The cabin resembles the drawing room at a British military club with sumptuous leather, polished wood, soft suede, plus complete instrumentation that's easy to view. And every stitch of it is hand-crafted. The seats cradle, the smells are rich, and everything you care about is power-operated. Ergonomics are not perfect. And there are a few questionable equipment choices (such as what appears to be a Mazda parts-bin ashtray!), along with a gear shift knob that always seems to be in the way of the stereo controls.
You know to expect a polished performance from the moment this superb British blown-six fires up. It speaks in hushed tones, and the supercharger is silent at idle. Acceleration is deceptive; the blower begins adding horsepower at little more than idle, and you can feel the fatness of the torque curve beginning at 2500 rpm and pulling strongly for another 3000 more.
With only 3.2 liters pushing some 3800 pounds, the DB7 is no dragster. But it's not intended to be, although its 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds would chase away many of the 1960's most vaunted musclecars. The DB7 seems really to come into its own at about 110 mph in 5th. Sweet. She's a handler too; not in the Porsche sense, but perfect for fast sweepers and Alpine switchbacks, always delivering a luxurious and well-controlled ride.
If you want pure torque, buy the Viper--or the Ford Super Duty, for that matter. Or wait for the upcoming Jaguar XKR, which is an XK8 packing the XJR's supercharged V-8 heart. But if you want, and can afford the $130,000 pricetag for six perfectly balanced cylinders worth of God-Save-The-Queen power, style, craftsmanship, and exclusivity, consider the Aston Martin DB7; an automobile anyone would likely find satisfying for many years to come.