Anyone wanna bet that the Porsche Cayenne has parts that are stamped with "VW" all over it?

The horror!!!!!!!

 

...and I'd be shocked to find Audi/VW parts on a Lamborghini!!!!!

 

Oh I got that without the red text, in fact, that's how I figured out what red text meant.

 

I would wonder if this is the case for all of the Vantages produced till now, because Aston Martin is no longer associated with Ford, it was taken over by the owner of Prodrive. Also, Jaguar and Land Rover is now a subsidiary of Tata Motors of India.
On the other hand, if you look at a Bentley GTC key, it has a striking resemblance to VW keys. The only difference is the badge.

 

And it's the part that most people don't see- my keys are always in my pocket when not in a steering column.

I guess I should buy a special neck chain and hang my prestige-mobile keys off it? I drive a 1988 Integra-- but the key says "Acura"!

 

Nah, you're too old for that at 43, its more of a younger guy thing. But seriously, you'll know when/if Acura arrives to tier 1 status when people start showing off their keys.

The Bentley keys do seem to be made by VW, but they were specially designed and customized for the Bentley's. Nothing wrong with that:

Bentley Director of Design and Styling, Dirk van Braekel, certainly took this into account as he created the design goals for the Flying Spur and Continental GT keys: "The design idea was to create a piece of jewelry, something special that an owner can hold, something that lives up to the Bentley vehicle and brings with it the Bentley status."

With that in mind, Bentley designer Brett Boydell embarked on a yearlong development process. When it was over, Boydell had created an exquisite piece of eye candy that, when placed on a bar, is instantly recognizable and would help even the most romantically challenged score a hot date.

It seems AM's design goal with their key was to cover up the big VOLVO logo with some plastic film. Now that's quality. <--- hey look at me being sarcastic, no longer a n00b

Here's the edmunds article about keys from which I got the above quote:
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/116741/article.html

 

This thread is lame. I'm going back to picking my nose.

 

exactly? bad, bad analogy there. And Volvos and Aston Martins are about as dissimilar as you can get. Might as well compare a Mini Cooper to an M5.

Every single Acura out there except for the recent TLs, the CL, and MDX (?) is a Honda everywhere else. Even the great NSX is a Honda. Does that change a damn thing in my eyes? Nope....

I'm not surprised Aston Martin did that. Its nothing compared to Acura (Honda), they fooled hundreds of thousands of people into spending a bit more for the badge.

 

interesting.

 

Look in a corner where the DOT certification is.... It might be there.

And for those that agree with the key not being a big deal. It's the rest of the $119,899 that is the concern. What else did Ford cheapen?

 

Just close this thread.

It. Is. A. Rental.

 

Not really. Its not about the tech, its all about the feeling of being ripped off. Although I respect the opinions expressed here , the people at AM do in fact know they messed up big time and as Automobile writes:

The old car used a key that utilized a mixture of Jaguar and Volvo parts. It really wasn't good enough for a $100,000 car. Now, the V8 Vantage uses the same setup as the DBS. The ECU, or the emotion control unit as Aston insists on calling the new key, is inserted in a slot where the starter button used to live.

Here's the new key:


and it lights up when put in here:


Now that's a little better. The car is now fully functional sexy in my books

 

Love the new key from Aston!


I understand and agree with both point of views here, but I fully understand what Fishy is trying to say here. When one is shelling out 120k+ for an Aston, no matter if it shares parts with Volvo, Ford or Jaguar, it should have it's own exclusive key to go with the "premium" image the brand wants to project. Aston Martin is comparable to Ferrari, Lamborghini and the like, so why not make an effort to pay attention to a detail like the competition does?

It's a completely different customer base that is simply more discriminating to little things like these.

Here's a nice article I found on Edmunds.

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/...1/article.html

 

I would feel ripped off if I had to carry some big block of a fob that I had to insert into the dash before also pushing a "start" button-- like in a Prius, BMW or a VW-- it's an extra step compared with putting a regular key in the ignition and turning it.

A true luxury car, like a Jaguar or Infiniti, requires just pushing a button to start the car with a proximity key- the more I pay, the less work I want to do to get my car going, dammit! So why should I pay $120K+ to do more work just starting the car than with cheaper cars like the Jags and Infinitis??!
Using the original [Volvo-sourced] key would have been less work, and therefore more luxurious!!!

 

Edit: Fishy posted the same link a little higher and I didn't notice.

The bentley key is hawt.

 

it's a key.....lol

 

But it's an Aston Martin. It should look like an Aston Martin key and not like a Ford Focus key. They could have at least removed or debadged it.

 

It is a rental car
it is a rental car
it is a rental car
it is a rental car

 

I don't think that a rental car company can go to some joe's key shop and ask for a key for AM. If they need an extra set of keys they'll probably go to dealer, and thats what dealer did!! gave them a volvo key wrapped in cheap leather. or maybe ford??

 

I think the idea is that if they used a Volvo key for the Aston key. What else did the "re-use" from the Ford line to make the Aston?

 

So these people are saying if they had $50k put away specifically for a down payment to get an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and they found out that it uses a freaking POS Volvo key that they would without a second thought, cross it off their list?

And the new AM key is dope, I love it. But it wouldn't significantly change my opinion of the car equipped with it as a whole either way. Simple as that. I'm a practical guy.... its not just the details that matters for people who buy a car worth over $100,000, if you buy a car that much you clearly have more money than sense anyways. Maybe that's why I just can't see it from that angle.

 

If I owned an Aston Martin I'd like to think that my FOB wab a nicer FOB that most, and that the quality of the exterior was indicative of what's underneath. You want to think everything about the car is somehow better than the budget brands. I would feel like a sucker if I owned one after that.

 

but how does it feel to know that Hugo Boss is made in Bosnia and that I got shirts for 4euros/shirt and that someone in US payed maybe 100$ for? haahha And seriously, they could have at least taken the VOLVO sign of the damn key before they wraped it in leather

 

Fucking babies.