While the styling of the Aston Martin Virage is not immediately arresting, beneath the familiar lines is an uncommonly talented vehicle that takes a bigger step forward than many will realise. With a brilliant chassis, a much improved transmission and an engine note to die for, the Virage is a car that could get under your skin. Perhaps Aston Martin isn't chasing the sort of extrovert who clearly wants to be seen in the most headline-grabbing vehicle of the moment, preferring instead to let its styling lapse into an old money familiarity. Objective complaints are few. The 78-litre fuel tank could be bigger in a car this thirsty yet which claims to be a grand tourer. After that I'm struggling for anything substantive. It may have arrived with a pphut rather than a bang, but the Virage is anything but a damp squib.