Aston Martin is lying about this car
Chapters18
The video introduction sets up the question of whether the Valhalla is a hypercar or a supercar, with on-track driving, tech exploration, and a candid take on its strengths and shortcomings.
Valhalla lives closest to a hypercar dream: blistering on-track performance, jaw-dropping aero, but with some quirks that keep it just shy of perfect road-lex.
Summary
Carwow’s latest test of the Aston Martin Valhalla, with host Matt Watson and guest Rihanna, aims to settle whether this hybrid hypercar wears the crown or sits as a high-end supercar. Watson walks around the car’s aggressive aero, carbon-fiber tub, and Formula 1–inspired geometry, highlighting features like the inboard suspension and front/rear torque-vectoring. Powertrain details reveal an AMG-derived 4.0L twin-turbo V8 tuned to 830 hp with bigger turbos, revised pistons and cams, plus electric motors on the front axle and a dual-clutch eight-speed gearbox, yielding around 1,080 hp total and roughly 1,000 Nm of torque. The car benefits from a sophisticated launch system that combines RPM hold, instant torque, and an adaptive aero rear that doubles as an air brake, though Watson notes the track launch 0-60s attempts land around 2.99 seconds without “race start.” On track, the Valhalla demonstrates high downforce, active wing behavior, and a surprisingly approachable feel, with Watson remarking it’s “quite easy to drive” despite 1,000+ hp. Interiors get premium hypercar vibes via carbon seats and exposed aero bits, though storage is stingy and the center cockpit relies heavily on screens and shortcut knobs. Weather and track conditions complicate the day, but the car’s road manners also impress, with Watson noting a comfortable ride for such a high-horsepower machine and Rihanna confirming the overall hypercar character. In the end, the verdict tilts toward hypercar, albeit with a gray area due to pricing and some marketing tension with Aston Martin’s PR messaging. Watson closes by sharing his own spec—Mako blue paint, silver wheels, green calipers, and carbon fiber accents—and tests the car on the road, where it remains thrilling yet not an outright Bugatti-Chiron-beast. If you’re evaluating a hypercar that doubles as a daily driver, the Valhalla is moving towards that niche, but you’ll pay up to around £1 million for the option-laden version.
Key Takeaways
- The Valhalla uses an AMG-derived 4.0L twin-turbo V8 with a flat-plane crank, producing 830 hp and 870 Nm in its base setup, plus front-axle motors and a rear multi-motor hybrid system for a total near 1,080 hp.
- A front and rear electric motor setup, along with a dual-clutch 8-speed automatic, enables sophisticated torque vectoring and a high-tech launch sequence that aims to lock the car to the tarmac for quick 0-60 mph times.
- On-track performance is aided by active aero: a front wing, a rear wing that rises in race mode, a hidden air-brake function, and 600 kg of downforce at 50 mph, enabling aggressive cornering stability.
- The car’s interior quality and carbon-fiber tub convey genuine hypercar feel, but with notable compromises: limited storage, a single cup holder, and a door design that can catch low ceilings.
- Watson’s real-world testing shows 0-60s launches around 2.99 seconds without race start, suggesting the car’s electronics are doing heavy lifting to optimize acceleration.
- Road manners are surprisingly usable for a hypercar, with a measured ride, generous steering feedback, and a sense of being perched close to the road surface, even at highway speeds.
- Pricing and brand messaging create a gray area: a base around £800k, rising toward £1 million with options, making the hypercar label depend partly on perspective and marketing alignment with PR statements.
Who Is This For?
Essential viewing for performance car enthusiasts and potential Valhalla buyers who want a clear sense of how Aston Martin’s aero-heavy, hybrid hypercar translates from track prowess to road usability—and how it stacks up against rivals in price and practicality.
Notable Quotes
"This is a hypercar."
—Watson’s verdict on the overall category after initial inspection.
"The V8 engine in this car is unique to Aston Martin and unique for an Aston Martin."
—Explains the engine’s distinctiveness and origin.
"This is marketing. PR saying it's a supercar with hypercar DNA."
—Watson notes tension between internal hypercar identity and branding push.
"It's a hyper car. Let's go with hyper car."
—Chief engineer confirms the hypercar designation under pressure.
"The Valhalla has a load of high-tech aero features inspired by the Valkyrie hypercar."
—Describes aero engineering lineage and capabilities.
Questions This Video Answers
- Is the Aston Martin Valhalla actually a hypercar or just a fast supercar?
- How does the Valhalla's hybrid system deliver 1,080 hp and what role do the front axle motors play?
- What makes the Valhalla’s aero setup unique compared with other hybrids like the Ferrari SF90 or McLaren P1?
- What are the on-track performance numbers for the Valhalla and how reliable are they in wet conditions?
- How comfortable is the Valhalla for daily road use given its track-focused design and price point?
Aston Martin ValhallaHypercarAMG-derived V8Hybrid propulsionActive aeroFour-wheel drive with front motorsCarbon fiber tubTrack testingLaunch controlEuropean road testing
Full Transcript
It's a bit awkward because there's a load of people from Aston Martin here. Hello. Hello, Blaze. Is the new Aston Martin Valhalla a hypercar or just a mere supercar? Well, in this video, I'm going to find out by driving it here on track. I've been holding on to THE BRA FAR TOO LONG. OH, I'm just going there on the road. What was that? by having a good poke around it of Louiswis. Hurry up. Checking out some of its technology. See if I can figure out how to open the door. No, that's the copy. And also revealing what's not so good about it.
This seems too easy. Ow. Ah, that's so PR. I'm pretty gutted about that. PR. I'm Matt Watson and you're watching Car Wow. I think there is absolutely no debate when it comes to the design. This is a hypercar. Just look at it. This one's been out on track, so it's like humming away, cooling down. But with all like these vents and these arrow action going on here. Look at these strakes here in the wings. You can look through the tires. You can see the wishbones. It is insane. You can see the fans down there. I mean that.
Look at this. They're blowing a gale. Look at that. Look at that. Another thing is this. Look, the exposed suspension which are inboard suspension like on a Formula 1 car that helps them keep these wings nice and low so you get a great view out of the cabin. Look at all this this arrow down the side. Definitely hypercar. Something else which is really key. You got this scoop which feeds air into the engine not only to feed it but also to cool it down. And the exhaust exits. Look at this. That's pure hypercar too. I'm not going to touch them cuz I'll burn my fingers.
Though interestingly it has four exhaust. You can only see two, can't you? Here's the other two. They're kind of hidden. Look there. Just a little bit hidden because the back is dominated by the huge diffuser. And also look, you got this grill here which allows you to look in and see some of the mechanicals. Look at that. Yeah, without a doubt. Design-wise, this is pure hypercar. The V8 engine in this car is unique to Aston Martin and unique for an Aston Martin. So, it's an AMG derived 4 L twin turbo V8 and it's actually similar to the one in the AMG Black Series cuz it has a flat plane crank.
And if you're wondering what that means, well, most V8s get a crossplane crank and they sound like this. Whereas a flat plane crank gives you that exotic V8 sound. But it isn't just about noise. Going flat plane means quicker throttle response and higher maximum RPM. But they didn't stop there with the upgrades because Aston Martin has changed the pistons. They have changed the cam shaft. They've changed the turbos. made them bigger. The intake obviously remapped it. The result is that it puts out 830 horsepower, 870 Newton meters of torque. Then on the front axle, you have a motor on each side.
So you have four-wheel drive. There's another motor in the 8-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox, another first for Aston Martin, a dual clutch auto. And the total system output is 1,080 horsepower and,00 new m of torque. You've got 410 mm carbon ceramic disc on the front and 390 on the back. When you lift off the accelerator, you get regen braking on the rear axle. When you press the brake pedal, you get regen braking on the front axle. But that's not all. Because you've got electric motors on the front axle, they can work independently. You have torque vectoring from the nose.
You also have torque vectoring at the rear as well, and that should make the car highly mobile. Now, all that kind of tech sounds rather hyperari to me. And to test if it really is, I decided it would be a good idea to start by launching the car from 0 to 60 mph. But right from the start, there was a serious problem. the car wouldn't go into race start. This isn't just a button. It's the car's ECU taking over everything at once. The V8 holds the exact RPM where the turbos are spooling, but the tires aren't spinning.
The electric motors preconditioned to fire instant torque the millisecond you release the brakes. The active arrow repositions itself to pin the rear axle into the tarmac, and the dual clutch automatic gearbox preloads first gear with just enough slip so the engine doesn't bog. It's a finely orchestrated launch, and without it, hitting that quoted 2.5 seconds 0 to 60 time is basically off the table, but I thought I'd give it my best try anyway. 3.3. Let's try again. 2.99 without race start. One last go. Same again, 2.99. And you know, if it's like race starting, it's going to go that bit quicker, isn't it?
That's mad. And to give some context, this is where it ranks among other hypercars and supercars. But to be honest, as I drove a bit more, I started to feel a bit miffed that the launch control didn't work. And that made me think of another area where this car isn't exactly ideal. There is no storage underneath the bonnet because all you got under there is cooling fans. And then that means that all you're left with is whatever is in the cabin. So what have we got here? We got little storage area there for wireless charging of your phone.
Another bit of storage there. And we have in the door bins, look, these little pockets. That that that and that's it. There's no glove box. There's nothing else. There's nothing behind the seats. That is your lot, which means you really can't go on weekends away with anyone. It's more for just a day's blast, this car. There's another problem as well. There's only one cup holder for you to fight over. And it doesn't really hold your bottle that tightly. And the problem with that is this. Don't blame me, Aston Martin. It's your own fault for designing it like that.
And that worried me a bit. Does the interior of this new Valhalla let the side down? Well, when I compare it to the Ferrari SF90, haven't been in the new Tessterosa and the Lamborghini Roaltto, definitely hypercar. And one of the main reasons for that, these carbon fiber bucket seats, which have fixed back rest, hold it lovely, and um I don't know why I'm showing that they slide. That that's not unusual, but they definitely feel exquisite and expensive. And then the rest of the design, the carbon fiber, just the look of it, definitely definitely hypercar vibes.
and it feels super expensive like everything is solid and wellmade and maybe the graphics on the screen aren't that good but you sort of get that with hyper cars if you think about the screen and Bugatti shear or anything about the screens and Koigsegs they're not all that really you do not have to operate everything through the screen because you have some shortcut buttons there for like your fan and your demiss and stuff like that and there's also some hyperari foy balls like the air vents which actually don't have much range of motion it's quite strange to have a air vent there in the door but it sort gets the air to you, I guess.
But overall, the look of it, the feel of it inside, it's a hypercar. But there's one thing that really makes this a hypercar, and it's the fact that it's carbon fiber tub. The bottom half of it is actually made using Formula 1 technology, and it's done by the same company that makes the tubs for Aston Martin's Formula 1 cars. And there's good reason for this. The Valhalla has a load of high-tech aero features inspired by the Valkyrie hypercar. So, at the front, you've got an active wing. It's actually hidden away in here. It can alter the downforce on the front axle.
Then here at the back, we have this. When you go into race mode, this pops up and becomes fully active. But this also doubles as an air bra. So when you smash on the brake, it'll tilt and help slow the car down and really push that back end down into the ground. And then finally lower down as well. Look here. Huge venturi tunnels, man. That is insane. That's proper hypercar vibes, isn't it? And it isn't just for show. The Valhalla generates 600 kg of downforce at 50 mph from all that arrow. So, naturally, I wanted to go and try it, but I wasn't going to be allowed to jump straight into the car.
I've got to learn the track. Never been here before. We're in northern Spain. It's a place called Navara. N I don't know, something like that. I'm going out with Rihanna. Rihanna. I'm going to learn the track in the DBX and then come back and go out in the wet in the Valhalla. Hopefully, it's all going to be fine. It's going to be fine, isn't it? Can't do it. Navara is a fast track with a brutal tight back section which punishes the slightest mistake. Get it wrong here and the barriers come up fast. Which is great because after those two sighting laps, have I learn the track?
Not really. And I won't lie, at this point I was a little bit nervous. Over 1,000 horsepower on a wet track that I didn't know. And things weren't straightforward in the pits either. So we're actually running against the clock. So I've got 20 minutes in total for this section. And the clock is ticking down. Need to get into this Valhalla quickly, but we have helmet issues. Oh, it actually fits. Now, you might think I'm under pressure, but look, Louis is under pressure. He's trying to fit a mic to Rihanna here. Come on, Louis. We're running out of track time.
Come on, hurry up. Hurry up. Okay, quick. He's going to tell me off at messing with his kit. First test to see whether it's a hypercar or a supercar is is it slightly awkward to get into? Well, this seems this seems too easy. Ow, I've just hit myself on there. That's that's a good hypercar feature. No. Ow. Just hurt my back getting in as well. That's definitely giving off ow actually. Ow. Um, that's hyper car vibes. But now once I'm in, it's all good, right? Let's go. All right. Gosh, your your legs are high, aren't they?
Yes. The idea is that your hips are lower than your heels just so you get a bit more feel through your bum. Yeah, look at that. It's like, wow, that's special. So, Rihanna took me out for a sighting lap in the Valhalla to show me the ropes before I got behind the wheel. Handy because the car has quite a few different modes which affect everything from the power delivery to the amount of downforce you get. And on this wet track, I'd be needing all of it. It's going to be good. You excited? I'm excited and slightly nervous at the same time.
You don't need to be nervous. No, actually, you need to be nervous. Jokes aside, now it was crunch time. But there's one more hurdle I had to overcome. See if I can figure out how to open the door. It's got to be that. No, that's the copy. I thought that was the the way you open it. Right. Let's see. Come on. Oh, there it is. His button is clear as day. That's a bit of a weird. Is that right? Yeah. There you go. That's ergonomically strange. That is that's definitely hyper. This actually makes it quite easy to get in this.
The way this it's really actually that's really quite good. I think I went in it wrong last time. Now, now it's too easy. More like a supercar now then cuz that's too easy for a hypercar. It goes now. And on that brake. Nice. Get a feel for Whoa. And starting to break. Yeah, you had break a bit earlier. Nice and straight and turning in. Open up your wheel. So, nice and smooth on those exits. Sorry. No, you're okay. Thank god for the systems cuz we were spinning there. So, I'm going to put you into race mode now.
This puts the car's arrow into its most aggressive configuration. The rear wing rises by 255 mm and acts as an air brake under hard braking. And the concealed active front wing moves to a high downforce position. But on the straights, it automatically opens up just like DRS to help with top speed. Essentially, the Arrow comes alive. But it isn't just the wings. The suspension stiffens up and the electric motor delivers all its energy for maximum power. Well, you'd think it would. You see, earlier when I launched the car, I did a little experiment. Tell me if this feels quicker now.
You ready? Next one. Try this. That's one. Do you know why you don't have full power in race mode? And so I checked this with Aston Martin and they told me that the car slightly limits the total hybrid system power in race mode. So you get sustained output for longer track sessions, which seems silly because ultimately most buyers are going to want race mode to just be maximum power. But how does it actually feel? Wo. It's got some punch in it. It does. And it's the steering. Oh, that's much greasier on when you're on the paint, isn't it?
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So, just trying to stay on the front white lines. Perfect. The pickup is insane. So, we can see our other valve holler in front, but just keep doing what you're doing. So, braking. Good. Coming off the brakes. We'll give them a little bit of room. Just waiting, waiting, waiting. Stop, stop, stop. Yeah. Okay, now you can go. I was a bit eager then. Bit aggressive. There were no hes on there. I know. It's like, come on. Have you seen us? We're coming past. I'm coming past. Oh, I like that when you feel a little bit of breaking traction.
It is quite like Aston Martiny in the way that is low revving. It's not high revving like like the Valkyrie, which is it's quite different actually. It's really like thrusty, isn't it? Go. Nice. Yeah, it definitely feels like predominantly rear wheel drive. I'm hardly feeling that front axle to tell you the truth. Unwind the wheel. Perfect. I mean, there it definitely getting the benefit from it here putting that traction down, but it still feels mainly rear wheel drive. And before I knew it, that was end of session one in the car. So, first impressions, it's actually quite easy to drive.
I was going particularly quick. Felt quite grippy, although it did have a bit of a moment, but the stability control just did the job. Yeah, good. I'm going to go a little bit faster next. I've got another little session on track where I'm going to up the pace. So far so good. Like it feels like a special thing. But what's really interesting is just the the comfort of the suspension. It's got like this weird road car vibe to it whilst also being very very flat and low to the ground. So it's going to be interesting to see what it's like on the road.
That's coming later. Another key thing that makes a hypercar a hypercar is the sound. You think of Valkyrie. Oh my god. You can think of a Chiron. Might not be a screaming sound, but it's like a raw gutal powerful sound. Interesting. I haven't really noticed the sound of this. That doesn't sound hyper car. I need to hear it going past. When I was in it, I like had a helmet on with like someone talking with my headphones, so I couldn't really tell the sound of it from the inside. It's going to be interesting what it's like on the outside and what it's like when I'm out on the road and I haven't got a helmet on.
It's like it's a bit awkward because there's a Now, to be fair, Ran told me that it has a special startup mode that's quiet for if you're starting in like an underground car park, so it doesn't annoy people. That's might be the reason why it was so quiet there. But if it isn't sounding good, as it's thrashing along the straight, it's positioning as a hypercar, could be severely in doubt. Oh, here we go. Like, no, it's not. That's not hyper car noise, is it, Louis? No, it's not. It's I'm I'm I'm pretty gutted about that.
That is not hypercar noise. It's just not. I'm not even sure if it's supercar noise. Oh dear. And things got a little bit more awkward because those people from Aston Martin had heard me saying that. And they also got wind of my little test in this video to decide whether the Valhalla is a supercar or a hypercar. And they didn't sound particularly happy with me. This is a supercar with hypercar performance. Ah, that's so PR DNA. Let's speak to the chief engineer. Sorry to interrupt. Sure. Is this a supercar or a hypercar? Hyper car. And you are the chief engineer.
Chief engineer says it's a hypercar. PR PR saying it's a supercar with hypercar DNA. They're toning it down, mate. I'll have words with you. But you built you have built a hypercar. It's a hyper car. This is marketing. So, hello. How are you? Hello. Hyper car or super car? It's an easy one. Hyper car. Let's go with that. There we go. Before I can make it even more awkward, I was told it was time for my second track session. But track conditions were only getting worse. I had to really concentrate. It does just hook up, doesn't it?
Yeah. So, this is a little bit slippery on braking. Turn now. Just getting through. Yeah. Turning in. Yeah. Well, ABS that was I was backing out of the ABS. It was like chtering away. I like where we going to turn otherwise we're going to go off the track here. But it tells you what it's doing. So this one here that's coming up is our slippery one too. So just nice and easy change of tarmac turning it in. Starting to unwind the wheel and on the power out. Nice. Changing at about 6 and 12. Okay. Now see the rev which is good.
And on the brake. Good. Oh, sliding there. That's all right. Little bit of a under steering a little bit there. So, I backed out of it. You had it tightened up. Just lifting. So, lifting. Oh, steering there. That's all right. Nice feel. So, starting to unwind that wheel if you can and go. Good. I'm feeling it move about a bit more I I guess it's just the cuz it's damp. You can feel it slide a little bit. Oh, I felt good through there. That's nice, isn't it? And just like that, my 20 minutes were up.
And to be honest, I came away from that session feeling a little deflated because in front of me was a chap from the Daily Mail. His name's Ray Mass. The first run out like I overtook him. And this one, I couldn't seem to catch him at all. I actually saw him a little bit ahead like when I was coming down the straight. He was like just done the hair pin. I thought I'm definitely going to catch him but never did. So I was a little bit, you know, gutted about what was going on and he hadn't even come in.
So it's like he was going to lap me. And I walked in here and I actually saw him sat down there and I was like, what's going on? What was happened? What? How come you back him? He wasn't driving. It was basically a three-time Lemon driver who was taking him out in the car. He was like Aston Martin's like pro driver Darren. That's why I never caught him. So I decided to go and find him and ask a super important question. Darren. Um, with your decades of experience with motorsport, I need your advice on something.
So, um, so how long are you racing for? Uh, it must be 30 years, something like that. Yeah, 30 years. So, nearly. Which of these LMS products do you reckon for my skin tone? Um, I'm going for the pro collagen toning mist. That's the That's the one I would recommend. I often use this. Yeah, I often use this myself. So, um, it says about replenishing and refiner and and I think what for 60 you're looking good for that sort of that age. So, uh, no, this is it. Don't you normally go open a boot and see this yourself?
Yeah, it's normal. What is this all about? Do you know it's partnership LMS partnership with Aston Martin? Um, and I think this is here for you guys to try out if you want. You put it in your pocket. You can have that way. Joe, no, I shouldn't show her this cuz she'll know that I've got it for Christmas. That's a Christmas present all sorted, isn't it? Right. Let's go over here and get back to the car. This is my final session. My last opportunity to push the car to its limit. And it was still raining, so there was a genuine risk I could put it in the barrier if I got too carried away.
And I still have to try it on the road. The pressure is on. So, we can go a little bit deeper. Oh, yeah. Got it. You're right. Yeah. Yeah. I felt it just lose a bit of traction. Sliding around a bit there. Yeah, it was good. and unwind the wheel. Nice. Oh, nice and gentle. A little bit of throttle. Really getting into this now. Yeah. Yeah. I'm really liking the feel of the car. Good. Even when sliding lights is all right. That's all right. Yeah. And while I was feeling comfortable with the car, there was still a part of the track I couldn't get my head around.
I'm still not completely convinced by this turn. This is the one that just gets me every time. Break now. Braking. Coming off. Little bit of Nice little bit of brake off. Oh, that's it. That's it there. I don't want to come off there. Good. Breaking. I can feel the car like floating around there. Yes. I didn't notice I stayed on longer than you said. And even then, I think we were kind of on the limits. Yeah. Yeah. That's the exciting part. It is. Oh, no. And there was one more corner I needed to nail to put together a good lap.
It just kind of guides you. Here we go. 15. Great. There we go. Keep it on. Keep it on. Keep it on. Coming off and on the power. I don't think I could have done much better than that. Practice was up. I had one more lap before my track time ended. Time to put it all together. Braking. Coming off. Too hard. Too hard. A little bit of power. This scares me. Brake. off. You serious? Oh, yeah. You were right. Yeah, that was bad. Feel it. Feel it. Feel it. Nurse the car and get it straight and go.
A little bit too much power. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, I ran a bit wide Can really feel that new to the new tarmac's the worst tarmac. So, the dark stuff that you're seeing everybody, that's the new tarmac and it's slippy. They're coming. You isn't always better. Especially here, I can really feel it. Off. Little bit of throttle. Yeah. Just pull it through. Really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You got more rotation there. I've been holding on TO THE BRAKE FAR TOO LONG. Damn it. Ah, break too late there. That's all right. You felt it. Nice. Ah, it's nice.
Now it's starting to rotate. It's good. Do you know I can tell when to break it because you're braking as well with your feet? Put a bit of extra pressure. Do your left foot break? I was going to say cuz it's your left foot that's doing the braking. All right. That's a check of flag. Okay. I was pretty pleased with that final lap. Though I did get a little help from Rihanna. And before we took the car back, I wanted to ask her a very important question. So, would you say this is a supercar or hyper car?
That's a good question. I would say more to a hypercar. Okay. Yeah, we'll go with hyper car. I reckon that was the fastest we driven. And the track is wetter. Wetter. I'm just like at center. All right, stopping it there. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate Noise at all. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Well, that was as good as you can expect considering the weather. Enjoyed that. Was that intimidating enough to be like a hypercar? I'm not sure. I'm not sure that's a bad thing. You see, Aston Martin's Valkyrie hypercar, while totally road legal, wouldn't exactly make a comfortable cruiser.
So, I'm hoping the Valhalla softer edge makes it a better allrounder. But before I could get out of the pits to go drive it, something caught my eye. Have a look at the color of this car. This is quite an interesting blue. And it shows off some of the different designs you can have on it, such as these stripey liveries. I like that. Would you go for that color? Actually, do you know what? I'm going to get inspect my ideal Aston Martin Valhalla. It's probably not going to be what you expect. I've been on the Valhalla configurator and this is my ideal spec.
So paint is in what's called Mako blue. I actually named that for Aston Martin blue named after the Makeo Shark. So I had to go for that and I've gone for silver wheels, green brake calipers and we have plus carbon fiber at the top and then satin lower down. Have a look at the interior. Ooh, I love a light interior and that's what I've gone for here, but with Aston Martin racing flashes to match the brake calipers. Now, if you want to try and spec your own Valhalla, there's a link in the description of this video.
Give it a go and see how much money you can spend. Now, let's see what the Valhalla is like to drive on the road. Does it give you hypercar thrills or is it mainly just super? But it didn't get off to a good start. What was that? Have you lost a GoPro? Could have just been a stone. Oh, what do you reckon? Stone or GoPro? GoPro's there. So, it's a stone. A stone. That was a loud knock, wasn't it? Gosh, that flew up there. Blime me. Tell you what, the suspension's reasonably comfortable for this kind of car.
Aston Martin was saying that they didn't want to give it too much down force because that would mean that they have to increase the spring rates, so it would be too bouncy. But I think they got it just right. But it is quite noisy. A lot of road noise. It's either the engine droning or the tires making a lot of noise. And obviously cuz it's so stiff. All that noise being like transmitted into this cabin. I hope you can hear me. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Why' you go? Why? Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Yes.
But it definitely does the thing they say it does, which is breathe with the road. Do you like a bit of that? Do you Lewis? That's good. Yeah. Blime me out in the mid-range. This thing punches hard. Let's see what it's like for overtaking. Yeah, nice jolt on the gear shift. all speed up. I go without the axle lift. I'm all right. I've got to say, I can tell already that the low dash does mean that you have plenty of confidence to place it on the road and like drive through traffic without worrying about damaging the car.
I sort of instinctively know where the corners are. It's one of those cars. My 911's not like that. You sit kind of low and it's got a high dash. Whereas this, you do feel like you're just sat on the road. And that makes it feel more hypercary than just super cary. It's a special experience just being sat in it, driving down the road, even when you're going at normal speeds. and relax as we go into town. Oh, is this the police? Hello. Hello, police. Nothing to see here. Must be a turkey gobble wastegate. Woo. That gets intense pretty quick.
That does on the road. Yeah, it feels faster on the road than on the track. On the track, you got so much more space. This is a damn good road. This is, isn't it? Do you know what the noise that was like lacking on track? had the helmet on and is lacking from the exhaust. I think is made up for by that turbo blowoff, don't you think? You get every single time you lift off the throttle. I didn't notice that at all on track. That is nice. Just driving along here, going through these bends, thinking what a nice job they've done of the steering.
The weight just feels perfect for this car. It's a really meaty, heavy, solid, but not overly heavy. It goes with the performance and the torque of the engine. Like matches it perfectly. Same thing with the brake pedal. Like it's firm and solid, but with feel. All those controls just come together to just give you a car that sort of talks to you like it. And it has this lovely way the way it goes down the road as well. It's like you're gliding slightly flying just above the surface. Really nice. You can tell they haven't really been pressing the throttle that hard, can't you?
When you actually press it properly, it just picks up like crazy, doesn't it? Don't go into the barrier. Trying to make a point. And it really just just pulls so hard from low down this thing. This road's amazing. Like nonstop. I've noticed a problem with this car. Can you guess what it is, Louis? No, I don't know. It'll be one of the bads. They're coming up later. Okay. After all of that, does it drive like a hypercar on the road? Well, do you know what? I think the lines are so blurred now. Ferrari SF90. Lamborghini Roy out toe all feels super quick on the road as fast as many hypercars.
So I don't know it feels faster than an average supercar. Does it feel hyper? Probably not quite. You know when I'm thinking of like Bugatti Chiron. I'm thinking of Koigseg Yesco. They just feel mad. But it's close. What do you reckon? I was just thinking about the Chiron. I don't think it feels as fast as it faster. So having said that, an AMG1 is a hypercar and this feels like the AMG1 H. It's gray area. Gray gray area that I'll tell you why it doesn't feel like a hypercar because I have no worries about driving it.
I am very conscious in some of the other like hyper cars when I'm driving them on the road at their value. Even though this is expensive, I know what it is about it. It just seems so easy. And even though visibility isn't amazing, it's actually quite good for where you're looking. Okay, you got a narrow windscreen, but the dash is so low that I feel quite aware of where the corners of the car are. So, I'm not worried about like scraping it or damaging it. Whereas in a Shiron, I'm a little bit more cautious of it.
So, that's probably a good thing that it's not quite like a hypercar when you're just driving on the road. But, it is without doubt at the very top end of the supercar spectrum for road driving. Got it. Finally. No lift. Went a bit too quick and uh did scrape it. Definitely a hyper car. So, it was a gray area of whether it was a hyper car or super car, but that made it a hyper car. Definitely. Lewis has pulled the screen protector off. Oh no. Oh, Lewis. What have you done? Oh no. You caused more damage than me getting air over that bloody speed dump.
Oh, thanks. You damaged my phone as well. However, before I give you my final verdict, there's a few annoying things I've discovered while spending time with the Valhalla. If you park your car in an underground car park with a low ceiling, beware, these doors extend over 2 m high. You don't want to scoff them on the ceiling. This isn't great on a car that costs with options around a million pounds. Windscreen wipers. No, just no. They shouldn't be vibrating like that because you got a solid bulkhead behind you. There's no rear window, which means your rear view mirror is actually a camera, which is okayish, but with a camera feed, you don't get any depth perception like you do with a mirror.
So, you don't really know how far things are behind you. There is one question I have is whether the price of this makes it a hypercar or a super car cuz it's sort of in between. You see, it starts from around £800,000, which is significantly more than a Lamborghini Ruelto or Ferrari Tessterosa, but a lot less than an Aston Martin Valkyrie or a Bugatti Chiron or fullblooded hypercar. However, with options, most customers are going to be spending around £1 million. So then that brings us back to my original question. it's close, but from where I'm sitting, it is a hypercar.
and the clincher. Just being able to see that front tire like that with the door open just tips it over the balance, doesn't it? Yeah. This is a hyper car. Just one that's really good
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