - the Aston is a 4.7 sec. car. For those that say "oh, that isn't much", a 1 second difference 0-62 is flat getting your doors blown off. By the time you got to 62 you wouldn't be able to read his license plate he'd be so far ahead.

A stock 430 is a very stylish, comfortable, sporty, luxury cruiser. It does what it was intended to do, reliably, and with class. It executes its design parameters well. But, it simply doesn't have the performance #'s to put it in a sports car category.

Comparing the 430 to an Aston Martin Vantage IS like comparing a Beetle to a Porsche, and since "absurd" is garish, let's just call it foolish.

KaiserSea1

Ok, I get it, more than a few of you disagree. But I am curious why. I don’t know if the magazines tested the 12 cyl version, or used a stick and dumped the clutch to get their numbers, but I clocked the vantage to 60 5 times, with a mean of 5.4 , no where near 4.9. My SC consistently returns 5.9, our LS430 5.7. Motor Trend rates the Iphone app damn accurate, and I agree. The whole point is rather ridiculous because the logic I am getting from this group puts the new WRX STI as a better car than the Aston, and I don’t get the feeling this is a big impreza crowd.
My cousin drove my SC for the day, and although he liked it, he said it looks like a potato, and he would not drive a car that ugly. He makes a point, the Aston looks better, but what else about it is so different from an SC. Does anyone think it has a better interior, build quality, or engineering? Our motor with almost half the power has 95% of the performance, and 40% better MPG. Reliability I won’t even get started. His Aston needs a brake job every year, and while we could not figure out why it costs over 7 thousand, given they change out the complete system, I am going to guess maintenance is in our favor as well.
I always wondered how the exotics were so much better than cars made by the bread and butter brands given the lack of R&D to spend, and low volume sales.
Can someone who knows cars explain why the Aston is better, other than it is a little faster. If we wanted faster cars we could all be driving 370Zs for half the price, or Vettes that can smoke an Aston Martin. Don’t just tell me it is the history of the make, remember in 2008 the Ford owned Aston Martin also produced the Ford Fiesta in the same UK plant.

Consideration 2006 Corvette Car and Driver recorded a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and 1/4 mile in 11.8 seconds at 122 mph in their March 2007 comparison test. Does that mean this car, more than a second faster than the Vantage is beyond compare?

nkx1

KaiserSea1, you make some great points. If you really truly think about it, what makes the AM such a great car, other than people thinking it is a great car? Unless you are brainwashed to think one thing, I really do not think there is a definitive answer.

It's not the most luxurious car (SC430 appears more luxurious), it's certainly not the fastest (even my 2004 auto Corvette can beat it), it's definitely not reliable, and looks are entirely subjective. Maybe it just feels good driving. But $80k to $100k is a lot of money to spend (unless you are filthy rich) on something that will drain your wallet on maintenance costs and "feels good" to drive. I'd rather have a new C6 Corvette any day and pocket the rest of the cash.

PS: I really do like the looks of the Aston Martin (I prefer the hard top). But it just isn't worth the money when there are cheaper and subjectively better alternatives.

scrdstr

Good post KaiserSea1 I agree with you about the two cars, I guess i'm just garish foolish .

HVisone

Well, except for the nose area, I think the SC looks far better.

The quality of construction of the SC is light years ahead of the AS.

The interior of the SC makes the AS look cheap and plastic by comparison

The SC needs frame (and maybe suspension member) stiffening, better sway bars and perhaps better bushings in the suspension/steering and it would match the AS in handling. (People here seem to be focused on the springs and shocks--fix or upgrade the frame and sway bars, and the car will handle far better than what you will get with new springs and shocks. Driven other cars where the frame has been stiffened, ride quality in terms of bumps is not affected, but cornering is unworldly by comparsion. This would be perhaps 2k at most in cost???)

Do not know why Lexus never attempted to get more power from the engine; it might not top 422 hp, but it could easily pump 325-350 hp by some simple internal redesign and upgrades, and with a chip that has settings one could adjust, probably get close to the same gas mileage--wonder why the 460 engine is not in the SC??

Appreciate very much you doing this comparison

PHXSC

The answer is obvious.
All the cars you mention, even the WRX, have better sales numbers than the SC430.
Far better sales numbers.