Is the Updated Porsche 911 Better Than the Updated Aston Martin V8 Vantage?

For 2009 Porsche is introducing an updated 911 Carrera and Carrera S with direct injection engines among the improvements. Power is now 340hp up from 325hp on the Carrera and the Carrera S now has 375hp up from 355hp. One of the biggest changes is the 7 speed dual clutch "PDK" transmission that replaces the old 5 speed automatic. The new PDK transmission is like Volkswagen's DSG, which will soon be available as a 7 speed. Of the changes the most noticeable would be the new taillights, but the changes to the front bumper are much less noticeable. The extra power makes these cars much faster. With a PDK transmission the new Carrera S will do 0-60mph in under 4 seconds. The dual clutch transmission makes the 911 faster and more fuel efficient. These are very good improvements, but the 911 seems to have gone a little to technology crazy. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage has also undergone some extensive updates for 2009. The most important change is the new 4.7L V8 with 420hp. It's the same Jaguar derived engine as before, but it has been enlarged from 4.3L to 4.7L and an extra 40hp has come with the larger V8. That will fix the V8 Vantage's biggest problem, it felt like it had been made slower than it could be on purpose. Originally they didn't want to make the Vantage to be as fast as the 450hp V12 DB9, but the DB9 gets 470hp for 2009. Now the V8 Vantage has enough power to be the great car it should have been all along. The DB9's flappy paddle gearbox is also available (it was available on the V8 Vantage before the 2009 update), but unlike most flappy paddle gearboxes the Aston Martin one is really an automatic. That makes for smooth shifting in the city and none of the clunkyness of manual based flappy paddle gearboxes like the Ferrari transmission. With both of these cars the manual transmissions will provide a more satisfying driving experience and in the case of the Aston Martin it will be faster. The Porsche 911 has been a better to drive than the V8 Vantage ever since they both came out. The 911 handles better, is faster, a better value, is more reliable, gets better gas mileage, and is more practical. However the Aston Martin isn't bad in most of those areas (gas mileage is the only area were the 911 is significantly better. The Aston Martin looks absolutely stunning coupe and roadster form, but the 911 design is always the same as last one except for a few head and taillight changes. The V8 Vantage roadster is almost as stiff as the coupe unlike the 911 Cabriolet which looses much of the coupe's stiffness when the roof is gone. The practicality of the 911 is one of its important appealing features, but in an Aston Martin that just isn't very important. The Aston is carefully hand built, the craftsmanship is very important to Aston Martin, but the Porsche is built in a factory were efficiency is very important. The car to buy if you want to be sensible is the 911, but the car you buy with your heart has to be the Aston Martin.