Saturday, March 15, 2014

Aston Martin: The koko in D’banj’s garage


The kokomaster, Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’banj, is a Nigerian artiste who has won both national and international awards and recognition.

He is rated as one of the best and richest entertainers in the Nigerian music industry and he is said to be the first Nigerian artiste to collaborate with an American rapper when he featured Snoop Dogg in his Mr. Endowed video.

The Kokomaster is a lover of exotic automobiles, as evidenced by the collection of automobiles in his garage. Few years ago, D’banj acquired Aston Martin Vantage V8, which was said to have cost him a whopping $200,000 (N32m).

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a seriously fast luxury sports car that delivers on the promise made by its wide tyres and engine specification. It is available in hatchback coupe and soft top roadster body styles, with a top that raises and lowers in about 18 seconds.

Its scintillating steering, confidence-inspiring brakes and gorgeous looks are some of the striking characteristics of the V-8 Vantage that lure customers, in spite of its cost. It comes with a warranty of four years or 50,000 miles.

Performance

The Aston Martin Vantage is powered by a V8 engine displacing 4.3 litres and capable of producing 380 horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque. Its torque is good enough to propel the nearly 3,500-pound Vantage coupe from zero to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds for manual and 4.9 seconds for automatic transmission.

It’s as smooth an engine as one can imagine. Its power is sent to the rear wheels via a standard six-speed manual transmission, or a six-speed automatic with auto-shift (optional) at $4,400 (N704,000).

The all-alloy engine is mated to a smooth and extremely quick-shifting gearbox that is rear-mounted to ensure a perfect 50-50 weight balance. It is a rear wheel drive type with dual exhaust. Its combined cycle fuel consumption is 12 miles per gallon/city and 19 mpg/highway and fuel tank capacity of 21.2 gallons.

Interior Design and Special Features

The Vantage has only two seats and there are fewer interior detail options. Its front seats come with a centre armrest. As such, the V8 Vantage features a cabin truly befitting its lofty price tag and its celebrated Aston Martin badge (although cruise control and heated seats should not be optional on a $100,000-plus vehicle).

Its standard features include 18-inch wheels (optional 19-inch at $1,595 or N255,200), a power-operated roof (for the roadster type), rear parking sensors, automatic climate control, a full leather interior, power seats, AM/FM radio with six-CD changer, iPod integration, USB port, an auxiliary audio jack and a 160-watt stereo.

Also, the Vantage has speed-sensing power steering-wheel with mounted audio controls, cup holders and a windscreen-embedded radio antenna.

There are other desirable attributes as well, including a rear-mounted trans-axle for enhanced weight distribution and a dry-sump lubrication system for the car’s V8 engine.

The Vantage also has higher-performance tyres, special exterior and interior colours, cruise control (optional), xenon headlamps, heated seats (optional at $450 or N72,000), power-folding mirrors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and windows, a navigation system (at $2,665 or N426,400), speed control (at $450 or N72,000), Bluetooth, satellite radio and an upgraded surround-sound audio system.

The Vantage roadster model comes with additional features such as keyless remote, tilt/telescope steering wheel, automatic temperature control, mode selection transmission (optional at $4,400 or N704,000) which enables drivers to select or shift an automatic gear based on preference and helps them against being caught by surprise with an untimely shift.

Safety

Standard safety equipment includes anti-lock disc brakes with brake assist, traction and stability control, dual and front side air-bags, tyre pressure monitors and rear parking assist.

The good: On a curvy road, the Vantage moves confidently, slides progressively and returns to its intended path with little drama, all the while feeding its driver useful information about what’s happening at pavement level while providing such an enjoyable and exotic driving experience for those who’d like a little excitement with their daily commute.

The bad: Its low-profile windows hamper visibility and tend to make occupants feel hunkered down. Also, big occupants may find the seats and leg rooms too small, and headrooms a bit tight.


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