Aston Martin DB9 Facelift revealed

The subtly facelifted Aston Martin DB9

Aston Martin has given the DB9 a facelift for 2010 / 2011. But don’t worry. It’s very subtle. The DB9 is still gorgeous.

Remarkably, the Aston Martin DB9 has been with us since 2003. Yet it still conspires to look as fresh and appealing – and let’s face it, just downright beautiful – as it did when it launched. But standing still for too long is a dangerous game in business, so Aston Martin has decided the time has come to give the Aston Martin DB9 a facelift – as we reported in May.

But don’t worry, Aston Martin’s most successful DB ever isn’t going to morph in to a nipped, tweaked and tucked Floridian parody of its former self. In fact the cosmetic changes are very subtle, really amounting to little more than new makeup rather than a facelift.

There’s a new front bumper and the grill gets a bit of sparkle. The lower intake gets a re-shape and a bit of bright hexagonal mesh and there’s new headlight bexels. The sills get a re-shape, there’s new alloys, silver brake callipers and clear light lenses. And that’s it. As we said – new makeup, not a stretched and manic looking Florida facelift.

Under the skin the changes are still minor, but more significant, The current passive damping gets replaced by an Acrtive Damping System (ADS) which is said to give better ride comfort but dial in an extra degree of sharpness when Sport mode is selected. There’s also a new tyre pressure monitoring system and some tweaks to the Bluetooth. Throw in some new trim finishes and a B&O hi-fi option and you’re about there.

There, that wasn’t too painful. And the Aston Martin DB9 is as beautiful as ever. Even after minor surgery.